Now cooking: the Latin-influenced Social Club at Kimpton's Surfcomber Hotel

11/8/2012

Although he's cooking up Southeast Asian cuisine at Lantao Kitchen, chef Freddy Ortiz gets to cook a little nostalgia in the form of his new kitchen/menu at the Kimpton Surfcomber's front-of-house restaurant, Social Club. "Nostalgia makes everyone happy," Ortiz says, showcasing his favorite childhood recipes including pastelon de platanos, which uses ripe plantains and seasoned turkey to replicate good 'ol lasagna. Ortiz's Ultimate Cuban Sandwich features slow roasted pork, Serrano ham and cumin chorizo spread on bread sourced from a bakery using the traditional method of dough encased in banana leaf; his coconut flan is made with his grandmother's recipe. And while Ortiz is cooking up his own memories, Social Club's so-called "Bar Chef" Chad Phillips is shaking up some of his own in the form of his St. Louis-inspired "Feels Like Home" cocktail--Nolet's gin, Fernet Bramca, Cynar and Carpano Antica."