You're named chef of the year, and so of course you throw a party.
That's what John Sedlar (above) did the other night at his restaurant Playa. In its November issue, Esquire gave Sedlar its top title for 2011 and called Playa a "thrilling new restaurant."
In a letter to a hypothetical "Dear Young Chef," the magazine said of Sedlar, "He's twice your age, but he cooks with more verve and a deeper understanding of ingredients than any ten cooks you went to school with."
(That's a rather weird compliment, considering that some untalented people get into culinary schools.)
Continuing, the magazine urged the young chef to "try to assess the delicacy of a dish like corn custard with Cotija, black quinoa, and squash blossom sauce."
Sedlar served that dish at the party in a mini version (above) that replaced the quinoa with mushrooms, and it was just as alluring as the original.
Other small tastes, accompanied by Herradura tequila cocktails, included taquitos that contained crunchy pork belly, home made potato chips with toppings such as lobster, shrimp and caviar (above) and small cups of lobster bisque more boldly flavored than any I've tasted.
To show how Sedlar remains true to Mexican flavors but updates them in striking ways, there were maize cakes (above) embedded with seeds, topped with burrata rather than Mexican cheese, green salsa and a non-traditional garnish, arugula.
It was a great party for a great guy. Congratulations, John.
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