A Thankless Art

JoeL huFF brings cuisine to Santa Barbara

To be clear, I despise foodism. The entire “foodie” movement is primarily an excuse for people to take as much enjoyment out of dining as possible—trying to make it a one-upmanship of “appreciating” only “the finest, freshest, locallysourced, organic, foraged, househusbanded, home-cured, blah, blah, blah.” No. Good food simply falls into two categories: art and whatever else is left.

And we know art is a thankless pursuit, as it should be. True artists aren’t suffering the slings and arrows for a key to the city, or to have their names emblazoned in lights or their images cast in bronze. They don’t set out to be famous. They create because they have to and they persevere out of necessity. The reward is that fleeting moment when their vision intersects with their expectation and execution. A brief a priori recognition of their own creation, a moment of self-fulfillment. They’ve gained another step in an ever-escalating personal war on mediocrity, before moving on to the next internally abstract challenge with its own ephemeral reward.

Joel huff knows what I’m talking about.

In a majority of local kitchens the most delicate instruments chefs wield are salad tongs and soup ladles; huff comes armed with tweezers and syringes. Paint brushes, liquid nitrogen, dehydrators and sous-vide skills fill out the remaining space between him and the conventional oven, while he wages his own skirmishes against complacent cuisine from the kitchen of Scarlett Begonia— the aftermath being some of the most exciting, artistic and truly unique creations ever served in town. (Technically, he is the “chef” of the restaurant—which serves decadent breakfasts and lunches, though these are mostly envisioned by the owner Crista fooks. When evening falls it becomes more or less a pop-up of huff’s extravagant and impressive culinary vision.)

Again, the fads of post-modern cuisine are just as blatantly annoying as those who chase the trends. I especially appreciate how “molecular gastronomy” has become a hipster joke (a la Todd margaret et. al.). In the wrong hands, this can be a borderline horrific dining experience. (even in capable hands, it can go too far; I’m pretty sure ferran turned a few stomachs with the oysters, licorice gel and peppermint foam that even he agreed “didn’t really work.”) huff is more than capable— without going too far—having worked with Adrià and his associate José Andrés, so some of the previous hype and hyperbole is founded on a particular level of skill and experience.

But what about the food?

I could simply list ingredients like every limp and lackluster food writer does when they don’t understand what they’re eating, but how is that going to convey anything? This really is new for Santa Barbara and needs to be experienced with few plot spoilers—but I’ll play along: green apple snow, squid paper, spruce steam, yuzu gelée, chili caramel, bitter olive verde, sour grass… (There, you’re clear as crystal, right?) one caveat is this is not the kind of food that you can pair with wine. I won’t win any love from their wine buyer (and they’re soon to have a full bar), but have a drink before the meal and/or one after. Water and bites of the stellar deux

You simply need to go—and be prepared for amazement, one palette at a time.

Bakery bread before each course need to be the palate cleansers— every dish supplying an array of flavors, textures and scents that you don’t want to inhibit.

I think the only dinner misstep is having an a la carte menu. Giving people the choice to nitpick, substitute and treat the creations like any Burger King drive-thru is a mistake. each evening’s offerings need to be in line with their Keller/Trotter/ Redzepi brethren. It takes an education and understanding of the complexities, a grasp of the nuances and an appreciation of the execution of the meal as a whole, so it might help not to consider yourself a customer, but rather a guest. (The dinner service is attentive, but never fawning. And, if the server isn’t explaining the mind-boggling alchemy of the ingredients and preparation, then the chef is, at your table.

This is what he’s is creating for you. Be thankful there’s legitimate excitement in what’s coming out of the kitchen for a change.)

Joel huff, is on the threshold of becoming a known quantity, and the fact that he landed here in Santa Barbara is remarkable. I would recommend every chef in town to experience the tasting menu. Perhaps it will elevate the level of dining in our area, or at least illustrate how truly creative food can be when you stop painting by the numbers.

—MiChAeL bAuM

sCArLett begoniA currently serves dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 5:30 (reservations strongly suggested). Breakfast and Lunch are from Tuesday thru Sunday 8am-3pm. Located at 11 West Victoria Street #10, 805-770-2143.

www.scarlettbegonia.net