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Tasting menus, while a staple at high-end restaurants, have
seen their popularity eclipsed in recent years by small plates
and family-style dining.
"The tasting menu has always been a great showcase for creative
chefs who want to tell a story through their food, but this year
we're seeing something even more dynamic," Food and Wine
magazine Editor-in-Chief Nilou Motamed told Reuters.
At his 12-seat restaurant Otoko in Austin, Yoshi Okai combines
two Japanese styles - "omakase" in which customers leave the
dish selection entirely up to the chef, and the "kaiseki" meal
of numerous small plates. Customers can feast on a 22-course
dinner.
At Californios in San Francisco, Val Cantu showcases upscale
Mexican food with California influences in a tasting menu
involving up to 16 dishes.
Other chefs from this year's roster also feature tasting menus,
many of which run about $100 to $200 a person.
Noah Sandoval serves a 16-course dinner at his 28-seat Oriole in
Chicago.
At Mixtli in San Antonio, a dozen guests at the "chefs table"
can enjoy more than 10 Mexican-inspired dishes from Diego
Galicia and Rico Torres.
Jay Blackinton, who raises his own pigs and grows his own
vegetables, offers small plates and a tasting menu at Hogstone's
Wood Oven in Orca's Island, Washington.
At the other end of the price scale, Peter Cho creates a $35
Korean-American family-style fixed-price $35 menu at Han Oak in
Portland, Oregon.
Previous chefs on the closely watched annual list have achieved
national success: receiving Michelin stars or winning a James
Beard award, the most prestigious U.S. culinary prize.
Reinvention of familiar cuisines are seen from this year's
roster.
"We are looking for people who are pushing the boundaries of
food and reimagining the way we approach restaurant cooking,"
Motamed said.
Critics praised Angie Mar's inventive meat dishes at Beatrice
Inn in New York, while Nina Compton combines her upbringing in
St. Lucia and her classic European training at Compère Lapin in
New Orleans.
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson bring their version of Middle
Eastern cuisine at Kismet in Los Angeles.
Jordan Kahn perhaps stands out the most in this year's class.
With his reputation for avant-garde dishes featuring molecular
gastronomic technique, Kahn turned his focus on vegetables at
Destroyer in Culver City, California, open only for breakfast
and lunch.
(Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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