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Big Eye Tuna Tataki with grapefruit, quinoa, garlic, and chilies
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Kitchen Kulture pops into Local Harvest Cafe, serving dinner two nights a week.
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Local Harvest Cafe is located at 3137 Morgan Ford, about a block south of Tower Grove Park.
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Diners enjoy a meal that's tailored for sharing
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Last week's Japanese-themed menu (dishes follow).
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Futo-Maki and Oshinko (sushi roll with local tofu and pickled veggies)
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Chef Mike, mid-prep.
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Seafood-stuffed mussel shells topped with seasoned panko
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Salad of winter vegetables with some unusual additions, like furikake (a Japanese seasoning containing dried fish, sesame, and seaweed).
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The Thai-themed menu for Feb 3-4. Next week's menu will be different.
Known primarily for their prepared foods at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market, and then for hot lunches and brunches at Sump, Kitchen Kulture has now set up a semi-permanent post at Local Harvest Cafe, which is closed during the week. So every Tuesday and Wednesday night for the near future, KK will take over the kitchen and dining area (while the cafe maintains the bar) and do something a little different: serve their food on actual plates.
Chris Meyer, co-owner of KK says there are so many dishes—like those at their dinners—that won't translate well packaged up, in a container sold at the market, so what they put on each plate fully represents how they envision their dishes to be displayed. And, as of now, this is the only place you can see them in their most honest form.
They chose to launch the dinner series with Asian themes—first Vietnamese and then Japanese—for two reasons: 1) It's easy (and encouraged) to share with others at the table and 2) you can make a lot with winter vegetables, either fermented or fresh. (This week--Feb 3-4--the menu is Thai-based and posted above.)
Each week KK gets an email from farmers with a list of what is available, be it cabbage, carrots, coffee, or trout, to help them determine what's on the menu. And how they use the produce, meat, fish and fruit can be pretty unreal. Is that tuna or grapefruit? Potato or garlic? Quinoa or roe? Their exceptional marrying of textures and flavors—and keen ability to create a dish in which you can taste every single ingredient—is unlike anything you'll find around here...especially only two nights a week.
Chris and Mike Miller (an established server/foodie and talented chef, respectively) started to sell prepared foods (think kimchi, tamales, soba) at the market a few years ago to test the customer base, to see what the interest was, what the tastes were and how well they'd work together. Things continue to go very well and here they are. One year from now, though? They envision a storefront. But finding a space can be tough—especially one with a preexisting kitchen as well as an area for seating, or at least to sell their wares.
"It needs to be the confluence of the perfect space and location," says Meyer.
The duo misses working in restaurant settings, and they both excel at it, so this is their happy compromise—to do so two nights a week for as long as they can. As mentioned in previous post, Chris' table-side manner is remarkable, and Mike's ability to run a kitchen and describe the distinct flavor profiles of every element is noteworthy.
For the winter, this is their workshop, their permanent space. But not so permanent that it's no longer a novelty. For those used to getting their Kitchen Kulture to-go, it's best to disregard those expectations and set them much higher than usual.
Kitchen Kulture Dinners at Local Harvest Cafe
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
3137 Morgan Ford
Menu changes weekly
Walk-ins or reservations (via call text, or email to kitchenkulture@yahoo.com)
314-277-3881
