Food guy has a new respect for ‘green cuisine'
Daily Mail Food Writer
Wednesday June 06, 2007
When it comes to food quality, taste and
overall good-for-you-ness, we all know that fresh is best.
Food that hasn't be compromised by freezing or injected with
God knows what is generally going to be better for you.
But all "fresh" is not created
equally.
Strawberries that are picked in Chile, transported
by boat or plane to the States and trucked cross-country to
your neighborhood grocery are still labeled "fresh"
(as in, never frozen) even though they may be days or weeks
removed from the patch. Certainly berries that are plucked,
purchased and consumed the same day are considerably fresher.
There is much ado these days over this "farm-to-table"
concept, and I was lucky enough to stumble upon a restaurant
that is embracing it wholeheartedly during a recent weekend
getaway. My wife and I decided to pack our bags and escape
to a new-to-us mountain town, a journey that led us to the
Lewisburg-esque city of Staunton, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley.
With more than 60 shops, restaurants and
cafes nestled within a nine-square-block downtown, we set
out to enjoy a little retail therapy and search for a nice
spot to have dinner that evening. Our innkeeper recommended
a relatively new restaurant in town, Staunton Grocery, which
featured local ingredients, a chef from New York and a sommelier
from Napa. We made a reservation on the spot.
And while the place had all the trappings
of an ultra-cool eatery --vibrant colors, modern decor, imaginative
food and wine -- it was the menu itself that was most notable.
Not just content to boast a few locally grown items, the menu
was chock full of them. From our Southern-Fried Quail with
Vinegar-Braised Greens to a Pork Loin with Ramp Flan, Crispy
Spatzle, Young Turnips and Swiss Chard, almost all of the
meat, dairy, produce and even bread featured had been acquired
from the market down the road or the farm around the bend.
When you support a place like this, you
feel good for supporting local producers and being socially
responsible. But the icing on that moral cake is that the
food also tastes so darn good. If you order a chicken sandwich
topped with sauteed vegetables and cheese, you actually taste
the pure flavors of chicken, vegetables and cheese and not
the "enhancements" that have been added to keep
them looking fresher longer.
To learn more about Staunton Grocery's philosophy
and how it influences the restaurant's menu, check out www.stauntongrocery.com.
By the way, we also loved the Chilled Spring
Pea Soup with House-made Ricotta and the Sea Scallops with
House-Cured Pancetta, Celery Root, Scallions and Parsley Sauce.
(I'd venture a guess that the scallops weren't locally acquired
in the mountains. At least I hope not.)
Desserts also were divine. There was a Kumquat
Carrot Cake with Rosemary Caramel and Mascarpone, Cointreau
Frozen Custard with Citrus and Lemon Balm Syrup, Rhubarb Plum
Crumble with Whipped Cream and Fresh Mint, and a Chocolate
Caramel Tart with Amaretto and Almond Cream.
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