Critics’ choice: Chefs who are cooking with wit and whimsy
Agnes Pasadena, Calif.
To appreciate why this five-month-old restaurant and market has been such a hit, said Bill Addison in the Los Angeles Times, order the baked-potato dumplings. Iowa-raised chef Thomas Kalb “uses a populist sort of white Midwestern culture as a springboard for his eclectic menu,” and nothing captures the approach better than his riff on a loaded baked potato: pillowy gnocchi topped with sour cream, hunks of lardon, roasted broccoli salsa, and a tangle of thin shoestring fries. It’s conceptual fun that also elevates delicious familiar flavors, and such “skillful larks” abound at Agnes. Scattered corn nuts decorate the cheese boards. A savory cornbread éclair comes topped with a thick decorative piping of chicken liver mousse and four dark preserved cherries. The room, with its cathedral rafters and craggy brick walls, has a “designer farmhouse” vibe, and the open kitchen’s roaring hearth produces entrées meant for sharing, such as pork shoulder with picnic fixings. Kalb’s wife, Vanessa Tilaka, stocks the market side’s robust cheese counter, which affords another indulgence: finishing with a wedge of soft Brie-like cheese from upstate New York. 40 W. Green St., (626) 389-3839
L’Ardente Washington, D.C.
The 40-layer lasagna gets most of the attention, but at David Deshaies’ Capitol Hill newcomer, “every dish seems to include something that makes you laugh, lap it up, or both,” said Tom Sietsema in The Washington Post. Deshaies and his trusted chef de cuisine, Leena Ali, have split the difference between casual and expenseaccount Italian at L’Ardente, and the fun factor is a crucial to the balance. One of their starters—duck ravioli atop a froth of truffled foie gras—has to be “the single most indulgent bite in town,” yet it’s served in a set of small cups that balance on smilewinning toy duck feet. The pastas “all have something to seduce you,” whether it be the confit egg yolk in the bucatini alla carbonara or the bordelaise sauce that enriches half of the layers in that sideways-served lasagna. Chandeliers, sky-high ceilings, and a bright wood-fire grill ensure there isn’t a bad table in the house, and if you choose to finish with the tiramisu, your server will douse it with rum and ignite it at the table. “All stunts should taste so sweet.” 200 Massachusetts Ave. NW, (202) 448-0450
Shukette New York City
Manhattan finally has a chef who’s cooking the kind of modern Middle Eastern fare that London, Philadelphia and Los Angeles went wild for at least a decade ago, said Pete Wells in The New York Times. Ayesha Nurdjaja’s culinary approach—“built around extremely fresh produce, laced with smoke, and profligate with herbs and spices”—turns every meal into a day at a bustling bazaar. At her noisy energetic spin-off of SoHo’s Shuka, the hummus isn’t just super-smooth: It’s topped with marinated whole chickpeas and a “piercing” chile sauce. Finish the grilled zucchini and you’ll be grabbing bread to soak up the leftover puddle of olive oil, sesame seeds, and chopped pistachios.
The kibbe “may be the best thing in the restaurant”—their crackling crust hiding lamb and beef stewed in tomato. You’ll forgive the kitchen its occasional miscues for one reason: “the extroverted, generous spirit that the whole restaurant radiates.” 230 Ninth Ave., (212) 242-1803