San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
A well-presented meal is hard to resist: the savory and sweet sauces streaked deliciously across the plate; the fresh-looking greens scattered just so; the delicious crumbles and garnishes strategically sprinkled atop. Plating is more than simply getting the food in front of a customer; it’s an art, and a pretty powerful one at that, which is why we combed local restaurants to find some of most creative and artsy plating presentations around. Across the board, chefs said flavor is job No. 1, but their thoughts on what happens next is where it gets interesting.
Alchemy. Executive chef Ricardo Heredia has a sense of humor that’s apparent in dishes like the “Vegan Steak & Bone Marrow,” a cleverly arranged smoked portabella mushroom served alongside garlicky spinach and a hollowed-out roasted zucchini stuffed with mashed potatoes and stood on its end to look like a bone. That’s funny. Heredia’s also an artist. Literally. The guy used to paint canvasses and tattoo people’s skin, and when he’s in the kitchen, he sometimes uses paintbrushes to paint his plates with sauces. Heredia never uses a garnish if it doesn’t make sense, and flavor is always his biggest concern, but order the cutesy and delicious “Coffee, Donuts & a Cigarette” dessert and you’ll see his creativity in action. 1503 30th St., South Park, alchemysandiego.com
Café 21. Leyla Javadov grew up in Azerbaijan around grandmothers who spent most of their time in the kitchen. Cows, chickens and goats were always nearby while her grandmothers taught her how to make things like cheeses and butter. Everything was fresh and delicious, and while the food fascinated her, she grew up wanting to be a fashion or interior designer. Fast forward and Javadov is making dressings rather than dresses, but her love of design has taken shape in her simple, elegant plates at Café 21, which often look as good as they smell. The chef ’s philosophy is to never add color, textures or shapes to a plate unless they add to the flavor and aroma. She loves using spices like turmeric and cardamom and, lately, she’s been inspired by the beautiful, delicate microgreens she gets from a local company. “They make me feel so creative,” Javadov says. “I’ve been using them everywhere—in brunch dishes, appetizers, everywhere. I get disappointed when the plate comes back and I see the customers haven’t eaten the little flowers.” 750 Fifth Ave., Downtown; 2736 Adams Ave., University Heights, cafe-21.com
Cucina Urbana. Food first, says executive chef Joe Magnanelli. His presentations start with what’s seasonal and what’s looking good at the market. From there, he shoots for plates that look fresh and fun. His philosophy is to just “let things happen” on the plates; he refers to his down-to-earth style as “rustic.” And while popular culinary trends like deconstructing and reconstructing ingredients or diving into the strange things you can do with molecular gastronomy are interesting, he says, at Cucina Urbana, he tries to keep things natural and organic. If you fuss with the food too much, he explains, it ends up looking pretentious. Something that easily adds to the playfulness and intrigue of his presentations is the shapes of the plates themselves. From long, thin rectangles to elegant ovals, Magnanelli says he and the owner had some fun picking out the restaurant’s dishware. 505 Laurel St., Bankers Hill, cucinaurbana.com
Pamplemousse Grille. Joe burns, better known as Joe Pastry, the man behind the desserts at Pamplemousse Grille, likes to play with contrasting textures. If there’s something crunchy on the plate, he’ll add something creamy. If there’s something hard and smooth, he’ll add something soft and spongy. But he doesn’t go for looks at the expense of flavor. He’s a fruit-loving purist who’ll just as easily use a single strawberry for decoration on a plate as he would some sort of fancy sugar sculpture (although, he does like to make sugar look like stained glass from time to time). After making sure the dessert tastes delicious, burns’ goal is to present it as a piece of confectionary fine art. “I love hearing people say, ‘This looks too beautiful. I don’t want to eat it; I don’t want to ruin it.’ That’s a good feeling, because you’ve been told you put out a nice-looking plate.” 514 Via de la Valle, Suite 100, Solana Beach, pgrille.com
Nine-Ten Restaurant & Bar. Jason
Knibb says he takes a modern approach to plating. Take the “Tuna
Tartare” dish, for example, a plate that features little spheres of
ponzu sauce made by using calcium lactate and sodiumalginate. Or how
about something as simple as spaghetti? With Knibb at the helm, it will
come out wrapped tightly in a towering pile, looking slightly like a
beehive. Want pork?
Why not serve it with thin sheets of peppered jelly shrink-wrapped
around the meat? Knibb likes to have fun and experiment with his
presentations; he calls it “going for the ‘wow’ effect.” He pretends his
plates are abstract or surreal paintings and, even if it’s something as
simple as turning broccoli upside down and serving it on its head, he’s
game as long as the look doesn’t compromise the taste. “We just try to
have fun with the presentations and make them go, ‘Ooh, that’s kind of
cool looking; how’d they do that?’” he says. 910 Prospect St., La Jolla,
nine-ten.com
