This piece hangs on the wall at The Kitchen and is available at Asymbol Gallery.
One could argue it is light itself that is the dominant artwork on display in The Kitchen. Splurging on two off-season special dinners in one week gave me plenty of time to contemplate the effect of those curved, luminescent panels stacked floor to ceiling along the north wall. I’ve always thought stepping into The Kitchen feels like being lifted a bit off the ground of external reality. “Aloft” is the sensation that comes over me. It is those panels that create the effect, the way they curve into the ceiling and are lit from behind, as if diners were seated in an upscale aircraft hangar in the middle of Iowa with the golden light of the dimming day setting the place aglow.
Of course we are nowhere near the midwest, and the loftiness of The Kitchen is more accurately mirrored by the enigmatic photo currently on display on the east wall of the restaurant. Jeff Curtes’ “The Chairlift” is composed of two bold black lines (cables), a pair of snowboarders ascending into snowy mist, a few empty chairs, and whispers of trees on the lower border. That quest to be lifted higher into the peaks, to float above the ground — whether on boards on our feet or in airplanes — is something that unites mountain dwellers. Curtes’ photo captures the mystery and mysticism of the mountains, as well as the simple, stripped bare beauty of a moment in harmony with nature.
The drinks and food at The Kitchen take this elevated, illuminated experience even further. Offerings from the raw bar seem to glow from within. A cinnamon pink cocktail or the spicy margarita glow with their own internal fire. Garnishes include translucent slices of lemons and cucumber. Smaller portions, elegantly composed flavors, encourage savoring each bite, each moment. I swooned over the Seared Rare Longfin Tuna situated in a clear ginger-soy broth with an asian slaw. The Strube Farms wagyu flank steak was equally sublime, with paprika spiced yukon gold potatoes, bourbon-pecan butter, and baby arugula.
There are a few elements of Kitchen dining that keep one from floating off into the ether. The truffled fries are definitely weighty in all the best ways. And the chocolate chip cookie that arrived in a mini skillet topped with vanilla ice cream helped me keep my feet on the ground. It’s some kind of magic to create this kind of luminescent experience and yet not make people feel overly lightheaded. Not unlike the art of framing that moment between worlds, the journey from the base to the top of the slopes.
(“The Chairlift” is available from Asymbol Gallery, asymbolgallery.com.)
