I remember dining at Son of a Gun in West Hollywood a few years ago, asking to speak to the executive sous chef who was working the kitchen. I was so impressed with not only the creatively inspired and comforting seafood articulations but also the variety of seasonal farmers market vegetables used in the herbaceous green goddess salad. A persevering, young chef, by the name of Miles Thompson, came out of the kitchen, speaking quietly and succinctly, which reflects how much humility his food possesses. After exploring the pop-up world for a period of time, he finally found his space in the heart of Echo Park---a far trek for us West-siders, but well worth it if you want to experience the essence of each ingredient in your meal.
At the Santa Monica Farmers Market a few weeks ago, I asked Chef Miles, “So how much of your produce comes from the Farmers Market?” which he aptly responded, “100%.” A few weeks prior to that day at the market, I asked him the same question and he responded, “everything except the limes.” Chef Miles honors Farm-To-Mouth as a Yogi does Asana.
Chef Miles’ restaurant, Allumette, is named by its unique sound but also by its unique meaning---matchstick or spark. Chef Miles opens our world to a self-fulfilling destiny. We choose a course or courses from each section of the menu and Chef Miles orchestrates our self-tailored tasting menu.
At the Santa Monica Farmers Market a few weeks ago, I asked Chef Miles, “So how much of your produce comes from the Farmers Market?” which he aptly responded, “100%.” A few weeks prior to that day at the market, I asked him the same question and he responded, “everything except the limes.” Chef Miles honors Farm-To-Mouth as a Yogi does Asana.
Chef Miles’ restaurant, Allumette, is named by its unique sound but also by its unique meaning---matchstick or spark. Chef Miles opens our world to a self-fulfilling destiny. We choose a course or courses from each section of the menu and Chef Miles orchestrates our self-tailored tasting menu.
The first spark of my bespoke meal was a simple crostini that was brushed with extra virgin olive oil before it was toasted, then topped with grated cheese and finely chopped chives and accompanied by a button-shaped potato butter to take this amuse to a deeply satisfying moment with oneself.
A few snacks followed. Chef Miles started the small bites with potato chips with fresh salmon roe, yuzu crème fraiche, garnished with garlic flowering chives.
Then, I had a deconstructed tuna sandwich---plated olive oil poached tuna topped with wild arugula, juxtaposed with a saffron aioli dotted with halves of castelvetrano olives and diminutive mouse melons, a Mexican sour cucumber, and a side of Rye Country Loaf that I could have eaten all night long.
My spark-felt evening unfolded with the albacore sashimi with black rice vinegar, white soy, lime topped with a crispy garlic chip and a touch of red pepper for an undertone of heat.
The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali must have divinely intervened into Chef Miles’ subconscious when creating the tomato salad---darkly passionate Cherokee Purple cherry tomatoes, pinkish-red Brandywines, halved mouse melons that look like mini-watermelons, thinly sliced shallots, snow flakes of flat parsley leaves, ramp brioche croutons, oozing lava of yolk from a soft-cooked egg, seeping into a pool of Moroccan black olive infused extra virgin olive oil.
Chef Miles’ house-made Garganelli reminds me of the bold brush strokes of Franz Kline’s abstract canvases and flavored by the elegance of Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, like Lavender Mist. Atop of a caponata, the Garganelli is dressed with sautéed Hen of the Woods mushrooms with house-made ricotta salata and brightened by finely chopped chives. This dish is urban and country, all wrapped in one.
Chef Miles paired the exactingly prepared branzino---corner-to-corner crisp skin, delicately sweet tasting meat---with shellfish tapioca accented by fried broccoli and lemon for balance.
The next course took me to the heat of Asia with the Octopus Confit, sour plum and mustard, interspersed with arugula for pepper, mint for a satisfying coolness, garlic flowering chives, and a cube of watermelon to sweeten the spark.
Chef Miles plays with heat and sweet again with the spicy blue prawns, prepared whole to preserve their sweet and supple plumpness. He pairs the prawns in a salad like composition, including purslane and dark greens. He dresses the salad with an alliteration of shrimp vinaigrette and frames it with pickled wasabi.
My savory sparks meld harmoniously with the sweet ending of dark chocolate ganache with green tea meringue, chicory crisp, and brioche cream.
Chef Miles embodies an artistic spirit who honors the truth of his ingredients and expresses them in a mosaic of seasonal, sensorial sensations. Strolling out of Allumette, I feel inspired to return to another journey eastbound on a road less traveled.
Allumette is located at 1320 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026, (213) 935-8787, open Tues – Sat from 6 p.m., www.allumettela.com.
Chef Miles embodies an artistic spirit who honors the truth of his ingredients and expresses them in a mosaic of seasonal, sensorial sensations. Strolling out of Allumette, I feel inspired to return to another journey eastbound on a road less traveled.
Allumette is located at 1320 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026, (213) 935-8787, open Tues – Sat from 6 p.m., www.allumettela.com.