December 2007 | Tastebuds
Violet
How local can you go?
By Jessica Ridenour
The unassuming strip of concrete and glass storefronts that make up Santa Monica’s Pico Boulevard seems an unlikely spot to find a hint of nature in the city. But Violet restaurant harbors a happy secret: the eatery’s rooftop doubles as garden plot. Chef Jared Simons began the urban gardening experiment as a way to decompress after a particularly chaotic day at work. The fruits — or in this case, veggies and herbs — of his labor show up in his nightly specials, upping the ante on locavorism.
A perusal of Violet’s seasonal small plates menu reveals hints of the rooftop crops of mint, thyme, sage, jalapeños, carrots, mâche (lamb’s lettuce) and Swiss chard. Simons’ summer harvest managed to yield eggplants, squash and green beans, despite the frustrating mistakes of an agricultural neophyte.
“I’m definitely not a green thumb,” laughs the restaurateur, who relays tales of eagerly overstuffing his planters instead of mindfully spacing the seedlings out — resulting in less than stellar results. “I learned from that to follow directions, because those people know what they’re doing.”
While Simons may not yet have mastered the hoe and spade, he more than knows his way around the knife and sauté pan, taking American favorites and giving them a much-appreciated makeover, using local and organic ingredients whenever possible. With Simons’ skillful touch, mac ‘n’ cheese becomes baked macaroni with Serrano ham, leeks and gruyere; a house salad is transformed into grilled romaine with gorgonzola, hazelnut and pomegranate vinaigrette; pasta evolves into mushroom ravioli with brown butter, parmesan and sage. Prairie Grove pork is unexpectedly (and deliciously) paired with white chocolate potato puree. The eclectic New American menu is sophisticated without being fussy; recognizable without being mundane.
Kind of like the chef himself. At the tender age of 29, Simons is already a restaurant pro; his first restaurant, Le Passage, in Carlsbad, Calif., opened when he was just 22, and Violet is now in its fourth year. The California Culinary Academy grad — easily recognizable for his expertly mussed hair, tattoos and guyliner (that’s eyeliner for guys, for the non-emo among you) — can usually be spotted greeting tables in the cozy violet-hued dining room. Violet was inspired by the relaxed neighborhood vibe of many San Francisco eateries, melding homey comfort with urban chic.
Not only does Violet’s rooftop garden provide some fresh accents to an already tasty menu, it serves another purpose as well: rooftop gardens are known to improve water runoff, absorb heat from the sun (resulting in a decreased need for air conditioning) and improve smog. In a city that’s mostly paved over, Violet is a literal breath of fresh air.
Violet Restaurant, 3221 Pico Blvd.,
Santa Monica. 310.453.9113.
violetrestaurant.com
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