Ari Weiswasser, an alum of French Laundry, Daniel and Picholine, is finalizing the menu for his forthcoming Glen Ellen restaurant, set to open this spring.
With wife Erinn (nee Benziger), the couple has staged a number of preview dinners for media Chez Papa (the Glen Ellen home of GM, grower and biodynamic pioneer Mike Benziger). The consensus from rarely-impressed food writers so far: There’s little doubt that this star is on the rise….
The meal: Wine-braised short ribs with mustard flowers, ricotta gnocchi with orange blossom honey and pine nuts, fennel with fennel pollen and aleppo chili and grilled escarole salad showcase Weiswasser’s focus on rustic, wood-fired comfort foods when the 32-seat eatery opens.
Expect to find not only Benziger wines, but produce and animals raised in the nearby vineyards (Mike was picking mustard flowers that afternoon out back) and handmade ice creams (like vanilla maple bourbon) as menu highlights…as well as some secret discoveries (like the imported Greek feta he bargains for at a local deli).
Breath bated.