Who`s the Chef?

the menu
Night no.11: Michael
Voltaggio’s “Petites
Befores” of mushroom
canelés and tomato
pâtes de fruits.
Who’s the Chef?
P
icture the ground floor of
a townhouse on a Glatt
stretch of Pico—somewhere
near Bev­
erly, somewhere
near FOX. Posted over the
old hours of operation of what was once
Spark Woodfire Grill, a newer sign explains the nature of a guest-chef series…
ad infinitum. Schedulings are tweeted or
via web; that’s just the way they’re announced. And occasionally, for fun, there’s
a mystery mis-en-place.
Welcome to the Test Kitchen.
The zeitgeisty project opened in late
Test Kitchen
August, and it was no fluke that Pulitzer
Prize-winning pundit Jonathan Gold showed up on night no.2.
On this Friday evening—no.23—former New York Times
critic Frank Bruni has ordered a round of classic Frisco rye cocktails. Some stalwart bloggers of L.A.’s fooderati are snapping
photos while well-heeled patrons chat with the maître d’.
Tonight, they’ve come to get a taste of the much-anticipated
Red Medicine, a Beverly Hills venture to be helmed by Jordan
Kahn—one of the youngest chefs ever to work at The French
Laundry. During the four-night residency, he has been
grouped with quite a bartending bunch: among them Vincenzo Marianella (Copa d’Oro), Joel Black (once of Comme Ça
and The Doheny) and Julian Cox (Rivera).
C 78 november 2010
There, through the rectangular kitch­
en window, one can see Kahn’s unmistakable side-slick of jet-black hair. He’s
deftly plating sliced ribeye next to tiny
pickle slivers. An aproned server then
whisks the gleaming porcelain away
with pouchy leaves of jade-hued butter
lettuce and a pristine fishy dipping
sauce, bridging some garlicky netherworld between savory and sweet.
Eat now. After seven courses of American Wagyu beef, he’ll be gone.
Even in its relative infancy, Test
Kitch­en’s concept—permanent restaurant, temporary toques—has risen quietly
above the white noise of pop-ups and fusion trucks crowding
the scene. It’s as close as you can get to a gustatory speakeasy—
or, perhaps, a culinary concert venue wherein owners Bill
Chait and Brian Saltsburg simply scout and book the talent.
Yes, the talent! L.A.’s impressive cadre of “homeless” chefs
waiting for their restaurants to open; established cooks bound to
one style and itching to play or collaborate on a rare night off–all
are given carte blanche to create a prix-fixe menu matched with
libations from invited mixologists. After few turns, on average,
they roll up their knives and move on with their crews—back to
their bistros, or to their half-built taverns or to stages in Europe.
“It was the same high-energy as opening a restaurant each
TOP: KEVINEATS.com. TEST KITCHEN EXTERIOR: RYAN TANAKA
At one experimental L.A.
restaurant, the all-star lineup changes
with the produce BY ALISON CLARE STEINGOLD
night,” says Walter Manzke, who most recently
won the city over at Church & State and is keeping his own downtown venture under wraps
until 2011. “When I’m not in a kitchen, I miss
it. And working with Matt [Biancaniello] from
Library Bar…he’s so humble and passionate.
It was a great balance.”
Manzke, Amy Pressman (of the forthcoming
burger joint Short Order), Neal Fraser (relocating Grace), John Sedlar (Rivera and soonto-open Playa Rivera)…If there’s any curiosity
about where to dine in L.A., then look at Test
Kitchen’s roster; it’s a who’s who of rising stars
and heavy hitters alike. (Plus, soughtafter disappearing acts seem to have a from top Never
too many cooks
habit of surfacing here as well.)
in the kitchen:
T
Michael Voltaggio,
Jordan Kahn,
Ricardo Zarate.
he whole concept is risky,
and while Mo-Chica’s Ric­
ardo Zarate—launching workingtitled Anticucho on the second
floor—serves as consulting chef,
one thing’s for certain: He’s not there to fill in
scheduling gaps.
“Having a four-star chef calling me on my
cell-phone, asking me when he could get in to
test a concept out—that’s something I never
would have imagined when we opened,” says Saltsburg, a
self-professed diner-turned-restaurateur. “We also wanted a
showcase for L.A.’s talented community of sous-chefs, and
up-and-comers. They’re the future,” he adds.
Then, of course, there’s the element of surprise.
Take peripatetic hot-shot Michael Voltaggio, the name on
everyone’s to-watch list after impressive accolades at The
Bazaar and The Dining Room at The Langham (he’s now a
collaborator with Williams-Sonoma and launching a solo restaurant in the next few months). The “Top Chef” winner snuck
in to cook for one evening only with a stiff caveat: He would
cancel were the news leaked.
That Sunday evening—same night of the
show’s Emmy win—140 diners got lucky to
the tune of 10 incredible courses that had
been intensely prepped for four days. He
turned high-gastronomic nostalgia on its head
with everything from a nod to McNuggets—
crunchy-crisp lamb sweetbreads, rhubarb
ketchup and curry—to a caprese with freezedried calamari.
“I got many disgruntled calls the day after,”
says the chef’s publicist of those who missed
out on the affair.
“I still have three friends who aren’t speaking to me because of the Voltaggio thing,”
Saltsburg adds.
Now it’s Saturday night at the Test Kitchen, and through those same doors with the
same makeshift sign, practically everything
has changed—down to the bartender.
There’s a Prohibition vibe to the imbibing, courtesy of a moustached fellow with a
shaker in hand. Erick Castro, formerly of
Bourbon and Branch and Rickhouse, has
done as much for cocktailing in San Francisco
as Chad Solomon of Cuffs and Buttons (once
of Milk and Honey) in New York; and Eric
Alperin of The Varnish in L.A. Guess what? All of the above have
been on bar. What’s more, they’ve been spotted hanging here, too.
“Industry people—that’s the highest form of flattery,” says
the pouf-haired owner, tippling a citrusy gin-and-bitters offmenu confection called The Statesman and rubbing elbows
with Adrian Biggs of vintage-rum bar La Descarga. Thi Tran
of Starry Kitchen—Downtown’s Asian sensation—breezes in
from prepping upstairs. (She’s next on the lineup.) Tran
waves. Saltsburg nods.
Just another weekend at the Test Kitchen, where everyone
seems starry-eyed. 9575 W. Pico Blvd., L.A.; testkitchenla.com. •
be our guest
Visiting-chef fervor spreads in California
Y
Outstanding in the Field
C 80 november 2010
OSEMITE Chefs’ Holidays Sessions Big names like Adam
Mali (Nick’s Cove) and Douglas Keane (Cyrus) convene
at The Ahwahnee. Jan.9-Feb.3; yosemitepark.com.
ST. HELENA Meadowood Gastronomers and vintners—think Shawn
McClain/Ann Colgin, Jeremy Fox/Daphne Araujo—get paired
during the “12 Days of Christmas.” Dec.3-18; meadowood.com.
SAN FRANCISCO Tacolicious Thursday tacos from chefs like Jennifer
Puccio (Marlowe) and Josh Skenes (Saison) at the Ferry Plaza.
tacolicioussf.com. PASO ROBLES Justin Winery 2011 Guest Chef
Dinners highlights include Kent Rathbun of Dallas. justinwine.com.
STATEWIDE Outstanding In The Field The original farm-to-table,
on tour. outstandinginthefield.com. A.C.S.
Voltaggio and Kahn: Ryan Tanaka. Zarate: Kevineats.com. Outstanding in the field: elaine skinner
the menu