New Mexico’s The Love Apple restaurant

An haute-hippie hideaway set in the dramatic Sangre de Cristo Mountains

There is much that is special about Taos, New Mexico, a small town nestled in the dramatic Sangre de Cristo Mountains. There is the magnificent Taos Pueblo – a thriving Native American community still without running water or electricity – and the challenging slopes of Ski Valley, not to mention adobe architecture, artists and cowboys and endless high desert vistas at every turn. Add to that list incredible food – most of it locally sourced – that is prepared using traditional, regional ingredients in inventive and unexpected ways. At the top of my list is The Love Apple, a restaurant that is, I believe, worthy of Michelin stars.

Image: Nita van der Werff

The eatery is set in a sweet, old wooden chapel complete with a church bell – and while we opted to sit inside during my last visit, the atmospheric patio, framed in rough-hewn beams and twinkling tapered candles, beckoned.

Seated at one of just 13 tables, we browsed a menu of organic dishes famous for being made from scratch using added-hormone-free meats, local flour, produce and artisanal cheeses. Housemade flour tortillas with harissa, crème fraîche and cilantro-lime relish and bacon-wrapped dates (here made with bourbon-brined Arizona medjool dates) were perfect starters – and I am still dreaming about the Las Aguas Farm spinach salad with bacon, avocado, blue cheese and fried egg.

Chef de cuisine Andrea Meyer’s entrees were just as scrumptious, with her haute tacos particularly standout. We selected from chicken, fried avocado and chimichurri, and braised “grass-fed & finished” beef varieties, and then topped them liberally with green-chile coconut-creamed corn. Grilled ruby rainbow trout cooked in cornhusks with lime-compound butter and a delicate quinoa-piñon fritter was also memorable, as were sides of Love Apple potato gratin and green beans lightly sautéed with cinnamon. The wine list is similarly noteworthy, with pinot noirs from Oregon (Erath 2011), Bourgogne (Pascal Janvier 2012) and Sonoma (Flowers 2011) a few under-the-radar highlights.

The only cautionary advice I’d give about The Love Apple is to book in advance – there’s an extremely loyal local fan base – and bring cash. No credit cards are accepted, which only adds to the authentic, slightly hippie charm of the place.

Sublime sushi in Paris

Kinugawa: a Right Bank temple of haute Japanese cuisine

When the frites and foie grasget too much for a gourmet visiting Paris, a little light, refined sushi might just be the order of the day. On a recent trip to the City of Light, I had the pure joy of eating at Kinugawa – a revered institution of haute Japanese cuisine – that has been recently redesigned by Gilles & Boissier in a graphic, cutting-edge style that is almost as interesting as the food itself. Dramatic murals, pointillist paintings, a black granite bar and bronze mirrors set the stage for what can best be described as theatrical cuisine.

After passing through the restaurant’s double doors, we were escorted to the sleek bar area for classic cocktails. The chic leather banquette seating is the perfect perch for watching the stylish parade pass by. Kinugawa is divided into distinct spaces and dinner is best enjoyed in a vast first-floor dining room with subtly textured walls, spare surfaces and greige chairs – all which take their cue from nature. The whole Kinugawa experience is a study in exquisite finishes and chic contrasts – dark cedar with lighter woods, polished stone and glass – which extends right up to l’Atelier, the intime sushi bar upstairs.

I would be hard-pressed to pick favourites from the menu, but if pushed, I’d say appetisers of delicate king crab in ponzu sauce (€28) and ultra-thin slices of maguro with with yuzu and white truffle oil (€18). This is simply my kind of dining: flavourful, beautifully presented and fundamentally healthy. Plates of sushi and sashimi were followed by vegetables prepared in innovative ways – ohitashi (spinach) with mushrooms, haricots verts in sesame sauce (both €10) – and some of the best chicken gyoza (€13) I’ve ever tasted. But it was the fish entrees – black miso cod (€32) and a Chilean sea bass (€29) in particular that have really stuck in my foodie memory. I realise that these mains can be found on many an Asian menu today, but Kinugawa’s renditions – light, juicy steaks of fish – might just be my last meal on earth, should I ever have to choose one.

I couldn’t possibly have had dessert, as the umpteen small plates made for an enormous feast, yet with just a refreshing herbal tea to cap the meal, I left Kinugawa feeling thoroughly sated… almost ready to face tomorrow’s croque monsieur.

Delicious chemistry

A bite-sized gastronomic adventure in Washington, DC

When it comes to molecular gastronomy, I’m afraid I’ve missed the boat. Engineered foods and bizarre concoctions have never been my passion – that was, until my recent visit to Washington, DC’s Minibar, a 12-seat gourmet extravaganza located in the city’s Penn Quarter.  The brainchild of chef-cum-chemist José Andrés, Minibar – and the adjacent “culinary cocktail lab” Barmini – is an intimate space with a curved counter surrounding a bustling, open-plan kitchen. With just two sittings per night (for 24 diners in total, plus one chef’s table that accommodates just six and costs $3,000), this may be the toughest booking in town, but the email hassle to get one (no reservations are taken by phone) is well worth the endeavour.

Chef Andrés trained with elBulli’s Ferran Adrià and is in constant communication with other chef-innovators such as Heston Blumenthal. Here, the kitchen-laboratory is manned by three cooks, with five others prepping behind the scenes, overseeing everything from a liquid nitrogen bath to heat sealers, smoke guns and a candy-floss machine.

I was blown away by the theatricality of the dining experience. Elaborate tasting menus are made up of 28 “bites” with contrasting temperatures and textures – such as a “pillow” of peanut butter and jelly (second picture); coconut sticky rice with mango; and a cool dessert of “pine snow” with honey – and the effect is exhilarating. On the evening of my visit a delicate parmesan leaf; beech mushroom risotto with summer truffle; and smoked oysters with escabeche took centre stage, while one-bite puddings and a Ron Zacapa rum from Guatemala wound up the feast.

Diners really need to be prepared to give themselves over to the experience – right down to following the instructions on how to consume each tiny course. I felt like I went on a real adventure, discovering churro tendon and Oaxan marshmallow on my gastronomic travels. If the contemporary dining room (first picture) weren’t so warm and Barcelona-chic – with lots of stylish leather seats and a relaxed chef’s table nook – it might veer towards the pretentious, but as it is, it isn’t like that in the least.

A robust wine list, including Cabernets from the Napa Valley and 2002 grand cru burgundies, is matched by four menu-pairing options, and Minibar can also source virtually any wine, from any vintage, from anywhere in the world with just two weeks’ notice. For a kick-starter aperitif or calming digestif, the cocktail list is zingy, too.

Last but not least, the staff: warm, friendly and not at all stuffy – and just as excited as me about all the culinary creativity happening in their midst.

Culinary California

A spectacular Santa Barbara restaurant nestled amid fragrant citrus blossom

“Spectacular” is a word to be used with hesitancy when it comes to food, for fear of diminishing its impact. Yet with regards to the culinary experience I recently enjoyed at The Stonehouse in Santa Barbara, California, it is certainly apt. Set in the Montecito foothills, this exceptional restaurant is housed in a 19th-century former citrus-packing house surrounded by orange groves and a sweeping ocean view.

Nestled amid the fragrant blossoms and quaint cottages of the San Ysidro Ranch, The Stonehouse is destination dining for locals and foodie pilgrims alike. The simple setting – think barrel-vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and flowering bougainvillea – is a fitting backdrop for the relaxed Californian cuisine. My evening visit began with cocktails under a canopy of trees strewn with twinkling lights, and moved onto a spacious patio with wood-burning fire and radiant heated floors designed to keep the slight evening chill at bay.

While the setting may be magical, it can’t steal the limelight from the food. Much of the ingredients for the menu are sourced from the chef’s organic garden – harvested every Thursday morning, often with guest participation. The result is appetisers ranging from a bright chilled yellow heirloom tomato consommé with fresh crab and lobster meat ($17) to hamachi marinated in chef Jamie West’s garden basil oil ($19), to crispy smoked Muscovy duck and avocado spring rolls ($17).

The Stonehouse’s signature entrée is a parmesan-crusted Alaskan halibut ($45) with housemade herb gnocchi, artichoke hearts and asparagus that was picked 200 yards away. The local fish was succulent, the Snake River Farms grilled pork chop with black mission fig jam ($41) wonderfully juicy. Sides of pomme purée ($10) and organic Brussels sprouts with sea salt ($8) were paired with Chardonnay by the glass ($18) from the nearby Brewer-Clifton vineyard – a rewarding choice. The Stonehouse offers more than 1,600 wines from around the world – with a strong emphasis on those from Napa, Sonoma and the Central Coast – and the sommelier is both knowledgeable and affable.

I’d recommend the Meyer lemon tart with a light lavender cream ($14) because, in the words of managing director Seamus McManus, “this dessert is the embodiment of the ranch” with its bright colour and light citrus flavour, courtesy of San Ysidro Ranch’s endless lemon trees. Who can say whether it’s true, but it tastes sublime.

A creative culinary crucible in Cape Town

Extraordinary food combinations, hip design and innovative flair distinguish this lively restaurant

The standard of cuisine in Cape Town – where farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, locally sourced seafood and innovative chutzpah are commonplace – is exceptionally high. While I’d find it hard to pull out the very best restaurant from such a spectacular field, The Test Kitchen, by talented chef Luke Dale-Roberts, is certainly one of the most stellar. Located in the hip Biscuit Mill complex in the Woodstock area of the city, it has a winning mix of design-forward décor and wholesomely creative, market-inspired cooking.

Image: Michael le Grange

After a recent trip, I am still awed by all of the flavour combinations that Dale-Roberts and his talented team managed to bring together in one meal. Patrons can choose between three- and five-course options at dinner, as well as gourmand and vegetarian menus. Meanwhile, an à la carte option for lunch includes many of the chef’s signature dishes, such as pan-fried line fish with calamari, marjoram and cherry tomato ragout (about £9) and Luke’s Caprese (about £5) – the chef’s take on the traditional mozzarella and Roma tomato salad with added gooseberries in basil and black pepper syrup, stracciatella, yoghurt snowballs, olive tuiles and basil granite. The delectable beetroot mousse, slow-cooked baby beets, lemon and thyme purée, horseradish and mixed-nut crumble, fennel confit with puff shards is shown in the second picture. His are not traditional recipes passed down through the generations.

Our dinner group opted for the three-course menu (about £27.50), plus vegetarian extras. The menu presented a mouthwatering mélange of emulsions, purées, jus and salsas that added zest to the various cuts of meat and poultry. Starters of slow-cooked sweet potatoes with smoked goat’s cheese mousse, beetroot and apple purée and puff shards, and a fricassee of exotic mushrooms with a corn and miso velouté were light and delicious. Meanwhile, mains including South African speciality springbok – here pan fried with foie gras Catalan, black pudding and Jerusalem-artichoke-stuffed sprouts with beetroot and Jagermeister jus – were a symphony of contrasting yet complementary flavours.

I had a special penchant for the figs prepared two ways – one with an unlikely olive-oil ice cream and burnt nougat pairing, the other with yogurt curd, almond galette and fig vinaigrette – but the frozen cashew and cinnamon parfait with a saffron lassi foam and pineapple tarte tatin came a close second.

I am still trying to work out how the chef comes up with these extraordinarily colourful and characterful combinations that are incredible on both the plate and the palate.  

March

The kitchen is at the heart of this supremely tasteful San Francisco temple to epicurean delights

I love the experience of walking into a store and being taken to a different place,” says March owner Sam Hamilton. And transported you will be upon entering her Pacific Heights showroom devoted to elegant products for the kitchen, pantry and home. Inspired by eclectic, artisan-driven stores in Europe (Dover Street Market, Merci) as well as the artistic outpost of Marfa, Texas – not to mention her years spent working with Ralph Lauren – March is a temple to “what San Francisco does so well”, she says. “We celebrate the culture of food.”

Porcelain canisters by Victoria Morris (from $95) | Image: David Ash

The centrepieces of the exquisitely simple space are bespoke butcher-block and Carrera marble work-tables (from $5,600), designed in collaboration with Matt Bear of Union Studio. These can be accessorised with beautiful black ash Adirondack baskets ($1,400) by artist Jonathan Kline, and hand-sewn leather knife and cookbook sheaths (from $400), created in conjunction with Big Bend Saddlery of Alpine, Texas. The main room houses an impressive display cabinet – sourced from a monastery in Belgium – that perfectly showcases the minimalist work of Ted Muehling, Jasper Conran and Christianne Perrochon, among others.

1940s Iranian Kelim hemp and wool rugs, $3,000 each, and March steel drying rack, $2,100 | Image: David Ash

March Oak Parson table with marble top, $5,600, with Maria Moyer porcelain stones and tray, $1,400, and vintage pestle and mortar, $3,250 | Image: David Ash

Roughly 30 per cent of March’s wares are exclusive to the store, with cut-paper art by Tahiti Pehrson (from $4,000) and oil paintings of various meats by Carrie Mae Smith (from $1,200) setting an epicurean tone. Individually commissioned steel fixtures – Shaker-style peg ($925) and pot racks ($2,200) – made by Hicks Metal Design blend taste and practicality, while porcelain canisters and serving pieces by Victoria Morris (from $95) double as objets d’art.

Hanging Quarter by Carrie Mae Smith, $1,700 | Image: David Ash

March and Hicks Metal Design collaboration steel pot-rack, $2,200, with a selection of utensils, from $95 | Image: David Ash

Rounding out the selection are iconic cookers by Aga (four-oven version, $21,000), Waldow pots and pans by Brooklyn Copper Cookware (from $159), and March’s Pantry line of comestibles: bottles of Orleans Method Red Wine Vinegar ($15), seasonal jams and nut butters (both from $12). For Christmas there’s a guest cooking series (“farmers talk turkey”, for example), while unique spice blends (from $8, by Le Sanctuaire) and napkins and table runners by Boxwood Linen combine to set a festive scene – complete with warm nuts straight from the Aga.

March is all about the mix, and handcrafted table-top pieces are interspersed with the odd graphic armchair, antique baking equipment, and statement-making sconces from around the globe. “Not everyone can buy impractical, vintage pottery sets,” acknowledges Hamilton, “but they elevate the store in a visual way. My hope is that all of our offerings become functional heirlooms.”

Flavour to savour from Vermont

Artisanal rye whiskey with a crisp-yet-creamy finish and a curious name

When it comes to whiskey, I’m no expert, but I know what I like. A friend and spirits connoisseur had been raving about WhistlePig’s 100/100 – a 100 proof, 100 per cent rye whiskey, double-barrel aged for 10-plus years in new American oak and bourbon barrels. It hails from Vermont, and as a born and bred Vermonter myself, my curiosity was piqued. When one thinks of American whiskey, Kentucky pops to mind, but New England? Very interesting. This heady blend was released in 2010 by the US’s first single-estate distillery and is known by a growing number of whiskey enthusiasts as “America’s Single Malt”.

The distillery is located on 500 acres of beautiful farmland in the quaint town of Shoreham, nestled in the Green Mountain state and WhistlePig is the brainchild of owner Raj Bhakta and his master distiller, Dave Pickerell, previously of Maker’s Mark. Together they have created 100/100 which, they claim, embodies “the perfect balance of proof, purity and age” and hits what they hope is “the sweet spot in all three categories”.

This dark, golden-amber liquid had me at “hello”. With its notes of allspice, ginger, nutmeg, clove, anise and orange peel, together with strains of charred oak, caramel and honey it fills the nose and mouth with a mélange of sweet, floral and spicy flavours. A heavy beginning segues into a crisp-yet-creamy finish and is a rich sensory experience.

Whistlepig’s 100/100 has quickly gained a following and can be found in the finest restaurants and bars across the US – Per Se in New York and Bouchon in Beverley Hills among them – with plans for global expansion next year.

The mix of subtle spices and lingering cocoa still dance in my memory. It’s tongue tantalising: I’m looking forward to many a mean Manhattan and perhaps an Old Fashioned or two in the near future.

Farm-to-table and fabulous: only in LA

Comfort food with a SoCal twist at a west Los Angeles eatery

Fresh, innovative food: nobody does it better than Californians. Full stop. Whenever I visit Santa Monica, one of my first stops is always Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry or Sweet Rose Creamery, three wholesomely delicious local favourites, all within about a three-mile radius and all run by the same team, Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan. I’d heard a lot about their latest venture, called Milo + Olive, down on Wilshire – so this visit, I made a beeline.

Image: Emily Hart

At lunch or dinner, you’ll likely find all 24 seats packed. The stars are the eight to ten daily pizzas, which include everything from a butternut squash pie ($18) – complete with fresh mozzarella, caramelised onion, sage and brown butter – to the meat lover’s pork belly sausage-topped variety ($17).

But, for me, breakfast is the thing. There are fresh baked goods of every imaginable kind – M+O bagels, for example, feature sophisticated toppings such as housemade dill creme fraiche, sliced cucumbers, red onion and sea salt ($5). I’ll go for heartier options, too – Cheesy Eggs on Super Cheesy Toast (soft scrambled eggs laden with Parmigiano Reggiano and, if I’m feeling particularly ravenous, a few slices of La Quercia prosciutto on top; $8), as well as the requisite SoCal repast of muesli ($6.50) with fresh market berries on the side. The joy here is in the mix-up: they do daily doughnuts and vegan gluten-free muffins, sourdough skillet flatbread and cinnamon sugar brioche.

I wash it all down with a Verve Roasters coffee ($2.75) or a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice ($5.50), and my day’s off to a guaranteed sunny start – even when Santa Monica’s famous morning fog is lingering outside.

This one’s all LA, all the way...

The fine art of American farm-to-table dining online

Perfect house presents from New York’s Blue Hill restaurants

The latest offering from the talented team behind New York’s Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurants is an online emporium offering everything from delicious Hudson Valley honeys to stylish blown-glass decanters (second picture, from $285). Those always on the lookout for perfect house presents – hostess gifts, small birthday offerings for foodie friends – will be able to stockpile gifts both large and small. A bonus: all are delivered in exquisitely simple packaging.

Image: Jonathan Young

While it is noted chef and author Dan Barber who garners most of the Blue Hill press, it is his design director sister-in-law, Laureen, who has brought this e-commerce venture to life. With her background in marketing and graphic design, she is the person responsible for ensuring that the look and feel of each restaurant – not to mention the aesthetic integrity of every last tabletop piece – reflects the philosophy of the locally sourced, seasonal food that is served. She’s managed to extend the physical Blue Hill experience (and a visit to either the city or country outpost is a tasteful treat for all the senses) to this website.

The Blue Hill motto is “know thy farmer”, and a browse around the carefully curated Pantry section leaves one feeling like an informed local. There are jams (first picture, $14) both fanciful (blueberry currant) and familiar (raspberry), freshly roasted coffee beans (third picture, $13.50), and Blue Hill Granola ($8), a mix of organic spelt flakes, golden flax seeds and just a smidge of honey (from grower Fred Kirshenmann’s nearby farm).

Image: Jonathan Young

The Table section, meanwhile, holds birch-bark porcelain vases ($65-75) in varying shapes and sizes, as well as unique handmade grain plates (set of four, $120), by artist Dana Brandwein Oates. The latter cleverly incorporate the textures of wheat and spelt (courtesy of the nearby Lakeview Organic Farm) into pressed porcelain. A full set arrived beautifully nestled inside a handmade slide-top pine and birch box. Even the story behind this minimalist crate is inspiring; each one is handcrafted by the Nezinscot Guild of Turner Village, Maine, a small company that employs people with conditions such as autism.

On to the Kitchen section, where there are hand-cut and sewn linen guest towels ($32) complete with easy care instructions – a miracle! – and The Kitchen Sink Collection ($42), a sweet canvas tote featuring bottles of red-currant hand lotion and lemon-thyme dish soap. Both make perfect hostess gifts, if you can bear to part with them.