How often does the menu change?
MH: I change the menu once a month so I can stay in-tune with the seasons, and I base it off what the local farmers have got coming up out of the ground. I place orders with them once a week. My forager brings wild mushrooms, wild lettuces, sea beans, huckleberries. HS: Do you offer tasting menus? MH: We put together a vegan tasting menu once a month. We are all organic so a lot of people think we are vegetarian too, but we love our meat! We have a lot of vegans coming in, though, so it’s nice to offer the menu. We do a tasting menu on Mondays called “Homage to Local Producers.” It’s a prix fix four-course for $45. We pick one producer and feature their product. I do wine pairings to go with it for $20. The regular menu has large plates and small plates, so we encourage people to taste a lot. HS: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing? MH: Photography. I don’t do so much these days. That was one of my picks—either that or cooking, and cooking seemed more stable. HS: Where will
PV: We change with the seasons, but if I put something on the menu and I m not happy I m with it, I ll change it. Or if I get an idea I like, I change it. I can change the menu any time I want. I make changes at least twice a season, because we have such a large clientele. We want to keep it interesting. A lot of restaurants stick with the same thing. TOB: This bread (focaccia) is so good, where does it come from? PV: We make it. The focaccia we make; I buy the Tuscan loaf from a bakery called Royal Crown in Bay Ridge. Its right off the boat, so to speak. Their ovens, there are only a few in the country built like that. It s amazing. Everything you have there is the best you ll ever have. If you get a doughnut, it s the best doughnut you ve ever had.
