Chef/artist Tyler “Tai” Davis recently launched Lineage, a fine-dining-yet-affordable exploration of soul food. The pop-up dinner series is currently being held at Videira Wine Shop & Bar (2802 R Locust) on every fourth Sunday of the month. Along with fellow chef Kellen Myers, Davis is exploring menu options for Lineage, slated to open next year.
Already ensconced on that menu is their version of kitfo, a dish native to Ethiopia. The chefs begin with finely chopped American wagyu beef sourced from Agape Organic Farms to which they add berbere (a spicy Ethiopian spice blend), anchovy paste, olive oil, Dijon mustard, chives, smoked sous-vide quail egg—“and more, but it’s a secret,” Davis says. A 6-ounce disc is ringed with berbere-spiced tahini, dosed with seasonal additions, such as apricots, pickled sultanas, or pomegranate seeds. The beef is topped with fresh herbs and a shard of griddled, lacy injera. The beef rests on a bed of berbere-spiced garlic tahini, dosed with parsley and seasonal additions such as apricots, pickled sultanas, or pomegranate seeds.
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The boldly flavored dish is sharable, “which plays to communal dining.” The chef encourages patrons to elevate the experience with caviar service, “the ultimate indulgent sharable.”
