Our materia prima has not wavered since day one – we have always had an eye for the best
Each meal “is filled with lots of little surprises, and there is no repeated ‘standard’ experience,” Tusk discloses – and said adventure starts in the salon. Within this staging area, guests are attended to with a luxury cart service, highlights being bottles of bubbles, canapés and the most extensive local selection of caviar. Patrons then swish into the main dining room. There, surprises continue to unfold before the food is even placed: “Each season we change our plates and table settings,” explains Tusk. “We have a repertoire of different china that has been collected on trips around the globe. There could be a traditional plate, then right behind it a malleable plate from Japan, which you’re able to twist up.”
At macro level, the dining room is also a feast for the eyes. “Whereas most restaurants would keep the layout intact for 10 years or so, we constantly tweak to see if the next incarnation of the restaurant will still feel like dining at Quince.” With a shared love for art history, Tusk and his wife also serve up gallery-quality visuals procured for the walls. Quince has “one of the largest fine photography collections in a restaurant”, owning four Sugimotos as well as works by Richard Misrach, Candida Höfer, Adam Fuss, Lee Friedlander, Sally Mann and others. “In the private dining room you’re greeted by a large format image that you’d normally see in a museum or gallery. We alternate the artwork,
which reflects our general philosophy – we don’t get content. The photography is like many other elements, where we may love a particular detail but everything has its time. There’s always a need to bring in something new, to keep the restaurant exciting.” Among the waves of change, there are vestiges of familiarity: “We have one nightly dégustation menu, but with notice, will cook a custom menu for any guest. We’re also able to create an entirely new menu for them by the next day, comprising dishes from our past.” And Tusk has even allowed one dish to linger a little longer on the menu. He expounds, “It is garganelli pasta, with the quills piped with mousseline and stock created using fine lobster, from nearby Catalina. It’s prepared in a style reminiscent to that of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, but it plays to the strengths of the pasta. Then, rather than serve it traditionally, I found some vintage plates from Japan with a distinctive lobster pattern; it’s a visually impactful dish that has stood the test of time.” The team at award-winning Quince is an indispensible asset. “We have camaraderie,” Tusk reveals. “As a team, both front and back of house, we plant potatoes; we brew hops together; we make a concerted decision on seed selection and what we’re going to grow. The staff is also knowledagble about the art due to the close relationship we have with the nearby Fraenkel Gallery.” Fluctuations, though, are the norm at this location. So what is the constant, that underpins Quince as a culinary tour de force? “Attention to detail. Our materia prima has not wavered since day one – we have always had an eye for the best, and excellence is always the starting point. We present a series of smooth experiences melded into one,” Tusk reinforces. “We are a Bay Area restaurant where the product reigns supreme. The food is modern, the setting is relaxing, the art is stimulating, and our technique is something we take quite seriously.” That is the Quince identity, no matter the frequency of change. And here, it’s less about the concerns of Plato, and more about the fine dining philosophy that graces an eyecatching plate. 73