Food That Knows Comforts and Intrigues
This is food you want to eat—nourishing, and understanding of texture as a form of pleasure. I’m still thinking about the grain salad: toasted mixed grains that were satisfyingly nutty and crunchy, ribbons of thumbelina carrot, golden beet, rutabaga, apricot, curly endive, and pops of juicy orange, all tied together with turmeric warmth. It was vibrant without being showy: layered, balanced, and deeply alive.
The Lion’s Mane Mushroom Sandwich was another standout, a perfect bite stacked with tomato, avocado, arugula, gouda, brassicas romesco, all tucked into Publican oat sourdough. Meaty, creamy, crisp, and tangy, this is one of those sandwiches where every ingredient earns its place.
Even the classics get rethought here. The Sunchoke Caesar—Tuscan kale, golden raisin, pecorino toscano, calamansi Caesar dressing—was all about contrast: creamy and bright, chewy and crisp, familiar and not at all boring. It’s the kind of dish that reminds you why a Caesar became a classic in the first place.
“We like to take something familiar—like a kale Caesar—and think a little bit outside the box, by uing things like calamansi, sunchokes, different cheeses and textures,” Browder says. “It still feels approachable, but it’s our version.”
And dessert? Chocolate cookies sprinkled with Maldon salt, of course, crisp at the edges and soft in the center.
Dining and Cooking