Published on : Saturday, September 24, 2016
As the season turns, so does the focus in chef Cal Stamenov’s kitchen with local foragers and fishermen unveiling their top-shelf stash.
Tucked 12 miles inland from the Pacific, Lucia Restaurant & Bar – which debuted in 2015 following the launch of Forbes Four-Star Bernardus Lodge & Spa’s multi-million dollar transformation – continues to deliver on expectation with a salute to the culinary masters that shaped Stamenov’s career. Available this season, the Mentors’ Menu will offer guests an express lane into the culinary depths of such icons as Jean-Louis Palladin, Michel Richard and Alain Ducasse — with a Central Coast twist.
Classically trained with an eye to sustainability, Stamenov wields an impressive resume working under the ardent eye of such culinary greats as Pierre Gagnaire, Philippe Jeante, Eric Ripert and the legendary Masa Kobayashi. His California country cuisine plays off locally-sourced product with the essence of the dish taking center stage. Subtle reductions and thoughtful flavor marriages are his signature paired with a back pocket of local farmers and foragers to keep Lucia’s kitchen at a steady simmer.
Culling from the Lodge’s two-acre organic garden and a private two-acre cornucopia flush with 150+ fruit trees, heirloom vegetables, bee boxes housing swarms of domestic and wild Italian honey bees and cache of Plymouth, Barred Rock, Rhode Island, Speckled Sussex and Ameraucana chickens, Stamenov’s seasonal spotlight menu is certain to please. In addition to the Lucia’s daily menu, the Mentors’ Menu showcases ten dishes ideally suited for crisp fall evenings along the California coastline.
|
||
   
|
||
