By Linda Hayes By Linda Hayes | May 24, 2021 | culture, Migration,
Creative flavor combinations and presentations are signatures of 7908 chef Byron Gomez PHOTO COURTESY OF 7908
Spanish octopus, braised in dashi, is paired with ham furikake, achiote mole and Brussels sprouts with parsley oil PHOTO COURTESY OF 7908
FOOD ARTS
Aspen’s culinary artists (and artisans) set the tables for a palate-pleasing summer.
TOP OF HIS GAME
“There’s an element of surprise with my cooking,” says chef Byron Gomez. While he’s referring to things like infusing his spin on French techniques gleaned during time working in the kitchen at Michelin-rated Café Boulud (New York City) into his dishes, the comment is equally relevant to the path that’s seen him rise to the position of executive chef at 7908 restaurant and supper club.
Top-notch challenges along the way, including those presented by the recent pandemic, have only served to prepare him for an even more recent challenge: a stint as both the first Aspen chef and first Costa Rican-born chef in 18 seasons to compete on Bravo’s Top Chef.
Cured salmon with puffed quinoa, prickly jicama, huancaina sauce and kaffir lime leaf oil is eye- and palate-pleasing. PHOTO COURTESY OF 7908
Filmed last fall in Portland, Ore., the show premiered this spring, and the competition is still going strong. In the meantime, Gomez is wowing diners at 7908 with seasonal dishes, including octopus, which was inspired by some of the cast members on Top Chef and highlights his cultural heritage. “It’s a light, fun-looking dish, braised in dashi and with achiote seed-guajillo mole,” he says. “It’s been a big hit.” No surprise there. 415 E. Hyman Ave., 970.516.7908, 7908aspen.com
look for the ramen dish during Wang’s underground events in Aspen this summer—check the King & Cook Instagram feed (@kingandcook) for information and tickets. PHOTO BY ROSHNI GORUR
RAMEN UP!
Chef David Wang’s strawberry-dusted coconut mochi cake, with sansho meringue shards, li hing mui carbonated sugar gravel, strawberry ume gelee and a creamy smooth coconut ice cream PHOTO BY ROSHNI GORUR
Chef David Wang of King & Cook (@kingandcook) is at it again. For the past few years, he’s been on his own, satisfying Aspenites’ cravings for authentic Asian dishes; before that, he worked with Wendy Mitchell at his “alma mater” Meat & Cheese Restaurant. Now, with King & Cook, keep an eye on his Instagram feed for tickets to underground umami events, private rooftop takeovers and more—all will follow pandemic safety protocols.
Wang’s signature ramen, with 60-hour pork-and-chicken paitan broth with tan tan tare, sun noodles, topped with ajitama (ramen egg), made-from-scratch chashu, leeks, menma and a one-year-infused Sichuan chile oil PHOTO BY ROSHNI GORUR
PERFECTLY PLATED
The bounty from Mountain Oven Organic Bakery will be on display yet again this summer at the Aspen Saturday Market. Don’t miss the birdseed and house-milled sourdough. PHOTO COURTESY OF: MOUNTAIN OVEN ORGANIC BAKERY
Bosq is hard to miss, partly due to its high-profile patio-lounge along the Mill Street Mall, but mostly thanks to chef-owner Barclay Dodge’s reputation for continuously turning out some of the most artfully composed, uniquely motivated and spot-on tasteful dishes in town.
This summer, some of those dishes will be artfully plated on a new collection of ceramic plates Dodge collaborated on last fall with Carbondale studio potter Alleghany Meadows at Anderson Ranch Arts Center (andersonranch.org). “It was a class in creativity,” he says. “Alleghany is really good at working with functionality, at looking at plates in terms of the food that will be served on them. It helped me create as a chef.”
Many of the plates at Bosq were created by chef-owner Barclay Dodge and potter Alleghany Meadows. PHOTO COURTESY OF; BOSQ
While those particular plates were made were for small portions, others in the mix from Meadows will get their share of table time at the restaurant. The a la carte and tasting menus offer truly exciting, composed combinations featuring hyperlocal ingredients. Standouts include the harissa lamb tartare with sunchokes and frisee, and spring lamb with artichoke, citrus cream, wild spring onions and watercress. Spot on. 312 S. Mill St., 970.710.7299, bosqaspen.com
BAKED GOODNESS
We have nothing but love for the cinnamon rolls, croissants, baguettes, pastries and pies pulled from ovens at the town’s top bake shops (we’re looking at you, Bear Den, Paradise Bakery, Victoria’s and Louis Swiss Pastry). But when the weekly Aspen Saturday Market gets underway in June, the irresistible bounty offered at Mountain Oven Organic Bakery’s stand is, well, irresistible. Chris Sullivan, Dana Whitcomb and their team trek to the market in the wee hours from Mountain Oven’s home bakery in Paonia. The team’s output is brilliant and includes a variety of fresh breads (try the birdseed and housemilled sourdough), bacon quiche, puff pastry fruit tarts, morning buns and Hungry Bunny carrot muffins—and that’s just for starters. New this summer: flour milled from local grain in their new mill house. We promise a stop at this real-deal bake stand will have you coming back for more each week. Saturday Market opens June 12, downtown, around Hyman Avenue and Galena Street, aspenchamber.org; mountainoven.com
Photography by: Courtesy of 7908