Dinner - Appetizers

Question 1

Tuna toast / garlic / tomato / avocado

Answer 1

This toast is inspired by “pan con tomate” a traditional Spanish dish where bread is grilled, rubbed with raw garlic and raw tomato, finished with olive oil and generally served with Spanish ham.

• heirloom Kansas wheat and toasted cornmeal toast that is house made, hand folded and naturally leavened, using a sourdough starter as levain
• toast is grilled and brushed with raw garlic oil, topped with avocado mousse (avocados pureed with lime, shallot and olive oil) 3 small quinelles (football shape made with 2 spoons) of tomato jam (roma tomato, red onion, cane syrup, red wine vinegar, cane syrup, chili flake) topped with sliced housemade tuna bresaola and garnished with chive baton
• tuna bresaola is grade A yellowfin tuna from the gulf, for this preparation we are only using the eye of the loin. It is cured for 2 days in salt, cinnamon, clove, black pepper and garlic. Then frozen and sliced thin, the spices are not aggressive but add balance to create a texture and flavor that are very close to traditional long cured pork ham

Allergies:
gluten, dairy, allium

NOTES:
Can be made without tuna for vegetarians

Question 2

Cobia Escabeche / fennel / radish

Answer 2

Escabeche is a typical dish found throughout the Mediterranean and Latin America which can be made from fish or meat that is marinated and cooked in an acidic mixture (citrus or vinegar) and colored with pimento or saffron. Since this dish came about as a way to preserve fish and meat to eat chilled later it is now common in many South American regions for the protein to be fried and then marinated.

-Cobia is a warm water fish found throughout the Atlantic and Caribbean. The flesh is white, dense and buttery.

-This dish is not typical as an escabeche as the fish is served rare, chilled with an escabeche vinaigrette that is colored with fresh turmeric, because that is our style. The vinaigrette is made with fennel, garlic, shallots, fennel seed, coriander and turmeric are cooked slowly to bring out the oils and sweeten the alliums. White wine is added and cooked to dry, followed by fish fumet (stock) and is simmered until the mixture is reduced by half to concentrate the flavor. Its then strained, chilled and emulsified with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
—The cobia is seasoned with jerk spice and potato starch to season and dry the fish to get a crisp crust like a fried product without cooking the fish. The fish is sliced and presented as a crudo, but the crust is what allows the fish to absorb some of the vinaigrette, essentially making it a true escabeche.

-Vinaigrette is presented on the bottom of the plate, 5 to 7 slices of the fish are placed on top and garnished with sea salt, shaved raw fennel and radish, fennel fronds (tops), herb oil and chili oil.

Allergies:
Seafood, alliums, chili, wine

NOTES: No substitutions available.

Question 3

Pickled shrimp / buttermilk / celery / trout roe

Answer 3

• we use fresh jumbo white shrimp from Pistol P’s ie Ricky the shrimp guy. The shrimp are skewered and poached gently in court bouillon (vegetable stock with citrus, onion, celery and white wine). Chilled, peeled, deveined and marinated in rice wine vinegar.
• We dress 1.5oz of clean marinated shrimp with the same vinegar used to marinade (which now has an incredible shrimp flavor to it), olive oil, trout roe, large celery slices that have been peeled (so they are crunchy but not fibrous), and celery seed and sea salt.
• The dressed shrimp mix is plated over buttermilk dressing (aioli, anchovy, caper, parm, buttermilk, Worcestershire, red wine vinegar, lemon) with a quarter of haas avocado, shaved radish, shaved jalapeno, micro celery, rye croutons and a little chili oil.

Allergies:
Shellfish, dairy, gluten, allium

NOTES:
This dish can be made without croutons for gluten allergies.
Can also be made without buttermilk dressing for dairy allergies.

Question 4

Little gems / whipped avocado butter / hazelnuts / soft herbs

Answer 4

Little gem lettuces are dressed in a well-seasoned Dashi (Japanese stock of konbu/dry seaweed and bonito flakes/ smoked, petrified bonito fish) then brushed with avocado butter(avocado mousse, tempered butter and salt) each layer is seasoned with chopped roasted hazelnuts and country breadcrumbs then stacked up and garnished with soft herbs(micro celery, micro parsley, chive baton, nasturtium) and dry file/herb powder.

Allergies:
Dairy, nuts, gluten, allium

NOTES:
Can be made without breadcrumbs or nuts for allergies.
Can be made without dashi for vegetarians
Can sub avocado mousse for dairy allergies.
Can be made allium free with no avocado butter-sub lemon vin and no herb powder

Question 5

Chilled golden beet gazpacho / tomato / cucumber / crouton / buttermilk sorbet

Answer 5

• roasted golden beets, yellow bell pepper, celery, yellow beefsteak tomatoes, yellow onion, cucumber, Champagne vinegar and olive oil. All of the vegetables are marinated overnight and blended.
• served chilled and poured tableside over roasted beets, crispy fried shallots, country croutons, diced cucumbers, mint and basil, topped with buttermilk sorbet.

Allergies:
gluten, allium, dairy

NOTES: Can be made gluten free without shallots/croutons. Can be made dairy free with no sorbet.

Question 6

Crispy hogs head boudin / Dijon / frisée

Answer 6

• boudin is made with large pigs’ heads from Chapapeela, uses a variety of local green chilies that are available throughout the year from covey rise and high quality short grain sticky rice from California.
• heads get a clean shave and blowtorched to remove any hair remaining and are brined with pink salt for 24 hours, rinsed under running water for 2 to 3 hours and slowly poached until extremely tender 4 to 6 hours with mirepoix and cayenne pepper.
• Separately holy trinity (onion, celery, green bell pepper) is cooked down with a lot of additional chilies that are available (poblano, cayenne, long hots, jalapeno, tabasco, habanero) and garlic, seasoned with cayenne and salt. Some of the reduced head stock is added and slowly cooked down to meld all of the flavors together. Finished with parsley and scallion.

Separately sushi rice is washed, cooked and seasoned.

Separately chicken liver is soaked in milk 24 hours, drained, seared, chopped.

The head meat is all picked from the bone, including all fat, ears and tongue. The meat is then whipped in the large mixer with Dijon mustard to emulsify fat and break up all of the tender meat. Then the rice and vegetables are folded in by hand, and the mixture is poured onto sheet trays to chill and firm up.

Its then cut into 2.5 ounce bars and breaded with flour, egg, and panko breadcrumbs.

The bar is deep fried, seasoned with salt and served with Dijon mustard, lettuces and seasonal pickles.

Allergies:
Gluten, onion/garlic
Doesn’t contain dairy, but chicken livers are soaked in dairy in case of severe allergies

NOTES:
No substitutions or adjustments available.