Executive chefs in a fine dining setting tend to be attentive and exacting, and on occasion a little shouty. Some have been known to examine the size and shape of each vegetable brought to the kitchen with an eye toward appearance and consistent cooking time, rejecting those a fraction off.
Chef Zachary Ladwig, who took over the reins at The Sur House in Alila Ventana Big Sur just over two months ago, may not be one to deride his staff, but he does source with care from local farms and gardens. Words like “hand-harvested,” “heirloom” and “seasonal” fill the dinner menu. He also insists on precise technique in the kitchen and thoughtful layering of flavors. Manuka honey is right for one dish, espelette honey for another.
With that in mind, Ladwig has taken an unusual step. The chef loosened his grip and allowed the kitchen staff to develop the lunch menu.
“There are places where it should be chef-centric, ego-driven,” he points out. The dinner menu is one of those places. Lunch, however, is more relaxed. Ladwig also inherited a team with lengthy tenure. Some have been tending stoves at The Sur House for more than 20 years. A few of the most experienced – who all participate in menu development – include Manuel Garcia, Naricisco Perez, Enriqueta Villalobos and Abad Paz.
“They know what they are doing,” Ladwig adds. So for midday service, “they are going to cook what they like.”
What they happen to like are tacos, quesadillas, wings, churrasco, chicken sandwiches, burgers and other familiar favorites – especially guacamole.
“We’ve gone through every avocado known to man,” Ladwig says with a laugh.
It’s an apparently simple presentation, yet the guacamole is distinct – calm and creamy, as one would expect, but also with a defined nip of fruity heat balanced by an herbal note. It is impossible to recall a better version.
Lean, flaky halibut takes the lead role in the fish taco – that is until the condiments kick in. The combination of slaw and pico de gallo in peak form, along with shards of onion treated to a quick pickle so as not to discourage its sweet bite pops on the palate. It’s a clever counter to the warm, husky savor of the fish.
Tri-tip is an option with the quesadilla, and a worthy one. The meat marinates overnight and then bathes low and slow in smoke for four to five hours. It carries a charred, backyard grill comfort that drifts through the mild Oaxaca cheese, turning a common plate into something almost blissful – and quite filling.
“It’s all them,” Ladwig says, pointing to a trio of cooks wrapping up lunch service before turning their attention to dinner prep.
Ladwig is pleased with the lunch concept. For hotel guests, it’s as if they are experiencing two different restaurants – one with casual fare and one of exquisite courses.
The chef brings more than two decades of experience at Michelin – and Forbes-starred restaurants around the country, including two highly decorated Relais & Châteaux properties and a Gordon Ramsay (a chef who definitely has a reputation for being shouty) concept. He also brings a commitment to local, seasonal and sustainable menus. He’s visited with locals and been invited to pluck fruit from a nearby family orchard, for example. As a bonus in his efforts, the property features a large organic garden that the chef can pick from. He’s able to rely on a number of sources for fresh ingredients. “We have a really great forager,” Ladwig adds.
He expects to rotate the lunch menu seasonally. The dinner menu can change every night, depending on what is available.
The Sur House adopted a policy of limited dinner service to hotel guests when pandemic restrictions eased. With public safety in mind, management chose to keep the rule in place as variants wore on. Recently, however, dinner service was reopened to all – if they can find an available table.
With Ladwig leading a veteran staff, dinner reservations may be a little hard to come by. No matter. A plate of wings dressed in a tempered mole wafting in roasted chile with a rustic sheen of chocolate, all while sitting on the Ventana patio – that’s not a bad place to be at all.