Kemo Sabe Restaurant in Hillcrest
by Michael Oshman
t's just Deborah's art. If you desire a multi-sensory
pleasurable experience, go to the gallery where the art is food and the
chefs create dishes so beautiful that you will stare in awe at the magnificence
of your meal. Chef/Owner Deborah and her colleagues decorate the rims of
each plate uniquely with various shapes and patterns made from the sauces
in your dish. Corn husks stick vertically from your plate. The first time
I ate at Kemo Sabe in Hillcrest, I didn't want to eat my food. I didn't
want to destroy the beauty I saw.
In my whole life, I had never seen food prepared
with such talent and creativity; so when I revisited Kemo Sabe this month
to write this restaurant review, I tried that first dish again. This time,
I was more steeped in conversation, so I didn't stare as long, but I think
it is so vital how the chef feels about his/her job. At Kemo Sabe, the food
is prepared with such thought, talent, and creativity, that when you get
down to finally biting into the food, you're in for a wonderful experience.
The cuisine is called Pacific Rim, but it really defies any particular cultural
boundaries.
The Anazasi Ravioli tasted of goat cheese,
papitas, roasted corn, leeks, sage and cilantro with a cascabel cream sauce
made with ginger, garlic, rice wine, and cream.
Kemo Sabe has taken wonderful responsibility
in becoming an increasingly better steward of the environment. They have
eagerly proceeded through each step the Green Restaurant Association has
recommended so far. They quickly eliminated their Styrofoam, implemented
metal/plastic recycling in addition to their initial cardboard/glass recycling,
and are phasing in non-bleached recycled paper products. Kemo Sabe's Green
Restaurant Opening on February 2 was a fabulous success with Electric vehicles,
food, and speakers.
Go to Kemo Sabe's because it's delicious. Go
there because they are having a lower impact environmentally. Go there because
Chef Deborah and the whole staff are intelligent, creative, good people.
Kemo Sabe has been the winner of the Gold medallion
Award, the Recycler of the Year Award, named Best Restaurant by The Unknown
Eater, and won the best Interior Design Award by ASID. Twenty-five percent
of the menu items can be prepared vegetarian, and the vegetarian platter
can be made vegan if requested.
Kemo Sabe 3958 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest (next
to Corvette's Diner), Hours: 11:20 2:30 (lunch); 5pm 10 pm weeknights, Friday
and Saturday until 11pm; Sunday 5pm 9pm. Lunch: $6 to $10 Dinner: $12-$21.
When I am not reviewing wonderful Green Restaurants'
food, I am helping restaurants become Green. I ask you to celebrate life
by appreciating such gifts as the food at Kemo Sabe and taking responsibility
for the gifts. Try to reduce your packaging intake by 25 percent by July
31 (call 287-4261 for help). Go the hearings on June 4 (see Calendar, pages
20-21) or write to voice your opinion in support of Curbside Recycling in
San Diego.
To find the Green Restaurants near you, call
490-9695 ext. 2. Michael Oshman is founding director of the Green Restaurant
Association and GreenLine Long Distance
