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Absinthe. I feel like it's one of those liquors, when you drink it, it defines the liquor. You know you just drank absinthe. You get a chill through your veins that's completely different from beer. That's why we have two absinthe fountains. ...
Nica's 320 is awash in colors and beautiful pieces of blown glass — some of which have been made by the chef and owner Bryan Merker. The multitalented chef learned the craft in San Francisco and continues to create pieces of art.
Yesterday, he explained exactly how he ended up in an Enchanted Garden with Dr. Dre. On Monday, he'll talk about his favorite place in the world to get beignets.
It’s usually from spending time in my glass studio. That’s where I can clean my thoughts out. I put music on that helps me relax and get lost a little bit. I love Salvador Dali and MC Escher. I get lost and then I think, Hey, you know what we should try — maybe a new garnish or presentation?
Acid. I don’t mean that in the ‘acid’ way. [Chuckles.] I mean fresh tomatoes and orange juice, fresh-squeezed juices. I just like cooking with acid.
My favorite food find is black garlic. It blows most people away. That and licorice root — it has this kind of metallic We make a licorice-root butter that we use to roast our mushrooms and put in sandwiches. I found it at an Asian market one day and decided to give it a try. Black garlic is just fermented, but people are afraid to try it. But when they do, they’re like, oh my God.
Espresso from Broadway Roasting. I truly feel, even with all my travels, that it is one of the best espressos I’ve ever had. I’ve lived in the Northwest, and all we do is drink espresso. I’ve been to the original Starbucks and amazing Italian coffeehouses, but I feel like the product they have is fantastic. We do a lot with espresso drinks. I’m not a big drinker, so I love that you can get a latte on the way out the door.
There’s one that I hate: fish sauce. I think it’s the most disgusting thing in the world. If people knew what was in it, they would, too. And eggs. I think that we have one of the best breakfasts in the city. We have some of the best omelets in the city, but I don’t eat eggs because I wouldn’t eat anything that comes out of anyone’s ass, especially a chicken.
I’m a big fan of seitan. We have house-made seitan. I feel like if you can confidently cook with seitan, then you don’t have to depend on meat or any kind of protein to define your plate. Seitan and tofu are like a sponge for flavor.
Absinthe. I feel like it’s one of those liquors, when you drink it, it defines the liquor. You know you just drank absinthe. You get a chill through your veins that’s completely different from beer. That’s why we have two absinthe fountains. The presentation is amazing. It fascinates me. In different parts of the world, they’re now aging it. All the people distilling it are taking it to a new level. It’s a drink for the artist community.
I think that Hot Basil does a good job out south. I’ve never actually gone into dine because whenever I eat out anywhere, they always tend to screw my order up.
If you could steal one recipe in town off any menu, which one would you steal? Since I moved here, I opened one restaurant and opened another restaurant. So I’m always just eating in my own place.
The Food Lover’s Companion. It’s a dictionary of terminology that I feel everybody can benefit from, whether a chef or not. I’ll even go through and read it now. It’s interesting reading.
You’re asking the wrong guy that. I’ll say our Boss Hog sandwich. It’s a combination of six different Korean sauces, caramelized onions and smoked pulled pork that we smoke ourselves.