Rustic Canyon
Marcona Almonds – Lavender Sugar and Sea Salt
Fried Stone Valley Pork Trotter – Citrus, Yuzu Aioli, Wild Sorrel from Atwater
Beets and Berries – Reed Avocado, Rancho Gordo Quinoa, Pistachio Soil
Coppa di Testa of Stone Valley Pork – Grilled Bread Salad, McGrath Farms Arugula
Springbrook Farms Raclette on Toast – Gribenes with Onion, Sunny Egg, Rich Chicken Broth
Squid Ink Chiatarra – Salt Cod Alfredo, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, English Pea Pistou
Ricotta Gnocchi – Apple Sauce, Sunchoke, Mushroom Streusel
Roasted Chicken – Tahitian Squash Spaetzle, Brussels Sprouts, Sage and Hazelnut
Crispy Weiser Farms PeeWee Potatoes – Chicken Giblet Gravy
Echo Mountain Blue, Tarentaise, Landaff, Coupole, Milo & Olive Bread, Panforte, Qunice
Apple Cinnamon Beggar’s Purse – Bavarian Whipped Cream
Chocolate Walnut Cake – Candied Walnuts, Vanilla Whipped Cream
One of Los Angeles’ most celebrated restaurants in recent years despite an ever changing parade in the kitchen, Josh Loeb’s Rustic Canyon had long been on my culinary radar but it was not until nomad Chef Jeremy Fox took over that the Santa Monica staple of local-artisanal cuisine became a personal destination – a bit of regret for missing his tenure at Ubuntu still lingering but high hopes that Southern California’s bounty could rekindle the magic of his Michelin starred Napa cuisine. A high ceilinged space heavy with wood and white, dim lighting and closely set tables it was just after 9:00pm when myself and two friends sat down for dinner and with only one item sold out for the night our ordering strategy proved simple, a few selections from each section of the tapas-style menu plus one large course, cheese, and desserts – the subsequent 135 minutes comprised of a dozen plates of immaculate food impressive in not only in its imagination, but also in its simplicity. Never the sort to employ tricks, foams, or culinary gadgetry but instead focused on pairing impeccable ingredients to coax the maximum of texture and flavor out of each item it really stood as no surprise that the meal began with sweet almonds giving way to gentle floral notes and subsequently proving a deft hand balancing hefty proteins like head cheese and trotters with vegetals and citrus the courses only grew stronger as the night moved on. Clearly having spent time refining his pasta it was after salads that heavier courses arrived and while ricotta gnocchi proved delicate and impressive it was in the Chiatarra that I found my bliss, a plate of hand cut black pasta thick with brandade rendered to sauce, a bit of sweetened peas and nutmeg offering balance to the salinity of a plate I’ve no doubt will be one of this year’s ten best. Showing impressive skills with both proteins and vegetables as a main course of crispy roasted chicken plus accompanying sweet spaetzle shined and progressing right into an interesting cheese plate with top quality bread plus delicious, albeit simple desserts it should simply be said that a night at Rustic Canyon is something everyone in Los Angeles should experience and as long as Chef Fox is at the helm the restaurant will pose a strong temptation for me to make the four-hour drive from Sin City, particularly as spring and summer flavors bloom.
http://www.rusticcanyonwinebar.com/