Among the more unctuous foodie terms — like, say, “locavore” (which sounds like a pterodactyl that eviscerates prey with razor-sharp pretensions) — nothing’s grown so tired as “farm-to-table.”
Oh, and maybe “Edison bulb,” too.
Saving you from grub snobbery while serving delicious local eats: Maude, the first restaurant from pretty-boy Aussie chef Curtis Stone, open now.
“Farm-to-table is just a shopping preference,” says Stone, who you may recognize from Top Chef Masters. “It really comes down to how well you can cook.”
Maude’s menu: seasonal, with each month centered around a theme. February is citrus. March will be artichokes.
Stone will be there every night with a team of chefs — hailing from places like Chicago’s Alinea and dishing out clever nine-course menus.
To wit: Kusshi oysters topped with caviar and gelée made from citrus and Spanish wine.
Or finger lime-sweetened Duck Duck Goose, a duck egg-stuffed ravioli on which he shaves — as if it were cheese — the yolk of a goose egg that’s been salted, boiled and dehydrated.
No reclaimed wood. No industrial chic. Just a warm room with an eclectic mix of furniture (from baroque to mid-century modern) for 25 intrepid diners.
There’s no doubt you’ll feel at home.
Nota bene: Best reservation times are the second or third week of the month, when the kitchen’s grown accustomed to the month’s new menu.
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