An International Love Story
BABETTE’S ROMANTICISM REFLECTS ITS CHEF’S GLOBETROTTING AFFAIR WITH LOVE AND CUISINE
BY KYLIE WANG
PHOTOS BY RODOLFO BENITEZ
Perhaps the only thing more romantic than the ambience of Babette at La Jolla is its owners’ story. The modern Mediterranean- French restaurant on the corner of Alcazar Avenue and Salzedo Street is the new best place to propose to your sweetheart or celebrate an anniversary, with dim pink-hued lighting, an extensive wine list, and a delectable menu from world-renowned Chef Dani Chávez-Bello. The intimacy of the restaurant lends itself to private conversations, with amorous whispering the preferred method of conversation.
Even sweeter is the story of Chávez-Bello and his wife, Alexandra Oliveros. The two first met as children in Caracas, Venezuela, when Chávez-Bello was the friend of Oliveros’ older brother. Six years apart in age, their interactions were limited, but when they met for the second time nearly 35 years later, sparks flew. That was in New York City, where Chávez-Bello worked for more than a decade as executive research and development chef at Bouley at Home, until visionary chef David Bouley passed away and the newly in love couple relocated to Coral Gables.
Amongst a litany of accolades – including stints at top-rated restaurants in Paris, London, and Germany (where he owned a restaurant) – Chávez-Bello also worked at El Bulli in Spain’s Catalonia province. With three Michelin stars, El Bulli, now closed, was once considered the best restaurant in the world and the launch pad for many famous chefs, such as Joan Roca and Andoni Luis Aduriz. But Chávez-Bello’s greatest pride is his food and its health benefits. As a mentee of Bouley, he worked with nutritionists who analyzed his menus for their salutary benefits.
That thoughtfulness is exemplified by the beets tartare at Babette, a veggie alternative to the traditional beef version. “Beets are very earthy, so they’re the closest to meat,” Chávez-Bello explains, acknowledging that not everyone is a fan of raw meat. “I made it for the first time 10 years ago… and the dish evolved to what it is now.”
The cold dish starts off sweet but has a peppery finish, accentuated by a healthy helping of truffle that bridges the gap between spicy and sweet without being overpowering. Chávez-Bello adds both maple syrup and tabasco sauce, then finishes the dish off with strawberry gazpacho for a complex, delicious flavor.
Another star is the crab truffle flan, a savory soup dish with a bed of egg custard. Like Chávez-Bello’s career, it combines different cuisines and techniques. The umami flavor of the soup is strongly Asian (made with dashi, a Japanese cooking stock), while the texture and flavor of the crab speak more to French cooking. “That dish is like a brief summary of my career, from France, Spain, Japan, New York, and now Miami,” the chef says. “The technique is a French adaptation of a Japanese kaiseki dish [while] the flan is Spanish. And I put in different French ingredients,” he says, like mushroom puree and truffle. The result is a bold combination of global flavorings.
Less daring, yet no less tasty, are his scallops. To get the perfect sear, Chávez-Bello cuts an X across the top of the scallop so that the heat cooks the inside as well as the outside. He first cooks at a high temperature, flipping the scallops until they caramelize, before bringing down the heat to ensure the inside is fully cooked. The whole process takes only a few minutes. “It sounds simple, but if I do it, I burn them,” says Oliveros with a laugh.
A more traditional dish is the Colorado Lamb French Rack, with a sweet and sour gastrique sauce, a staple of French cuisine. Chávez-Bello makes the sauce from scratch, but while most chefs reduce theirs to an au jus or demi-glace, Chávez-Bello believes that makes the sauce too heavy. His goal is lightness. “That’s the way I cook,” he says. “I don’t like anything that goes into your body and makes you feel heavy. That’s the key, and that’s healthy.” He adds a bit of mint and cumin and presents the dish with two dashes of different purees on the side.
“You know what we do as chefs? We take something beautiful – food – and we turn it into something a little bit more beautiful, which is a dish,” says Chávez-Bello. “The food tastes good by itself but when you mix in two or three ingredients, you make it a little better. That’s it.”