Ranch & Coast Magazine

Alcocer's aim with his new spot is to showcase the food and beverage innovation occurring in his beloved Valle care of customizable tasting menus. Guests may choose one dish each from a quartet of options for courses primeros through cuartos for $95 per person. In addition to being inventive in conception and lovely in composition, Alcocer's plates are substantial, something of a rarity with tasting menus. is allows diners to not only get their fill, but also take time to grasp and savor Alcocer's intentions on their palate. It's something staffers with encyclopedic knowledge of the menu provide instructions on, advising guests to get every element of a dish in one bite rather than sample each component on its own. Valle's dishes are constructed to be sum-of-their-parts creations. Polar opposite first course standouts go by simple titles — tetela and trucha — though they're anything but. e former is an upscale take on a quesadilla featuring warm house-made purple corn tortillas enveloping earthily funky Humboldt Fog. Salty mushrooms with an optional shaving of truffles ($20 for black, $30 for white) and a rich, spicy yet soothing sherry-based morita (chipotle) chile sauce make it downright craveable. Meanwhile, trucha presents pristine Snake River trout in coconut cream with finger lime caviar. It tastes like a vacation on a plate (even if the coconut overtakes an $18 California sea urchin add-on). Alcocer's creativity is on full display with a second course called choro. Named after a type of mussel, the dish is built to look like that bivalve. An oblong black shell made of squid ink and potato starch covers a filling of white wine- braised mussels and saffron potatoes given extra hits of salt from sea beans. It's full-flavored, but the star of segundo curso is — surprisingly enough — a beet and goat cheese dish. A ubiquitous and often boring combo, Alcocer's exploration of preparations and textures renders it relevant. Beets encased in masa and hoja santa (sacred leaf ) oil to keep them moist and sweet are liberated tableside before joining pickled and slivered relatives and a rice chicharron made using tapioca and balsamic vinegar. More playfulness shows up in a third course rabbit roulade augmenting the loin and skirt with prosciutto. at succulent creation is served beside creamy millet studded with mirepoix (carrot, onion, and celery) with baby radishes sprouting from it to convey Alcocer's concept of rabbit served with rabbit food. On the simpler side, escolar caught within 40 miles of Valle is accompanied by sautéed fennel and a harissa duo that includes a verde variety made with green bell peppers. Dessert is worth saving room for. While an Aztec's saccharine dream, spiced (cardamom, cinnamon, anise) chocolate ganache with cacao crumble, chocolate ice cream, Indulge dining << @ranchandcoast ranchandcoast.com 46 APRIL 2022 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE Valle's Chef Roberto Alcocer Picaña: Burnt ashes mole- rubbed picaña, leek confit in bone marrow, roasted sunchoke and diosa verde, hybrid kaluga caviar

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