![]() Many Americans associate Haiti with instability, from the Duvaliers to Aristide to more recent coups, assassinations, and chaos. It is also perhaps impossible to experience Gourdet’s assured debut and not consider Haiti’s troubled history and the way the country has been portrayed in news reports over the decades. It is perhaps unfair to ask a restaurant such as Kann, Gregory Gourdet’s revelatory Haitian eatery, which opened in August, to carry a country on its shoulders. Griyo, a twice-cooked pork, is Haiti’s national dish and served at Kann with bannann peze (fried plantains) and avocado pikliz. But it might include more than just yours. “Are we celebrating anything this evening?” The answer will always be life. Arjav Ezekiel, co-owner of Birdie’s in Austin with chef Tracy Malechek- Ezekiel, was never formally taught as a sommelier, but he’s managed to create one of the best wine lists in the country. Sitting at the chef’s counter at Comedor Lilia in Portland, chef Juan Gomez will tell you how freeing it is to cook the food of the Pacific Northwest through a Mexican lens as an expression of himself-hence his signature dish of a pork-collar confit served with pan arabe. In Sonoma, you’ll find Korean chef Joshua Smookler, who was adopted by Jewish American parents, casually incorporating pastrami from New York’s famous Katz’s deli in his kimchi fried rice. Hong serves jeon, fried disks of squash topped with caviar, because she always felt the labor-intensive dish she had as a kid deserved more respect. A.’s Yangban Society, which has a very specific Korean American POV. A similar spirit of mission inspires Katianna Hong at L. But when he cooked Haitian food on Top Chef and for Oprah and saw the impact it had on Haitians and Haitian Americans, he knew what he had to do. Rather, he wanted to do something global. Over dessert at Kann one fall evening, chef Gregory Gourdet told me that he almost didn’t want to serve Haitian food in his first restaurant. ![]() Four of us ate and drank our way across the country: Jeff Gordinier, Joshua David Stein, Omar Mamoon, and yours truly.Īlong the way, we heard dozens of those inspiring origin stories. Finalizing our rankings required a healthy appetite. To celebrate the milestone, this year we decided to rank the top forty new dining spots in the U. That’s especially true in this fortieth edition of our Best New Restaurants in America. Over time, we’ve seen these stories-and the dynamic eateries they inspire-become even more deeply personal and eclectic. It’s hard to deny the reflection of lived experience imbued in a menu, a wine list, a cocktail, atmosphere. We get asked often: What are you looking for in an Esquire Best New Restaurant? We’re always hooked when there is soul and a story to go with delicious, inventive dishes. Who doesn’t feel fortunate to be seated in a nice restaurant, to share a special experience with friends or family, to be asked, “Gin or vodka?” when ordering a martini? Dining out is such a wonderfully easy way to feel alive.īut the more I dine, the more I realize it’s the lives of the folks behind the food and drink that we’re celebrating. An extensive deli case will stock house-made charcuterie, meat from Olympia Provisions (of course) and Fino In Fondo, cheese, and enough wine for a ready-made wine country picnic.“Are we celebrating anything this evening?” I love it when a server asks this question, because I get to answer, “Just life.” It’s jokey, but genuine. On the first floor, The Barberry will function as a casual bistro during the day, serving salads, sandwiches, oysters, and ceviche while across the room, The Oregon Wine Village, a collection of 4-6 far-flung Willamette Valley wine-makers, offers tastings. The building, designed with reclaimed wood, sprawling patio space, and an impressive third-floor balcony, holds seating for a whopping 225 people total. Meanwhile, Eat Beat has learned that Stafford has been slotted to helm two new restaurants in downtown McMinnville, The Barberry and The 1882 Grille, both located inside the KAOS building at 645 NE 3rd Street. Yoder’s new Northwest menu looks familiar: bright salads, plenty of seafood, and whole rotisserie chicken with salsa verde. Now Yoder is taking over both kitchens as executive chef while keeping the flavors and menus distinct.
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