Kelly Whitaker is no stranger to new concepts. Whether it’s researching fermentation techniques, s learning the way to mill his own seasoning or consulting numerous projects, Whitaker doesn’t slow down. But even though he operates at a average rate, his most recent endeavor has him firing in any respect cylinders.
READ: A First Look at The Wolf’s Tailor — Opening Soon in Sunnyside
In The Wolf’s Tailor, you ll discover approaches in places like Hong Kong, Tibet, Japan and Italy. This week, Whitaker returned in the MAD conference in Copenhagen and is already incorporating his lessons learned. But despite the love of cuisine that is international, Whitaker’s menu doesn’t see like your typical mashing of cuisine.
“We’re not fusion foods, we’re mix technique,” since Whitaker likes to put it.
In the event you had to nail it, then the menu weighs heavily on Japanese and Italian influences. The 1 case of this is the Acqua Pazza that translates into crazy water ($50). The traditional Italian dish of red snapper marinated in seawater, tomatoes and olive oil gets a Japanese spin using a dashi broth rather than seawater along with a traditional cooking vessel rather than terracotta. Items such as the “skewer” section pulls from the Japanese and Italian love of grilling meats and make a bite. The bread blends a traditional Italian piada using a red miso and eggplant puree for a super yummy combination (seriously don’t bypass the bread). But probably the most innovative element of the full meal might come in the very end. The menu is a comfortable with things such as panna cotta and a semifreddo dominating the list. But digging you’ll find caramel made from bonito flakes and lotion steeped with miso or soy sauce and dark sesame sticking to a popcorn. If anything, the dessert menu is where you re planning to challenge and hopefully delight your taste buds the maximum.
But past the worldwide ingredients, Whitaker and his group of chefs craft their menu according to a different concept. Zero Waste — that infers the repurposing all of its scraps and deny — is now part of every process in The Wolf’s Tailor. On a basic level the restaurant recycles composts and cuts down general waste by removing things such as cocktail napkins and straws. But it gets far more complex and requires the staff an army of techniques and tools in regards to food. For the pasta, their flour which creates a bran byproduct is milled by the group. The bran is thrown away or used for baking but in The Wolf’s Tailor, they use it to pickle vegetables. Called Nukazuke, the group buries anything they wish to pickle (which could presumably include pork stomach ) in the bran which subsequently ferments via the bran’s active cultures. The end outcome is a much more crunchy vegetable which has a tangy flavor that is milder but still. When an apple doesn’t get it into the fermenting process, it’ll often be dehydrated and used in dishes or on the “snacks” menu that will be served in 4 to 6 weeks using a window in the garden. Other scraps such as pasta leftovers turned and would be fried to garnishes or processors.
Repurposing of leftovers applies to any animal byproducts. This includes having a stock” that will be fed animal bones to create a endless broth. The meat is going to be scraped from bones before they are placed to the inventory to make gluten-free dumplings. Should they overlook ’ t wind up in a broth, either oyster shells or bones would be fed to the fire to create charcoal that is potential.
However, according to Whitaker — the development of these strategies are far from over. After returning from his trip in Copenhagen the chef couldn’t help but feel as though they have a long way to go.
“This is just day one,” he said.
The Wolf’s Tailor is located at 4058 Tejon St., Denver. It officially opens tomorrow September 1 for routine service it’ll be open Wednesday through Saturday, with backyard garden snacks beginning at 4 p.m. and dinner in 6 to 11 pm Omakase reservations can be produced around Tock. Currently, the restaurant will not be open on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays — but that’s subject to change.
All photography by Brittni Bell Warshaw.