VUE

Not only was Summit House built to be structurally sound, but the executive team behind the restaurant is equally as stacked. General Manager Justin Lord comes to the restau- rant from Per Se, where he spent his time as a sommelier working alongside omas Keller. Behind the bar is Bobby Frascella, former Iron Shaker competitor and manager of Summit House's wine and beverage program. And in the kitchen is Chef Aya Hasegawa, who recently took the lead from Chef Martin Kester, both of whom came from Ninety Acres. "My responsibilities ha- ven't so much changed, but shied solely onto me," Chef Hasegawa said. "is is now my kitchen, my name, my food, my vi- sion. I went from mentee to mentor. us far, these shis have been very re- warding. I pride myself on being a very hard worker and sometimes a perfec- tionist. Being a female in this industry can be tough but as long as you keep up, show you're here to work and make great food, it doesn't go unnoticed." Although Summit House doesn't take to the farm-to-table moniker, rest assured that what you're eating is always in-season, made from scratch, locally-sourced and humanely raised. ey're not interested in cutting any corners, going the extra mile to purchase whole cows raised in Far Hills to use for their burg- ers. ey're also dry-aging all the prime cuts and treating their vegetables as if they were proteins, ensuring that no stalk, leaf or stem goes to waste. Summit House is also very serious about its bread, which, whether for the table or hamburger buns, is made in-house every day. In fact, they've enlisted a staff member to helm the daily bread program and maintain the 25-year-old sour- dough starter. ey're also grinding their own spelt flour sourced up the road from Castle Valley Mill in Pennsylvania. e Summit House menu changes with the seasons, and each new dish is built around local ingredients at their peak. ose are then accompanied by spices and varying textures, and are influenced by regions around the world. During my recent visit to Summit House, their late-summer corn soup was reminis- cent of a coconut curry made with sweet corn kernels, actual coconut milk (so it's vegan) and garnished with a curry leaf. Chef Hasegawa at- tributes her inspiration for conceptualizing new dishes to her upbringing. "Being exposed to Japa- nese cuisine and culture at an early age taught me the time and effort that goes into beautiful food. ere was never a shi to seasonality, that is just what I knew. Working at Ninety Acres also taught me about the simplicity of seasonal food, while pull- ing elements from various ethnicities and using both traditional and modern cooking techniques." Other standout start- ers included the chicken liver mousse topped with apricot preserves and the grilled Spanish octopus with crispy Yukon pota- toes, broccoli and brown butter crumble. ey're repurposing the unused broccoli stems from Summit House's charred broccoli side dish and the key to the octopus, I learned, is to sous vide it first and then finish it to order on the grill. V U E N J . C O M 99

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