Jeremiah Tower

So-called California cuisine at its worst, made by the people who’d imitate it without understanding it in the first place, just got incredibly confusing. At Stars, we’ve always tried to fight against that “starch and three vegetables on every plate” mentality. There’s certainly an instinct for chefs and cooks to want to do that all the time. At J.T.’s, since it’s small and it’s got my name on it, I can really do my vision of what I like to do with food—which is to take the “with” off the menu. So, it will be lobster, braised lamb shanks and black truffles. I don’t say “with,” “with,” “with”—I’ve taken everything else off the plate. So it’s a perfect sauce, perfectly braised lamb shanks, some big slices of spring garlic, some black truffles—and that’s enough. I’m tired of seeing so many ingredients on the plate. That’s where I came from in the first place, so I think I’ve come around full circle.