Food & Drink HOT PLATES
Eat It Forward BY DANIELLE ALLAIRE “See a penny, pick it up; all day long you’ll have good luck.” Bah . Twenty-four hours of good fortune is fleeting. Give that penny to someone else, and your luck will last until the next Best Restaurants issue, at least. To make this adage a reality, we asked local chefs to pass along the metaphorical penny to their real-life peers by naming their favorite local dishes. Our own Troy Johnson kicks off the chain of praise, highlighting Marisi’s pappardelle with duck ragu . According to Marisi’s chef, Chad Huff, this rich pasta plays with flavors and texture, topping things off with “pops of acidity and umami” thanks to shaved Piave Vecchio
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JASON KNIBB’S PICK Japanese Lager @
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Harland Brewing Co. Forget slipping the maitre’d a $20. Just bring everyone on the line a six-pack of something cold and you’ll be a VIP for life. Taking us from dinner out to post-work sips, chef Jason Knibb selects Harland Brewing Co.’s international take on the sudsy staple. “It's clean, sort of malty and rich, and just has a lot of flavor [and] body for a lager— [but it’s] not overpowering. It blends with the types of food I cook at home,” Knibb says.
DOP and preserved Meyer lemons. Alright, chef, it’s time to eat it forward...
MARK WELKER’S PICK Roasted Jerk Chicken @ Nine-Ten Saint Bourdain once said, “Everyone
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should know how to roast a chicken.” If only they could do it like chef Jason Knibb. Chicken is Welker’s favorite ingredient, so this is saying something. Knibb infuses his Jamaican heritage into elegant yet unpretentious California cuisine to create a roasted
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chicken that Knibb says is “true to its form,” with crispy baby Yukon potatoes, green garlic relish, sautéed spigarello, and jerk chicken jus.
CHAD HUFF’S PICK Beef Tartare @ Paradisaea
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“I always order beef tartare when I see it on the menu,” Huff says. And La Jolla’s Paradisaea does not disappoint. He says, “I love the crispy sunchokes and garlic, the herbaceous [note] from the shiso, and the umami and acidity from the ponzu.” Drawing inspiration from Japanese flavors and local ingredients, Paradisaea’s culinary director Mark Welker, formerly of Eleven Madison Park in New York City, employs West Coast Koji’s local miso and California’s nearly perennial sunchoke.
36 JUNE 2023
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