A new restaurant is bringing a fresh twist to New Castle’s dining scene. 

Pig and Duck, which opened during the Burning Mountain Festival on Sept. 13, offers what owner Robert McConnell describes as “approachable elegance.”

“We do fine dining cuisine in a casual atmosphere,” McConnell said. “Whenever I’m writing a menu, I like to take a mix. I generally call it an 80-20 rule. People recognize 80% of what’s on the plate but are intrigued by the other 20%.”

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The restaurant fills the space left by EAT Bistro, which McConnell recognized as a community staple. He and his partner developed the idea after launching Chef Cart, a Southeast Asian food truck, in Carbondale earlier this year.

“We noticed there was a need for a different kind of Asian cuisine,” McConnell said. “You can get standard Chinese or Thai, but we wanted to create something new for this part of the valley.”

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The menu emphasizes scratch-made dishes, including ramen featuring house-made noodles crafted from flour milled by Mountain Oven in Paonia. McConnell said using fresh, local ingredients is a top priority.

“Our Ramen broths roll overnight for 12-14 hours,” McConnell said. “We make our own noodles from locally milled flour. Mountain Oven gets Colorado wheat and rye from within a few miles of their mill and mills the flour fresh for us.”

The restaurant’s name highlights the versatility of pork and duck, which feature prominently in dishes like the Pig and Duck Platter.

“The platter includes Cantonese crispy duck and char siu porchetta,” McConnell said. “It’s a pork belly wrapped around pork loin marinated in my partner’s family recipe. I come out to the table to describe the process, which adds a personal touch to the dining experience.”

The ambiance combines fine dining touches like white tablecloths and golden chopsticks. McConnell and his team completed renovations in just two weeks after taking over the lease at the beginning of September.

“We did some work in the kitchen, added new equipment, and rearranged things,” McConnell said. “The changes inside were mostly superficial, but they create that look of elegance we wanted.”

McConnell’s culinary journey began in Georgia and included time in New York, Northern California, and Hawaii before he moved to Aspen in 2008. His experience includes stints at top restaurants like The Little Nell and opening several others, including Aspen Public House and Elk Camp.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing chefs who taught me quality, consistency, and focus,” McConnell said. “Passion is the most important thing. Sharing what I love to do with others is one of the best things in the world.”

McConnell said the support from New Castle has been instrumental in launching the restaurant.

“Opening a restaurant is never easy, but the community here has been so gracious,” McConnell said. “It’s a great town, and we’re fortunate to be part of it.”

Pig and Duck, located at 316 W. Main St., is open from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. McConnell said business is off to a solid start, with customers coming from nearby towns and as far as Edwards.

“Our service is excellent, and our food is great,” McConnell said. “We’ve got five-star Google reviews, and we’re starting to make waves. Hopefully, we can make an even bigger splash.”