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In my last filed Ubuntu review (of an October meal), I mused what Jeremy Fox should cook – vegetables, I had said all along, particularly those dishes created from the Bras or Passard ethos. The creative restrictions at Ubuntu forced/allowed Fox to push the concept of a vegetable-focused menu to Michelin two- and three-star heights at times; and, arguably, placed him among the more important chefs in America.
As far as awards seasons go, one can’t complain too much about this year’s various “Best Restaurants” awards over the past week or two. First, noma shocked the world by displacing El Bulli as the “#1 restaurant” in the world. It is a more than deserving winner; and better than El Bulli. When the world dries up, the fish are gone, and northern Denmark is the last bastion of untainted wilderness, noma might very well be the most coveted reservation in the world. The rest of the list is hit or miss, mostly miss (where is L’Arpege?), but we can delight in its #1 pick.
noma crew by foodsnob (one of their best customers)
Last night, Sean Brock won the James Beard best chef for the Southeast. He, too, is more than deserving and congratulations are in order. My meal at McCrady’s, two years ago, was impressive and insightful, a chef maturing and finding his own style. Here was a guy who had been infatuated with El Bulli molecular techniques but applied a Southern sensibility to them. And then he totally went off the map by creating his own bio-dynamic garden, and raising pigs. It’s like El Bulli, Blue Hill, and Manresa rolled into one – sprinkled with some Southern goodness. Sean will become a great name in American cooking.
And then David Kinch won best Pacific chef.
Jeremy Fox left Ubuntu earlier this year, leaving the entire food paparrazi twittersphere trying to anticipate his next move – where will he cook? How could he leave? Will he stick to vegetables? I hear he will appear in the next Lady GaGa video! What about the book? On and on and around and around – it’s surprising how quickly celebrity culture has engulfed the restaurant world. I understand that fame is a powerful driver but I am most interested in the work. 1 And, Fox, in 2009, to quote my favorite line from all of The Wires, “put in the work.” 2
picking our own carrots – we had to work too
The Michelin man roared through the Bay Area last week and proclaimed what many already knew – Ubuntu is a rising star. It is a great honor for the incredible work that has taken place over the past two years.1 It is one of the country’s most important restaurant as it pushes the boundaries on the meaning of, not vegetarian cuisine, but of ingredients. Alinea may not this country’s El Bulli – it just might be Ubuntu – as it deconstructs vegetables, their constituent parts, and builds a new fine dining language with these, heretofore, neglected building blocks.
Periodic readers know that Manresa has been instrumental in crafting this blog’s fine dining point of view and voice. Many reviews, particularly lately, reference the ideas, and ideals, that David Kinch strives for. Manresa was my first exposure, first-hand through many meals, to watching a great restaurant, and chef, transform itself from very good to great.1 My travels have taken me through various quadrants of haute cuisine but I find myself honing in, and enjoying most, restaurants that share similar philosophies to Manresa.2
when not eating ...
putting in the work ...
