August 2007 | Tastebuds

Find Grace Close to Home

Chef Neal Fraser brings sustainable eating to an LA dining mainstay.

By Carly Milne

Los Angeles chef Neal Fraser has carved out quite a niche for himself in the culinary world. He’s studied under the best — including Thomas Keller at the Checker’s Hotel in Los Angeles, and David Burke at the Park Avenue Café in New York — and he was the first California chef to triumph in the televised cooking competition Iron Chef America, accomplishing the feat while still in training at the Culinary Institute of America. At Grace, the Beverly Blvd. restaurant he opened in 2003, he’s won himself worldwide fans. But Fraser isn’t content to rest on his remarkable laurels — instead, he’s pushing himself to the next level with “Close To Home,” a new sustainable tasting menu.

Fraser’s already a friend to the environment, driving a car powered with leftover vegetable oil from the kitchen he cooks in every day and striving to instill a sense of eco-stewardship in his young daughter. But this time, he’s passing on the lesson to his patrons. Complimenting Grace’s regular fare, the Close to Home menu boasts 90 percent of its ingredients sourced within 400 miles of the restaurant. Though finding fresh and delicious veggies at LA’s bountiful farmer’s markets is never a problem, Fraser does have a bit of a trial on his hands when it comes to sourcing meat — after all, how many salmon streams or cow ranches make their home in Hollywood?

In the case of Close To Home, the challenges inherent to going local only make the chef more inventive. Start with a Santa Barbara prawn with roasted purple cauliflower and sea urchin emulsion, the flavors complimenting each other perfectly as the dish melts in your mouth. Follow up with fresh Monterey Bay Sardines — perfectly salty and flakey — partnered with artichokes, pea tendrils, cherry tomatoes and lobster broth. The third stage calls for Pan Roasted California White Sea Bass, fresh and buttery, delectably accompanied by byaldi confit and saffron tomato sage.

scallops Next comes the Braised CK Lamb with fava beans and Humboldt fog goat cheese, all stuffed cannelloni-style in house-made pasta. Stage five calls for Grilled Filet of Brandt Natural Beef, partnered with braised swiss chard that tastes fresh enough to make you believe — and rightfully so — that it was picked that morning, crispy chick peas, rich and round heirloom tomatoes, and basil red wine nage. And last but not least, dessert: Strawberry Shortcake, made with walnut cake, fresh strawberries, peach brown sugar ice cream, and pistachio tuile.

If you think you’re going to have issues with your hollow leg, don’t worry — Fraser ensures courses are the perfect portion so that you can savor each dish without feeling like you need a wheelbarrow to cart you home.

The five-course Close to Home menu is available Tuesdays through Thursdays without wine pairings for $85, or with for an additional $45. Make sure you make reservations early, and often. With a rotating menu that’s as creative as it is delicious, you’ll want to make sure you partake in Fraser’s version of sustainable eating as often as possible.

Grace Restaurant, 7360 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles. 323.934.4400. gracerestaurant.com

[Send] Recommend this page to a friend

AddThis Feed Button

Top Ten pages recommended to friends:

  1. A World Without Men
  2. The Fluoride Factor
  3. Cook’s Double Dutch
  4. Mastering Migraines
  5. We Like it Raw
  6. LA’s Blue Velvet takes its place at the sustainable table
  7. Open Up and Say Raw
  8. Exploring Yoga’s Outer Limits with Ana Forrest
  9. A Family Undertaking
  10. Eco-fashion Comes of Age

Find WLT In Print
Subscribe to Newsletter