Some restaurants change their menus according to the seasons; AIR and Dirty Supper often purvey something new daily. “We have a wonderful lawn in front of the restaurant where we grow vegetables and herbs. Whenever there’s a new harvest of, say, Thai basil or roselle, they get added to the menu that day or week,” said Goldfarb.
Smit added, “When you work based on using the whole animal or ingredient, it’s difficult to have one basic menu, but I think it makes it more interesting because people can come back and eat something different each time.”
NOTHING SQUANDERED
Taking what you need from the land and using everything you’ve taken is part of the Hawaiian culture that chef Jordan Keao grew up with. This philosophy shapes his kitchen at Butcher’s Block, where he, too, buys whole animals, which he assigns to dishes like deep-fried duck tongues and crispy beef fat potatoes with brown butter emulsion.