At Room 39, it's not just about bringing the farm to the table; it's also about teaching those seated around the table about all the things they can eat on the farm. Chef and co-owner Ted Habiger looks to push the boundaries of diners' palates, whenever possible.
"Our chicken livers came on the menu when I asked Campo Lindo if they had any extra livers. People are not as familiar with them. It takes a bit of time to make them right, but that's when people freak out and discover they love them. Today, chicken livers are one of our most popular items," Habiger says.
Yesterday, he talked about why New York City can't compare with Kansas City, and tomorrow he'll share a few of his favorite recent wine finds.
What are your culinary inspirations? It takes a lot for me to become interested. Fish makes me angry. And it's not because I don't love fish. But overfishing has made it difficult to become inspired about certain fish. A few years ago, I switched my fish company and started getting fish from Hawaii. But then I felt guilty about the amount of air travel. Fish has become one of the hardest things as a chef that we consciously deal with and cook. If you want to have it on the menu here, you're probably shipping it in. I still can't believe there's Chilean sea bass on menus. I remember in 1996, I was buying them, and they were 30 pounds. A year later, it was 15 pounds, and then all of the sudden they were 8 pounds each. It was too expensive, and I realized that something wasn't right. A year later, and it comes out that the fish is going to be extinct. The Patagonian toothfish needs to recover.
I get excited about fresh squid and octopus. I know they're plentiful, and I have a source of unfrozen squid and octopus. I told my fishmonger to send me 10 pounds on Monday and Thursday. I probably end up eating a lot of it myself. I also love that Green Dirt Farms brings me two whole lambs every month. We're probably the only restaurant in Kansas City that gets them. When you get a whole animal, you can do different things. You have to figure out how to use the front and back leg meat. I've made ragu and stew, and lamb ketta, my take on porchetta. It's awesome to get these really high-quality products from local people.
What's your favorite ingredient? Salt. Because it enhances the flavor of other foods. I don't just mean plain salt, but every single variety. I've got a 9-inch block of Himalayan salt that I heat up and then put eggs on it.
What's your best recent food find? A country ham terrine I saw in Burgundy. It reinforced the pig in my brain. I always have pork bits, here or there, from whole animals. And I'm always looking for new ways to serve pork on a cold dish. This was the classic French technique of ham mixed with parsley, oil and a bit of aspic.
Your favorite local ingredient? Thane Palmberg's spinach. The only spinach that we can buy locally here that tastes like the Kansas River Valley. It's sweet, hearty and curly. I get it with the roots still attached, while it's still alive. But when we're ready to cook it, we make it scream. [Laughs.] I know I'm going to get some this week, and I can't wait to have it.
One food you hate? Do I hate anything? There's plenty of things I hate. But overcooked scallops are the worst. They're dry, and they taste like my shoe.
One food you love? One of my favorite foods is scallop sushi. I like a very raw scallop. Porcinis are probably my number one mushroom. When they're fresh in September, they're delicious. I like them more than morels, which are number two. Shiitake is number three.
What's never in your kitchen? MSG. I don't have anything against it necessarily; it's just never in my kitchen. Hamburger Helper -- that's one of the most disgusting products out there.
What's always in your kitchen? Cilantro. I always have cilantro and anchovies. There's roasted red peppers and lots of cheese -- soft, brie styles, and hard cheeses like parmesan.
What would you like to see more of in Kansas City from a culinary standpoint? I would like to see more restaurants doing local food. I feel like we're really doing a great job, but there's plenty of room for growth. We have to educate consumers about local food. From the farmer to your next-door neighbor to you, it's about learning what grows in the climate of the Kansas City area.
What would you like to see less of in Kansas City from a culinary standpoint? Less burger joints and less chain restaurants. I'd like to see less one-hour waits on Friday nights at chain restaurants.
Where are you eating besides your restaurant? I eat at the Rieger. I love Howard's gnudi. The Swiss chard gnudi is unbelievable. Howard [Hanna] and I have extremely similar tastes in food because we have kind of similar backgrounds. We worked together at Union Square Cafe, and we both love cooking for the people. I also love going to Bluestem. Colby [Garrelts] does a really excellent job of pushing the bar a little more. I've fallen in love with Justus Drugstore,.Jonathan [Justus] was on the [recent wine tasting] trip with me.
If you could steal one recipe in town off someone else's menu? I'm constantly trying to figure out how to do things when I see them. One of the best meals I've had in the last year was at the American. Debbie Gold had fried wild rice into popcorn pieces. I made her tell me how to do it. It was more of a preparation, but I had to know.
One book that every chef should read? The first cookbook from Rick Bayless -- Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. It's an eye-opener. It changes the idea of a simple form, how salsa can be made. In a broader sense, it changes how you feel about one area of the country and shows how interesting the food can be. It also has techniques that can be used in any kitchen. The idea of cooking the garlic in the skin in a cast-iron skillet. It's not roasted garlic, but it has a smokiness from when the skins are burning that is unreal.
Who's got the best barbecue in town and what are you ordering? L.C.'s. I order everything, every single cut of meat. Arthur Bryant's is a close second. The pit is less than 10 feet away from me. It's so close to the consumer. You're ordering a sandwich from the guy who is cutting the sandwich. I remember my first time going in there and I see the guy is slicing with the grain. I'm worried that I'm not going to get the real sandwich. But he notices and immediately replaces it with a fresh piece of meat and cuts against the grain. Now, that's a great sandwich.
A chef is only as good as ... his ingredients. I know that's cliched, but it's ingredients combined with technique. That's what we do. I'm a much better chef in spring and summer because the quality of local ingredients from farmers. It's more inspiring, and there's a freshness that you can't get from produce or meat that's from far away.
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