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Question Of The Day #6

michaelnatkin

Who is the best chef in your city that people from elsewhere haven’t heard about yet? What do you like about their food?

(Also: I'm thinking it would be fun to have some of you lovely community members be QOTD moderators that propose questions some days. Email me at michael@chefsteps.com if you are interested!)

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Comments

michaelnatkin

So many to choose from in Seattle, but I might throw Matt Woolen's name into the hat. The food he's doing at Old Sage (which is part of the McCracken & Tough empire) is consistently delicious and interesting. He's got an especially deft hand with pickles, using multiple techniques like Japanese rice bran pickles (nukazuke) and smoky flavors. His malted emmer risotto with smoky mountain cheese is off the charts.

com-chefsteps

Tony Messina in Boston, currently the chef at Uni (Oringer's small Sushi bar at Clio). Full Disclosure: I know him a little bit.

borgech

Tony is awesome and so is his food!

I'll throw the crew at Mei Mei into the mix. They have a really modern view towards classic Asian ingredients and dishes. Their flavor combinations (namely their curries) are amazing.

Josh Lewin (Bread and Salt @ Wink and Nod) has been around town for a while, but I'm not sure if he has popped onto the national radar; his food is really tasty and interesting.

(many modern techniques in use at both places)

theultravisitor

Here in DC I'd say it's Johnny Spero. He's currently the executive sous chef at minibar. He briefly had a restaurant in Eastern Market, Suna, that I got to eat at twice. Probably the best meal I've had in DC. His food can sometimes be more creative and cerebral than "delicious" (a subjective term), but I think that's what I like about it.

Besides Spero I'd be tempted to say Aaron Silverman. But ever since the Bon Appetit accolades, a lot more people know who he is.

anthony_34093

Aaron Silverman is very quickly making a name for himself out of DC. He worked for David Chang and Sean Brock previous to Roses Luxury. He does an amazing job of bringing a casual, relaxed, unpretentious feel to DC dining. I only wish they took reservations.

DiggingDogFarm_65362

No city here and no good chefs! : )

nick.pmallon

Chef Kei Kurobe at Chanson Restaurant in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Was at Luce in San Francisco for years and held a Michelin star. His food is always beautiful and takes an almost Michel Bras approach to plating.

ejf12009

I keep meaning to get to Uni, now double excited

com-chefsteps

Evan Hennessey at Stages @ One Washington in New Hampshire. He catered my wedding (I kept looking until I found someone who could do SV), and then became a James Beard Semifinalist. Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc, baby.

matthew.snyder77

Okay, he's not really anonymous at this point, but he is not exactly a household name yet. My wife and I recently dined at smoke.oil.salt and watched chef Perfecto Rocher expedite and handle service. The meal was incredible. Superb in every way. The kind of place I want to visit every couple months to watch how the menu evolves with the seasons. Truly exceptional. And who can't get behind a guy named Perfecto???

lewinjosh_70136

hey, thanks!