Prosciutto sandwich
LUNCHbox PICK
on a french baguette with house-made mustard, fig and orange spread and wild arugula. Paired with 82 percent dark chocolate; and Lost Abbey Lost & found Ale
CHEFS:
Nicholas Bour and James Kozak
Q: What would you pack in your ideal lunchbox? AvANt: We did a fresh baguette with prosciutto, the mustard that we make in-house, wild arugula, and a fig and orange spread. We paired it with some 82 percent dark chocolate; an aged goat cheese, and a Bermuda Triangle goat cheese as a snack to go with it; and a local beer, the Lost Abbey Lost & Found Ale, because that’s what we like to do on our days off – drink beer. It’s a gourmet kind of a lunch, but simple enough that anybody could do it. The matter of the ingredients being excellent is the most important thing. Our sandwich is definitely more interesting than peanut butter & jelly. It’s not something you would bring to work. It’s for being outdoors. Think of going up for a nice drive to the mountains or something, and you pull over on the side of the road – it’s the perfect lunch. As long as the beer is cold, then it’s good to go. And notice we didn’t use mayonnaise or butter or anything that is going to go bad, the only thing is probably the cheese you’d want to eat it that day. Fruit and mustard go great together, too. It’s kind of a classic thing to eat. Q: there are thousands of restaurants in San Diego. What makes AvANt unique? NICHOLAS BOEr: The mustard thing is unique. We are making the
mustard ourselves. And having wine on tap and a charcuterie bar together, I don’t think it’s been done. Not here in San Diego. JAMES KOzAK: We’re leaning more towards wine country cuisine. Not to say we’re like Napa, but somewhat along the roots of Napa with a Southern California-flare, and Southern California’s seasonality and different style of cooking. I don’t really think you see that anywhere else around here. It’s going to be showcasing what’s in season. The wines that we’re getting are coming directly from the vineyards. We’re working directly with the wineries, getting it directly from the vineyard and then tapping it right there at the bar for you. And the wine taps are conveniently located right next to the charcuterie, so when you’re drinking wine, it’s all right there in front of you. We have a lot of local beer partners as well, with very unique flavors that can be paired with food. We also have a large menu with different small plates that can be passed and shared, and I feel that they’re pretty unique. It’s more of a social thing. You don’t even have to sit in the main restaurant and order a bunch of courses, you can order a bunch of small plates and have a vibrant social hour. It’s going to be a social hub for the neighborhood.
| Indian Summer 2013 Issue | 55