Noshes and News 4.16.13

After a busy week and a trip to Louisville and Nashville, I'm back and have lots of good news and events to share. Rather than clog your facebook feed with too many links tonight, I'm rounding up the best of the best here (although my facebook page is generally the best place to stay up to date with the local food news I have to share).

First off, cheers to Barrio Tequileria, which had its Grand Opening in Northside while I was away! Luckily, I had the opportunity to check out the neighborhood's newest taco joint, from Taco Azul food truck owner Gary Sims, during its soft opening. The food and drinks I've sampled so far – including the mango-habanero marguerita at the top of this post – are solid and delicious! I love the comfortable yet hip LA vibe and the quirky day-of-the-dead artwork (including a Día de Muertos-style Marilyn Monroe piece). Barrio's spacious fenced-in back patio will open Cinco de Mayo weekend with live music, and I could see it becoming my favorite al fresco spot in the city. I can't wait to explore more of Barrio's extensive tequila list, along with the black molé and an upcoming pig roast Gary is promising. For more photos, check out this great post by 5chwar7z.

If your tastes run to the adventurous, mark your calendar for next Tues. (April 23). During the afternoon Local 127 chef Steven Geddes and the ubiquitous Justin Dean will host a goat butchery session with Adam Danforth. Special goat dishes will be available that evening, along with the regular menu. Contact the restaurant for more details. A great opportunity to check out this underutilized meat and taste what can be done with it in the hands of skilled chefs. ETA: I just received the press release below. If you opt for the goat dinner, it is $35 for four courses. The butchering demo begins at 3:00 "and continues into the evening." Reservations strongly encouraged for both the demo and the dinner: (513)721-1345.

OTR's vegan-friendly green general store Park + Vine hosts a release party for the 2013 CORV (Central Ohio River Valley) Local Food Guide Wed. night (4/17) from 5:30-7:30. Other ways to lay your hands on this indispensable annual guide to farms, farmer's markets and other local/sustainable food resources in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southwestern Indiana: it's available for free in this week's City Beat or you can download or order a copy via CORV here.

What's better than Findlay Market staying open late on a spring evening? The chance to score discounts on tickets for the Bunbury Music Festival! This Thursday (April 18) from 4:00 to 7:00, Findlay kicks off a series of special events where you can get 20% off a 1-day or 3-day Bunbury pass by buying $50 in groceries OR showing receipts from 5 different Findlay Market vendors (discount limited to two passes). Even better, in keeping with Bunbury's "Bee Free" slogan, the first person to buy $120 in groceries AND show up in a bee costume will get one FREE 3-day pass to the July 12-14 music festival. You can savor an adult beverage in Findlay's OTR biergarten, enjoy live music, take in a Taste the World at Findlay Market food tour, indulge in one of the best pastimes at Findlay Market – people watching – and get your grocery shopping done at the same time. The same discount is on offer two more Thursday evenings, May 16 and June 20, as well as three Sundays from 10:00-4:00: April 21, May 19, and June 23. ETA: I read an item today that indicated the Findlay markethouse vendors would be be open until 6:00 this Thursday, with other events continuing until 7:00. I am trying to confirm, but you might want to get your shopping done first, before kicking back in the biergarten.

Nectar Restaurant is hosting another of its spectacular Dinner Clubs next Thursday (April 25), this one featuring artichokes, in conjunction with Daisy Mae's. At each month's Dinner Club Nectar chef Julie Francis highlights a given ingredient through five savory and sweet courses that will surprise and delight you. Check out this month's menu here.

Also coming up April 25, something cities across the country have been doing for years. I am glad to see Cincinnati restaurants FINALLY getting on board with Dining Out for Life, where restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds to AIDS service organizations. Click here for local participating restaurants. As I write this, they include Jean-Robert's Table, Mayberry, Kitchen 452, Park + Vine, 20 Brix, Melt, Cumin, and more. It will be a good night to support local restaurants that support a great cause.

I'll sign off for now with kudos to some of my favorite Cincy food folks who broke good news while I was out of town.

My talented, determined, hard-working friends at Tom + Chee held their first press conference last Friday to announce they will appear on the ABC show Shark Tank May 17 (locally, Ch. 9/WCPO). I was bummed I couldn't be there in person, but glad to catch this video. I've been rooting for them since they got their start in a tent on Fountain Square and was excited to be with them during the filming of their first TV appearance, on Man v. Food Nation. Whatever the outcome of their pitch to investors on this show, I'm confident they will continue to grow, thrive, and remain committed to what they do: bringing cheesy goodness at an affordable price point for families of all sorts.

And in case you missed Polly Campbell's piece, Jose Salazar's new restaurant will be called Salazar and it will be located at 14th and Republic. I've had the pleasure of tasting what Jose does on his own terms at his pop-up dinners at Pallet23, and I can't wait to see where he'll go next as he launches his new venture in a renovated OTR butcher shop.

So much food talent to be proud of in our city! Stay tuned for more!

Pop-Up Dinner Round-Up, Part 1

Whether you call them “pop-ups” or “underground dinners,” these innovative one-off prix-fixe culinary events are blossoming more quickly than the daffodils in my front yard. Here's my first installment about some unique events to check out.

Last night I attended a Date Dinner, by Steven Shockley, who recently became Executive Chef at Cumin and previously worked at Pho Paris, Chalk, Jean-Robert’s Table, and Maribelle’s (when it was at its previous Riverside Drive/Eastern Avenue location). Steven takes thematic inspiration from a wide array of sources (the previous Date Dinner I attend was based on the music of Miles Davis). Although Steven is sometimes given to pun-filled constructs, last night’s dinner side-stepped the opportunity for April Fool’s Day jokes while, as usual, focusing on out-of-the-ordinary flavor combinations.

Lentil soup with pomegranate and sumac whipped cream

Flatbread with gorgonzola-potato puree and parsley

Braised lamb neck with grapes, quinoa, and cauliflower puree

Cardamom rice pudding

The schedule for Date Dinners varies, partly depending on Steven’s work schedule, and is usually limited to about 12 people, in an Over-the-Rhine apartment the location of which you learn after RSVPing (and, now, paying via Paypal). Like the Date Dinner facebook page to hear about upcoming events. Steven has a keen culinary curiosity, and I’m not going to try to guess where he’ll take Date Dinner next, although he says he’s switching the format to four courses for $35; still BYOB. He also occasionally pops up with snacks at Market Wines at Findlay Market and Neon’s. Steven has a personal proclivity for veggies, grains, hand-ground spices, and the occasional braise or venture into offal territory. I will definitely be curious to see where he takes Cumin’s spring menu, set to launch this Thursday. He will also be participating in the 1 Night, 12 Kitchens Midwest Culinary Institute April 21 on behalf of Cumin, in case you were one of the lucky folks who bought ticket before they sold out.

Steven recently collaborated for a dinner at Pallet23 in Northside with another young chef who is garnering a lot of attention for his pop-up dinners, Ryan Santos of Please. Ryan leaves tomorrow for a stage (internship) at Michelin-starred In De Wulf in Belgium and has another lined up at Castagna in Portland for September. I can't wait to see what inspiration Ryan returns with from his travels (for a terrific food-porn-filled blogger's-eye-view glimpse of In De Wulf, click here). After he returns from Europe, Ryan and crew will be shedding the "Arts and Lettuce" title for their pop-up dinners and taking them to Carriage House Farm for a new, rustic dining experience that will involve not only eating outdoors but cooking outdoors. No electric, thank you very much. Ryan has always cultivated close relationships with area farmers to source local and sustainably raised foods for his dinners. He has more intriguing collaborations in the works, with entrepreneurial aquaponics venture URBTank and a "beverage" partner.

Please: a Staff Pick for “Best Now-Above-Ground Underground Dinner Series 

Turned Into A Residency” in City Beat's Best of Cincinnati 2013 issue

Here are just three more pop-ups taking place in the next week. If you're interested, act quickly or they may be sold out.

Frances Kroner, the talent who created the marshmallow dress at The Art of Food, is doing her second "edible installation" collaboration with Modern Makers and Pones, Inc. this Friday, called "The Big Dinner." Details here. Her "food event design" company FEAST was just featured in the Business Courier (sorry I can't share a link that gets beyond the paywall). I was out of town last week and missed FEAST's pop-up last weekend, but heard great things about the event and the food from friends. Can't wait to check out what she's doing this Friday!

Another series I'm excited to finally get in on is "Underground - A Hen of the Woods Production," which is celebrating Spring with a dinner Monday, April 8. Join their facebook event asap, then await instructions and get your cash or check to chef Nick Marckwald by Friday for this wine-inclusive dinner with sommelier Kevin Hart of wineCRAFT, who collaborated on an amazing pop-up at the Mercantile Library with the fine folks from Dutch's recently. (The talented Gina Weathersby of 513{eats} documented that event in full photographic glory here.)

Nick, Kevin, and other talented folks are also doing a pop-up of heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts at The Rookwood in Mt. Adams April 10 to benefit the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America. Details here.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Pop-Up Round-Up. Lots of exciting ventures coming up!

Noshes and News 2.26.13

PizzaBomba Grand Opening Tuesday, February 26

The PizzaBomba food truck recently opened a storefront at 14 E. Fifth St. in Covington, and today they'll celebrate their official Grand Opening by giving away free slices of cheese and pepperoni pizza from 11:00 a.m. until they run out. If you love PizzaBomba's food as much as I do, rest assured their truck and catering operation will continue to operate. They've also added delivery to Covington, Newport, parts of Bellevue, Downtown Cincy, and Over-the-Rhine up to Liberty. The Covington PizzaBomba shop has a beer license and, better yet, an expanded menu that includes sandwiches, salads, pastas, and desserts. Although Grand Opening freebie slices are limited to cheese and pepperoni, you don't want to miss PizzaBomba's quirky combos and homemade breads and pastas, like this punchy yet ethereal Buffalo Chicken gnocchi! Find them on facebook, twitter, or via their website.

The Art of Food Opening at The Carnegie Friday, March 1

Food-inspired artwork will fill the galleries of The Carnegie in Covington through March 21. But  opening night for The Art of Food is the BIG deal. More than 20 of Greater Cincinnati's best restaurants will be giving out tastes of their food from 6:00 to 9:00. Now in its seventh year, this unique annual event delights all the senses - and it gets crowded quickly! To reserve your tickets before they sell out, click here.

Night Owl Market (NOM) Bockfest Edition, Friday and Saturday, March 1-2

This periodic gathering of food trucks, musicians, and other local artists in the parking lot at Main Street and Central Parkway in Over-the-Rhine was a hit with the late-night crowd last year. NOM kicks off its 2013 season this Friday and Saturday from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. in conjunction with Bockfest! Event details here, and more about this great entrepreneurial endeavor from Cincy Chic here.

I hear the Red Sesame Korean BBQ Taco truck will be in attendance at this weekend's NOM. Haven't caught up with this new Cincy food truck yet? Keep an eye out for them via facebook and twitter. Seriously, you'll want to check them out soon!

Pura Vida Nomadic Nights Underground Dinner, March 2

If you've been interested in checking out one of Cincinnati's underground dinners, Jose Navales of Pura Vida Pop-up is doing his second Nomadic Nights Dinner this Saturday. I missed the first one, but I have tasted his food, last fall at the OEFFA tour at Carriage House Farm. Navales is passionate about local food - and full of ideas. I'm betting this will be unlike any other underground dinner Cincinnati has seen yet.

Asian Food Fest Cookoffs at Findlay Market, Sundays in March, 1:00-3:00

Do you love Asian food - or just want to learn more about the diverse foods of China, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and more? This year's Asian Food Fest is May 18 and 19 at The Banks, and leading up to it, like last year, Findlay Market will host a series of cook-offs Sundays in March, featuring congee (March 3), curry (March 10), rolls (March 17), and Asian BBQ (March 24). To enter, complete an entry form by the Friday before each event and bring 4 quarts of your dish. To taste, come and enjoy. People's choice and judges' winners will be awarded each Sunday. I look forward to being a guest judge for the curry cook-off, and hope to see you there!

Young Guns Awards

I've been learning about lots of young chef talent in response to my post last week about national website Eater's call for nominations for its Young Guns Awards. Eater's rules state they are looking for candidates who are under 30 years old OR (if you're over 30) have worked less than 5 years in the business. Please go to Eater's website to make official nominations and represent!!! And please continue to let me know your suggestions about our best and brightest upcoming talent in Ohio and Kentucky by contacting me. I look forward to sharing their names here - and learning more about them!

Call for Nominations - Eater Young Guns

The national website Eater is accepting nominations for its second annual Young Guns award, and I'd love to see Cincinnati (and surrounding cities) represent! I know there's a buffet of serious talent here in the middle of the country!!! Trouble is, I'm not sure who meets the "under 30" - OR has worked in the industry less than 5 years - qualification, and I'm certain there are lots more amazing up-and-comers out there than I've had the chance to meet yet.

Here's how Eater describes its search for Young Guns:

The aim of Young Guns is to identify the most promising up-and-comers in the restaurant and nightlife world, whether they're working as chefs or line cooks, sommeliers or bartenders, restaurateurs or maître d's.

The criteria are simple. Nominees must be under 30 years of age (or have worked in their chosen field for less than five years) and must be currently employed in the hospitality industry in the United States. Though you most likely haven't yet heard their names, they must show extraordinary promise. These kids are the future, those that will soon lead the business but have yet to receive critical attention.

Eater is opening up the nomination process to the public! Click here and complete the quick form to officially nominate a candidate directly to Eater. Additional supporting materials can be emailed to youngguns@eater.com.

Meanwhile, please make some noise locally by sharing who you think are some of our best and brightest young talents by commenting on this blog post, posting on my facebook page, tweeting me @EggplantToGo, or emailing me at eggplanttogo @ gmail dot com.

Eater's deadline for nominations is March 15. Let's get a groundswell going before that, people! And I look forward to acknowledging our worthy nominees right here.

Noshes + News 2.17.13

The Denver Chee at Tom + Chee Walnut St.

Tom + Chee Now Serving Breakfast

The little "grilled cheese and tomato soup venture that could," Tom + Chee is now serving breakfast at their Walnut St. store. Loved their take on the Denver omelet when I grabbed one last week. Breakfast sandwiches and stuffed French toasts galore! Downtown Cincy between 4th and 5th Streets in the Mercantile Building (next to Subway).

Six Reasons to Check Out Alfio's Tuesday Night

Tuesday evening (2/19) Alfio's buon cibo is doing an informal wine tasting of three Malbecs with a trio of their empanadas, which I loved on a recent visit to this cozy Italian-Argentian restaurant on Hyde Park Square (in the former Poco a Poco location). $20 for three bites and three pours, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Pierogies + Art at Park + Vine Friday Night

Every culture has its version of dumplings. In Poland they're called pierogies. Last week I tasted offerings from start-up Babushka Pierogies at Market Wines at Findlay Market with a friend whose mother-in-law was Polish. These were so good my friend bought extra to take home to her husband, knowing he would approve. Look for Babushka Pierogies at Madison's and Gramma Debbie's at Findlay Market plus vegan versions at Park + Vine.

Park + Vine, the "green" general store, vegan food mecca, and community gathering spot in Over-the-Rhine, is hosting a special Final Friday event featuring not only Babushka's Pierogies but whimsical pieces by artist and local farmer Emily St. Clair. Check out this "Secret Garden" opening Fri. (2/22) 6:00-10:00 at 1202 Main St.

New Non-Profit: Cincinnati Food Truck Association

I'm a big fan of the talented entrepreneurial folks in Cincinnati's great mobile food scene. They support each other in many ways, and now they've banded together to form an official non-profit. From the press release:

We are proud to announce the newly formed non‐profit organization, Cincinnati Food Truck Association (CFTA). The association is made up of small businesses that own and operate premium food trucks and trailers in Cincinnati focused on innovation in hospitality, high quality food and community development. The CFTA aims to reinvent food trucks vending in a way that is beneficial to Cincinnati, food truck entrepreneurs and their patrons.

Mission Statement: To campaign for safe, affordable and legal access to street food in metro Cincinnati area by fostering positive relations between street vendors and the residents and business of the communities they serve. Our mission is to create a market in which food trucks, trailers, vendors and patrons alike can work together for the betterment of the industry. The immediate goal of our newly formed organization is to work with the City of Cincinnati to increase the number of available mobile food vending spots within the pilot program. In addition, we hope plan food related events, create a welcoming environment for future Cincinnati food trucks, carts and vendors as well as create an online source with contact information, calendar of events and other relevant information.

Contact CFTA at:
Facebook.com/cincinnatifoodtruckassociation
@CincyFTA
cincyfoodtruckassociation@gmail.com

Stay tuned to this blog for more news about Cincy food trucks and other great food in the city, and more frequent news updates on my facebook page.

Original Makers Club Launches in Cincinnati Tonight!

If you’ve been near the bustling intersection of 12th and Vine in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine in the last six months, you’ve probably seen this image prominently displayed across the parking lot on the wall of architectural firm A359. When I first laid my hands on a copy of the Cincinnati edition of the Original Makers Club guidebook, the woman sitting next to me at A Tavola recognized it, and wanted to know the story.

The “book,” as the OMC folks call it, is a 64-page, 7” x 10” paperback printed on heavy matte stock and packed with photos (no "advertorial") of 40+ independent Cincinnati businesses and other organizations. This is not your grandfather’s guidebook. Fitting, since every room in Cincinnati’s new 21c museum-hotel – not your grandfather’s hotel – will be stocked with one.

A Louisville start-up, Original Makers Club was founded by photographer Josh Meredith. OMC team member Mike Brady, who is also assistant to 21c founders Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, is managing partner of the Cincinnati operation. (OMC hosted Steve Wilson's birthday party last night in Louisville, and I'll bet it was quite a bash.) OMC guidebooks are in the works for Lexington, where another 21c is under development, and Brooklyn, where OMC will partner with another boutique hotel not affiliated with 21c. Cover illustrations for all the books are by Brooklynite Jon Contino.

But Original Makers Club isn’t just about its guidebooks, which “members” pay on a per-page basis to be included in. Nor is it simply about dovetailing a printed product with a built-in method of distribution. (OMC books are also available free to the public at member businesses.) OMC is partly an aesthetic and lifestyle vision, partly an entrepreneurial collaboration, and partly an ongoing series of events. As Mike Brady told me, “It’s hard for most to grasp the concept until they see it active in their city.”

My curiosity was aroused last summer as I saw that a number of local, independent Cincinnati restaurants I enjoy and respect were choosing to participate. In addition to restaurants, OMC deliberately includes visual artists, floral designers, clothing stores, hair salons, city organizations, etc. in its “curated” mix, which ranges from Jean-Robert's Table to Park + Vine. (You can find a full list at the bottom of this post.)

Folks at one restaurant I spoke to said they decided to sign on for Original Makers Club in lieu of another pay-to-play organization, Greater Cincinnati Independents, aka Eat Local Cincy, which sponsors Cincinnati Restaurant Week (not to be confused with Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week), feeling they had outgrown GCI and hoping that Original Makers Club would help take them to the next level.

Nick Wayne, co-owner of A Tavola with his brother Jared, told me the selling point for him was the presence of OMC books in the 21c hotel rooms, which he thinks will reach a well-targeted audience of Cincinnati visitors who would be interested in what his business and others in Over-the-Rhine are doing. Nick and his wife stayed at Louisville's 21c the weekend they attended OMC's Boat Dock Dinner, and were impressed by the businesses they discovered using the "book" as their guide.

In my ongoing quest to experience one-of-a-kind dinners, the Original Makers Club Dinner Series caught my attention too. Especially after I watched this video of OMC’s very first such dinner, in a bucolic setting on a farm outside of Louisville, complete with a dapper Kentucky gent riding in on a white horse. The first of OMC's "traveling tables" was built for that event.

On a last-minute whim last July when I learned tickets were still available, I headed to Louisville for OMC’s second collaborative dinner, an "underground/pop-up" affair at what turned out to be a mansion overlooking the Ohio River. Although lightning storms prevented our planned pre-dinner boat ride on the Ohio River – complete with matcha tea popcorn snack – we happily huddled around canopied communal tables at the Greystone Estate for a low-country boil prepared by Louisville restaurant (and OMC | LOU member) Hillbilly Tea. The food, libations, and conversation were a delight. Eventually the skies cleared and we cast off the canopies to savor our summer evening overlooking the water.

The Original Makers Club team says that part of its mission is to embrace the culture of each of the cities in which it has a presence. The roster of Cincinnati OMC members is weighted toward downtown and Over-the-Rhine businesses, and my guess is that in holding its launch party tonight on Culvert Street (which I believe is sold out), OMC is embracing an edgier, more urban version of what OMC – and Cincinnati – can be.

Sounds good to me!

I'll happily stay tuned to see what else OMC and its Cincy partners are up to next (on either side of the Ohio River) . . .including yet another new photographic, communal, food-centric venture founder Josh Meredith has launched, called Forage.

OMC | CIN members:

1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab, 21c Museum Hotel / Metropole, 3cdc (Fountain Square, Washington Park); Arnolds Bar and Grill; A Tavola; Bakersfield, Bouquet Restaurant + Wine Bar, Cincinnati Museum Center, Clifton Performance Theatre, Cork + Bottle, Digs, Django Western Tacos / La Poste, Brazee Street Studios, Blue Manatee Bookstore, Ensemble Theatre, Five Dot Design, Flow For Men, 4eg (Four Entertainment Group, which includes The Righteous Room, The Lackman, Mount Adams Pavilion, The Stand, The Sandbar, Alive One, Keystone Bar + Grill, Igby’s, Tap + Go), Framester, Japp’s, Jean-Robert's Table, La Silhouette, Local 127 / Lavomatic, Marti’s Floral Designs, Mica 12/v, Moerlein Lager House, Nada, Paolo Jewelers, Parlour Salon, Park & Vine, Queen City Cookies, Rookwood Pottery, Sloane Boutique, Smartfish Studio and Sustainable Supply, Spotted Goose, Studio N Photography, Switch Lighting and Design, Taste Of Belgium, The City Flea, Via Vite, Jaguar / Land Rover Of Cincinnati, Young Philanthropists Society Of Cincinnati

MCI Grad to Helm Edward Lee’s New Restaurant + My Visit to 610 Magnolia

News broke recently in a story I’ve been keeping my eye on, and I couldn’t be happier. Chef Edward Lee’s new restaurant at Actors Theater of Louisville is slated to open in mid-February. And Cincinnatian Kevin Ashworth will head it up!

An alum of Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State, Kevin also has a degree in business from the University of Cincinnati and helped with the start-up of area Dewey’s Pizzas before heading to Louisville. He landed a spot in Chef Lee’s kitchen at Louisville’s 610 Magnolia after the two worked together at the annual MCI fundraising extravaganza known as “1 Night, 12 Kitchens,” which attracts a heady group of local and regional chefs and, I hear, tests the mettle of the MCI students who assist them. (Tickets for this year's “1 Night, 12 Kitchens,” April 21, available here.)

Lee’s second restaurant will be called Milkwood (after Dylan Thomas’s "Under Milkwood," the first play produced at ACL by its acclaimed former artistic director, Jon Jory). Milkwood is being described as a  “speakeasy-restaurant” with “comfort food with an Asian pantry.” (You can read more from Eater Louisville here.)

Thanks to the help of my friend Stephanie Boertlein, who knows Kevin from their days together at MCI and writes the Cincinnati-based food blog Small Girl Adventures, I had the good fortune to meet both Kevin and Chef Lee when I ate at 610 Magnolia last year. It was one of the most outstanding dinners I experienced in 2012, and I’m going to take this opportunity to share it, with thanks to Chef Kevin and Chef Lee, who were both cooking that busy night.

************************

610 Magnolia was on my Louisville “list” long before Chef Edward Lee appeared on Season 9 of Top Chef. Even before he bested Iron Chef Jose Garces in Battle Tongue and Cheek in 2010. Named for its address in Old Louisville, 610 Magnolia deservedly garners reviews for being one of the best restaurants in Louisville and has earned Chef Lee not just television appearances but acclaim as a James Beard Finalist for Best Chef Southeast.

When Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert were scheduled to appear in Louisville last winter for their “Good vs. Evil” road show, my friend Joyce Pinson, from Pikeville, KY, and I both had the same idea: To learn more about Chef Lee during our road trips to the 'Ville that weekend. Joyce scored an interview with Lee (which she wrote about in her column for the Appalachian News-Express here and on her blog here and here). I, however, got to taste his food!

The menu at this reservations-required venue changes weekly, and what you’ll find on 610 Magnolia’s web page is merely a suggestion of what will be on offer any given Thursday through Saturday (the only nights it serves). Although the dishes change, 610 Magnolia’s menu structure and price options remain straightforwardly the same. Diners choose among three to five options each for three courses at $55/person (wine pairings an additional $45) or four courses at $65 (wine pairings, +$55). An 18% gratuity is added to all checks, so you’re spared the need to do restaurant math.

When I heard 610 Magnolia’s food described as Asian-Southern fusion, I had trouble wrapping my brain around what that might be, other than thinking of the soy sauce products aged in reclaimed bourbon barrels from Bourbon Barrel Foods (a favorite of Chef Lee’s, by the way). But I was all in for exploring what Chef Lee and his team had in store.

Whether you opt for three courses or four, you’ll also receive the evening’s amuse-bouche. The amuse trio that night included beef rillette with mango, game sausage with Dijon, and the signature 610 BLT, with applewood smoked bacon, gouda, tomato, and the best part: foie gras.

For my first course, I couldn't resist these briny Kumomoto oysters, with American sturgeon caviar, watercress, leek, and champagne sabayon.

The second-course offerings included one of the few dishes that evening whose menu description spoke with a pronounced Asian-meets-Southern drawl, the pork belly with collard greens, kimchi, and black-eyed peas with a honey-cinnamon gastrique and braised mustard seeds. But this dish, with some of my favorite ingredients, captured my attention instead. The thinly sliced beef tongue accompanied by three kinds of heirloom baby beets drizzled with 50-year olive oil, a fabulous mustard ice cream, and caperberries was one of my favorites of the evening.

For my entrée, I went with this duo of beef, featuring short rib and rib-eye, with broccoli puree and florets, Okinawa potato, and horseradish cream, a refined riff on Asian stir-fry, pointed out with its soy sauce "froth." (I had to laugh when my server lapsed momentarily and said, "Froth, foam, air? What are we calling it tonight?")

Dessert was one of the highlights of the evening, not just because it was delicious, but because it was served to me by Kevin Ashworth himself! He barely had time to introduce himself and the dish: "Meyer lemon panna cotta with orange sherbet fluid gel, olive oil pound cake, vanilla-tonka bean powder, and whipped sassafras," before he had to return to the kitchen. But this smart young man with a gleam in his eye impressed me more in those two minutes than I would have thought possible.

As I sipped the last of my port and nibbled on the green tea and cranberry truffles served as mignardises, my kind server let me know she was aware I'd hoped to meet Chef Lee. She said he would try to make it, but he'd been running back and forth to the restaurant's Wine Studio, which was hosting a private event that evening. (It wasn't until I read Joyce's blog that I realized Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert were likely right across the street.) Just before my cab arrived, Chef Lee appeared out of nowhere and I had a couple of starstruck moments to introduce myself and blather my thanks to him for an amazing meal and all he does for food here in the middle of the country.

The next evening when I met Joyce and her friend Rhoda for dinner before the Bourdain-Ripert show at Harvest (another excellent Louisville restaurant), we were both still on a high from meeting Chef Lee. In typical Joyce fashion, she kept her cards close to the vest until she could write up her interview. When she asked me how I would describe Chef Lee's food, the one word that came to mind was "thoughtful." Not a very articulate or "foodie" description, but that's what stood out to me about my dinner at 610 Magnolia. Every component on every dish seemed to be there for a reason. And I'd guess as much thought by Chef Lee and his team went into what to leave off as to what to include. This was no forced mash-up of Asian and Southern flavors. It was just really, really delicious food, without contrivance. Joyce's newspaper column would include this quote from Chef Lee: “I don’t define my style; I think that if you are an expressive cook you cook whatever you are; whatever you have become; you are the sum of all experiences. You evolve. I am a New York native, born of Korean immigrants that now lives in Kentucky and embraces the South. However that translates is how I am.”

When Milkwood opens at Actors Theater of Louisville next month, I anticipate it will be more casual and less exclusive than 610 Magnolia, but in a similar vein. Another step in the culinary evolution of both Edward Lee and Kevin Ashworth, with food that, whatever it is, first and foremost tastes really good. And I can't wait to taste it for myself!