![]() ![]() In the spotless kitchen, where you can see a reflection of yourself on the stainless-steel surfaces, the two chefs wore pressed white chef coats with pens and tweezers in one pocket and a towel neatly tucked on each of their hips.Ĭhefs at this French restaurant located in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, are creating artful dishes to connect with famous artworks. ![]() His most recent visit was to collaborate with Botero on the fall menu and the Culinary Canvas partnership. Since Le Jardinier opened in Houston in 2021, the French chef comes to town a handful of times each year. Today there are four Le Jardiniers, including in Miami and Geneva, Switzerland. He cooked in kitchens that collected Michelin stars before opening the Bastion Collection’s first Le Jardinier in New York City not long before the pandemic. Verzeroli worked under Joël Robuchon, whom many in the restaurant industry considered the gold standard of fine dining, for nearly two decades. HOUSTON EATS: The Chronicle’s Top 100 restaurants “Being a chef is definitely a long path, but Felipe has it inside him,” Verzeroli said. The chefs leading Le Jardinier fully believe in fine dining, even if their version is slightly more relaxed and leaves out the heavier-handed, butter-drenched French recipes that once practically defined Michelin-caliber dining. But it’s the mentorship in an ambitious restaurant that’s increasingly rare at a time when diners and even fellow chefs question whether fine dining is relevant or how people want to eat these days. Verzeroli's and Botero’s constant tweaks to perfect each dish is nothing new in the restaurant world. It’s also a study in art and food merging as part of the restaurant’s ongoing Culinary Canvas series, with an upcoming exhibit featuring works by Rembrandt and Van Gogh. 15 for a special menu, looks like art, which is not surprising, considering Le Jardinier, which is part of the Bastion Collection, is a French restaurant located in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “Every element has to make sense,” Verzeroli said. A mound of precisely cut produce, including green apple and avocado, is topped off with a tangle of microgreens. He brushed the plate with a vibrant beet reduction in quick, short strokes. The lunch rush had just finished as the chef Alain Verzeroli, a veteran of fine dining and culinary director of the restaurant group that operates Le Jardinier, demonstrated to chef de cuisine Felipe Botero how to plate a beet salad. On a recent afternoon, two chefs stood side by side in the kitchen at Le Jardinier inspecting one dish like a puzzle. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less ![]() Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 8 of8Īlain Verzeroli, culinary director of the Bastion Collection, at Le Jardinier at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 7 of8įelipe Botero, chef de cuisine, left, and Alain Verzeroli, culinary director at the Bastion Collection, prepare a beetroot salad at Le Jardinier at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Part of the artful plating for a beetroot salad at Le Jardinier at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 6 of8 Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 5 of8Ī beetroot salad, prepared by Alain Verzeroli, culinary director for the Bastion Collection, at Le Jardinier at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of8Īlain Verzeroli, culinary director at the Bastion Collection, prepares a beetroot salad Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 4 of8Īlain Verzeroli, culinary director at the Bastion Collection, puts the finishing touches on a beetroot salad. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of8įelipe Botero, chef de cuisine, left, and Alain Verzeroli, culinary director the Bastion Collection, pose for a photo at Le Jardinier at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Felipe Botero, chef de cuisine, left, and Alain Verzeroli, culinary director at the Bastion Collection, prepare a beetroot salad at Le Jardinier at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. ![]()
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