american classics menlotavern.com The outcome is an unexpectedlylight, snowball-sized appetizer made with wagyu beef, sauced in pomodoro, crowned with shavings of grana padano cheese and topped with cheery microgreen sprigs. Sal is cooking up another idea just in time for summer: Fire and Flame, a series of twists on barbecue. “That’s what man did first,” points out Sal, who once headed the kitchen at The Pub at Ghirardelli Square where he dished up ribs and brisket. His new series, hosted Saturdays out on the hotel’s garden patio, will range from Argentine-style meats prepared on the parrilla to spit-roasted Italian porchetta. The warm weather also ushers in Stanford Park Hotel’s annual outdoor live music, held all season long, and best enjoyed with a songthemed cocktail in hand, like Oye Como Va or Dock of the Bay. But Sal is a man of action, not just ideas. “I’m not here to just write a menu,” he insists. “Every single chef I’ve met that was amazing, was humble … They would be there with you, in service. And not just calling a ticket.” Accordingly, he likes to stay in the mix, teaching and growing in the kitchen. “I even take advice from my dishwasher!” He pauses, then admits, “My dishwasher used to be a chef, actually.” “A good chef’s always learning— constantly,” Sal says as he rises and prepares to return to his hardworking team behind the scenes. “I’ll be learning until I die.” {food coloring}
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