Lightner’s creative process is mind-boggling, but the outcome is easy to understand: deep, varied and balanced flavors with no missteps. Whether appearing in foundational roles or as accents, ingredients might include lacto-fermented honey, garlic scapes or carrots, or miso paste-based on rice and soy fermented with koji-multiple varieties of which are fermenting away in crocks downstairs in ōkta’s soon-to-open bar. More recent additions to Lightner’s gastronomic arsenal are a thrum of fermented flavors.

Steele’s long-time love for Oaxacan food and cultureliving there part-time for a period. The Gowanus hot spot is the result of chef T.J. Over the span of a meal, there was Pacific rockfish, albacore, Chinook salmon and Dungeness crab paired with a cornucopia of produce, much of it grown on ōkta’s own nearby farm. Claro made our list of most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants in NYC, and it’s because their Oaxacan cuisine is both delicious and budget-friendly. Each of the dishes my guest and I tried hit the mark in terms of composition (gorgeous), technique (advanced), proportion (neither too large nor too small) and flavor.Īs at Castagna over a decade ago, ingredients here are overwhelmingly local. It is tasting menu only ($165 weekdays, $260 weekends, wine pairings from $160 prices subject to 20% automatic gratuity), with the long-form option offering 15 to 20 courses. The food is, of course, the highlight at ōkta. The dining room is louder-a combination of an eclectic playlist and surprisingly bouncy acoustics. Despite the kitchen’s size and constant flurry of activity, it remains a bastion of calm and quiet. As the host leads the way to tables set along a low-rise banquette along the perimeter, or in the center of the dining room, your vision fixates on ōkta’s expansive open kitchen: Lightner, up front, finalizing dishes for service a cluster of cooks preparing plates along a counter running the length of one side shelves of cookware along the other and a big, wood-fired grill centered in the rear. The olfactory greeting is the wafting scent of wood smoke. Alta Calidad, Prospect Heights (Recommended in May, 2019.) Café Mars, Gowanus, (Recommended with four Time Out New York stars in June, 2023. On entering, patrons are immediately presented with a visual summary of the night’s offerings on a tray of ice inset into a long buffet separating foyer from dining area. Our server knew the details of every dish and deftly fielded every question we threw her way. Black-clad service staff, a mix of locals and new Oregonians, were friendly and efficient. Wood and ceramic serveware were custom made by Oregon artisans. With a streamlined menu of rotisserie chicken, chicken sandwiches, and familiar homestyle sides, this concept stems from Wolen's own childhood dinner table.The dining room is elegant but subdued, with furniture and fixtures mostly in lighter hues, from blond to gray. Wolen will open GG's Chicken Shop brick and mortar Fall 2022. Boka has maintained a Michelin star from 2011 to 2022. ‍ In 2014, Wolen joined Boka Restaurant as Executive Chef/Partner, where he was named '2014 Chef of the Year' by Chicago Tribune and Eater Chicago, one of Plate Magazine's '30 Chefs to Watch,' and was nominated as a finalist for a James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Great Lakes” in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Under Wolen, The Lobby received a five-star rating from Time Out Chicago, a four-star review from Chicago Magazine, three stars from the Chicago Tribune, and a Michelin star. During his tenure, Eleven Madison Park achieved The New York Times' coveted four stars, earned multiple Michelin stars, and a Top Ten ranking in San Pellegrino's 'World's 50 Best Restaurants.' ‍ In 2012, Wolen returned to his midwestern roots, joining The Lobby at The Peninsula Chicago as Chef de Cuisine.

‍ After his time in Europe, Wolen returned to the States and spent three years as Sous Chef at Eleven Madison Park in New York.

During his early career, Wolen worked as Sous Chef at Moto and Butter in Chicago before spending time in Europe at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and the famed El Bulli. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Lee Wolen decided to pursue a career in the kitchen when he was in high school.

Michelin stars nyc 2015