THE MAIN COURSE

Driskill Grill

Josh Watkins puts his own personality in the cuisine

By Dale Rice
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, October 04, 2007

When a new chef takes over a well-known restaurant, a big question hangs over the establishment: Can he do as well as or better than his successor?

Whether directly or indirectly, that's the issue Josh Watkins, executive chef of the Driskill Grill, faces every time he sends a dish to a diner.

Admittedly, it would be tough to beat the man he succeeded earlier this year: David Bull, the five-star chef who was picked by Food & Wine magazine in 2003 as one of the top 10 young chefs in America and who was instrumental in raising the bar on local dining.

Watkins, though, is Bull's equal, not by imitating him but by putting his own distinctive stamp on the cuisine. His personality is coming through in two ways: a sense of adventure and a confidence to let ingredients speak for themselves.

Both aspects were evident in the Kona kamachi entrée ($35). Farm-raised off the coast of Hawaii, the fish is one of Watkins' favorites, and he created an exquisite plate to go with it. Using Hawaiian ingredients, he served the fish with a coconut-olive oil panna cotta, hearts of palm, Maui onion confit and a salad of pea tendrils.

Watkins' willingness to let the ingredients come forward was showcased in the roasted pineapple sauce served with the fish. The only things he added to the ripe pineapple were butter and salt, allowing the fruit flavor to shine.

"Focusing on ingredient-driven cuisine is extremely important to me," Watkins says. "Ripe pineapple doesn't require anything other than respect."

The chef's sense of adventure appears in the fish. The kamachi was so lightly cooked that it was the closest thing to sashimi I've eaten in a classic grill. It was wonderful.

However, rare fish is a turnoff for many, and Watkins takes a risk when he presents it like that. But it's a gamble that might be paying off in other ways; there were more young diners than I've ever observed in the Driskill Grill.

"We've been noticing it for months now," Watkins says. "If we can reach out to a broader spectrum, that's all the better."

Another way Watkins is setting his fare apart from that of other venues is his low-temperature, slow-cooking approach.

In the lobster appetizer ($25), the lobster is par-poached in court bouillon, taken out of its shell almost raw and finished in rosemary butter to a slightly warm stage when it is ordered. Served with a pea-shoot-and-fall-radish salad and drizzled with honey, the lobster was marvelously tender.

The octopus that appeared with the gnocchi ($15) was butter-poached for 24 hours, with a lovely resulting tenderness. Also served with egg-yolk droplets, shaved asparagus salad and brown butter, the gnocchi — denser than it should be — was the only nonstellar item of the evening.

Watkins' beef short ribs ($15) were braised for 72 hours, producing fork-tender meat that was accompanied by black pepper-apricot chutney and celery salad.

The beef tenderloin ($35) was briefly seared and then poached in olive oil, a stark contrast to well-seared steaks cooked at high temperatures. It was partnered with a chanterelle mushroom and mascarpone risotto and an herb broth, with the herbs used in making the broth becoming a lighter American version of chimichurri atop the beef.

Dessert, a chocolate tasting featuring a miniature terrine, crunch bar and malted shake, is about to make its final bow. Pastry chef Mark Chapman has departed the Driskill, and a successor soon will be rolling out new desserts.

That is the beauty of the current Driskill Grill. Two talented chefs have left, but the cuisine hasn't diminished one iota. Watkins may not yet have star status, but he sure can produce five-star fare.

drice@statesman.com; 445-3859