The Roanoke Times, Va., Lindsey Nair’s Front Burner Column: Delights Abound at Alice’s Restaurant

By Lindsey Nair, The Roanoke Times, Va.

Jun. 6–I arrived at the entrance to Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., on May 21 with throbbing feet, damp temples and wild hair.

Unable to catch a cab (because they don’t regularly roll the streets of Berkeley like this country girl imagined), I hoofed it in high heels for nearly a dozen blocks — actually running at times — to make my 9 p.m. reservation.

Call me foolish, but I had no doubt that one of the most famous restaurants in the world would give away my table at about 9:02 p.m.

When I arrived at the entrance, I was greeted by a humble wooden archway nestled in a shroud of leaves. Knowing the philosophy of founding chef Alice Waters, I figured the food on my plate would be just as classic and unadorned.

Waters opened Chez Panisse on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley in 1971. From the beginning, she was devoted to serving all-natural, organically grown and raised food, because that’s what she thought tasted best.

Twenty-six years later, Waters and her staff are still big proponents of sustainable agriculture. They buy their ingredients only from a network of nearby farmers who share their respect for the environment and high-quality products.

At Chez Panisse, the dining room and cafe menus change daily and are inspired by what is fresh and obtainable that day.

I dined on exquisitely tender grass-fed beef from Marin Sun Farms, in nearby Point Reyes Station. It was braised and served with hand-cut noodles, creme fraiche and English peas, all of which nearly melted in my mouth.

Also on the menu were sweet baked clams from Tomales Bay, a salad from Cannard Farms in Sonoma and a local king salmon that must have been excellent because it elicited tiny squeals of delight from the woman at the next table.

I almost swooned over the rhubarb tart, which appeared to be laced with lemongrass and was served with rose geranium ice cream.

“I can’t resist anything with rhubarb,” I told my waiter.

“Really? It’s an affliction you have?” he said with a wink.

Yep, and it’s the same affliction I have for other fresh meats and vegetables served on the table when I was a child — trout and pheasant in Colorado; venison, tomatoes, tomatillos, squash and countless other garden treasures in Virginia.

Then, it was just a more affordable and hardworking way of life. So now, when we dress up and head out to a nice dinner, why shouldn’t we expect the same short distance from field to table?

Since dining at Chez Panisse, I’ve talked to Roanoke-area chefs about Waters’ business model. Some already serve locally grown produce and would like to do more, but they say restaurant quantities are hard to come by in Southwest Virginia.

What happens at Waters’ restaurant every day is part of a West Coast revolution that began more than 25 years ago. She didn’t find that network of farmers and ranchers overnight.

But some chefs and restaurateurs in Roanoke are doing their best to bring local to the menu.

Many of the vegetables served at Wertz’s Restaurant come from owner Gary Crowder’s garden in Cave Spring. He had the advantage of working a well-established market stall before getting into the restaurant biz, so the same just-picked veggies he sells in his stall may end up on your plate at his restaurant.

Wertz’s head chef, Dave Gaylord, said getting in-season produce from Crowder allows him to be inventive. If it’s a bushel of summer squash, for example, he might dream up a cream of squash soup for that night’s special.

Metro owner and chef Andy Schlosser has established a relationship with several farmers on the market who will be supplying him with produce such as heirloom tomatoes, broad beans and fingerling potatoes this summer. He expects nearly 40 percent of the produce served at Metro this season to be local. He would like to see the restaurant serve a majority of organic food, but the local availability of such products is slim.

“I really do like the organic trend and I think you’re going to see more and more of that,” Schlosser said. “We don’t mind spending the money. We consider our budget for produce equal to [that of] meat and fish.”

That might be the case at Metro, but local and organic food is still too inconvenient and expensive for many restaurants.

Betsy Williams of Billy’s Ritz said she tried to purchase naturally grown local produce regularly for the menu but could not find the necessary quantity or delivery options.

“I would love to,” she said. “It just doesn’t work for us.”

Williams does wander the farmers market on some days for fresh vegetables to incorporate into that night’s side dishes and specials. When tomatoes are in season, she likes to pair them with fresh mozzarella and basil for a mouth-watering salad.

Even at Wertz’s and Metro, there are not enough local options to pull off a Chez Panisse in Roanoke.

Schlosser says he doesn’t think he’ll ever find locally the kind of high-quality lettuce, mushrooms, root vegetables and fish he has shipped in from Oregon and Maine.

“If it doesn’t come in absolutely still twitching, they have no-questions-asked, they’ll take it back,” he said.

And Crowder’s 1-acre garden will never produce enough year-round variety to fully sustain Wertz’s. That’s why he and several other local market vendors drive to a supplier near Meadows of Dan to supplement their produce needs.

Still, I feel certain this trend will continue to creep into our corner of Virginia, and I’m pretty sure other area chefs will be telling me how they’re incorporating homegrown foods into their menus.

I can just hear it now: “I can’t resist that Grayson County grass-fed beef and that Floyd County rhubarb.”

“Really? It’s an affliction you have?”

Apple Huckleberry Tart

Recipe by Alice Waters/Adapted by StarChefs

For Tart Dough:

2 cups all purpose flour

6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. granulated sugar

7 Tbsp. water

For Filling:

6 cups baking apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup huckleberries (or blueberries)

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add 2 ounces butter and carefully work together to form a rough dough ball. Add the remaining butter and mix well, about 5 minutes, leaving some of the butter looking under-mixed and “chunky” looking. Add the water until the dough just comes together, about 2-3 minutes. Wrap in plastic and let rest about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss the apples, huckleberries, melted butter and sugar together.

Roll out the dough very thin, about 1/8 inch thick. Place dough on 9 inch tart pan; edges of dough will overlap the sides, about 1 1/2 inch. Place apples on dough. Fold dough over fruit. Brush the melted butter over the edges. Bake in the oven about 35 to 40 minutes until very dark and crispy. Slide the cooked tart on a rack to cool. Serve with ice cream.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Roanoke Times, Va.

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