In Barton Seaver’s case, first impressions may be misleading. If you see him dressed in jeans, T-shirt and scruffy shoes, you probably won’t think executive chef. You may think instead backpacker, or, possibly, poet. But dressed in his chef’s garb, Seaver grabs your attention, for despite his youth — he’s just 27 — he is the consummate professional, a very intelligent chef who cares passionately about the ingredients he uses and how he prepares them.
“I believe in using unprocessed foods without additives, and maintaining the original flavors,” he says.
Such food passion means good news and good eating for patrons of his Café Saint-Ex and its related neighbor, Bar Pilar. They are the beneficiaries of Seaver’s years of training, including a degree from the vaunted Culinary Institute of America, and of his voracious reading about food, cooking and all things culinary.
It’s not surprising, then, to learn that cooking has come naturally to him, and that experiencing and appreciating elegant and creative foods — even the mac and cheese of his childhood was an experimental dish — have been an inextricable aspect of his growing up.
“Cooking was always a part of family life,” he says. “A home-cooked dinner was a must seven nights a week. We ate well and healthily, and that has affected how I feel about food and what I believe it can be.”
To substantiate these beliefs, the Washington native — who has cooked around town at such restaurants as Ardeo, Felix and Greenwood — has become active in the Slow Food movement and cooked at its Salone del Gusto/Terra Madre food event in Italy this past fall.
His enthusiasm for using the best ingredients spills over even into the casual menu of Café Saint-Ex. He uses artisanally raised beef for the hamburgers, and pairs them with hand-cut fries — a great plate of food, he says.
“I’d like the restaurant to act as an educational arm of Slow Food,” he says. “Good food must be accessible to people, so a reasonable ticket price lets them eat healthy, good, locally grown food. We buy from local farmers.” Later he adds, but not as an afterthought, “Chefs are the keepers of our food culture.”
Café Saint-Ex
» Venue: 1847 14th St. NW
» Info: 202-265-STEX (7839); www.saint-ex.com
In Seaver’s own words
What is your favorite dish? Sushi-grade raw fish with its clean, bright, fresh flavors.
What is your cooking philosophy? I believe in ingredient-based cooking, with complicated ideas executed simply. The creative process is elemental when seasonality marks the standards by which you can create. The [ingredient] combinations we use are unique.
What is an essential tool for your kitchen? A wood grill. And I love cast iron or stainless steel for the control they allow you and for heat retention.
What ingredients are musts in your kitchen? I love smoke. That allows for so much simplicity. A good hardwood fire gives food a seductive, sexy quality and provides a backbone of flavor that stocks might not. I have no stock in the kitchen. We do NOT use black pepper, except for a pepper-crusted steak. Cooks get in the habit of using it, but pepper adds something very different to flavors. Then I use a garlic-onion mixture as a flavor base for many of my preparations.
Where do you eat out? I love Buck’s [Carole Greenwood], Cashion’s Eat Place [Ann Cashion], anything Ris [Lacoste] cooks. In my career, the styles I mimic and learn come mostly from women chefs. … Women have a more interesting approach to food.
What’s in your fridge? Five different Italian white wines and hot sauce.
What’s your favorite cuisine? Italian. I love the simplicity and attention to detail. The relationship they have to food necessitates a better product. And then Salvadorean food. I grew up in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.
Seared Chesapeake Rockfish Over Minted Pumpkin & Kale
Serves 4
4 5-ounce pieces rockfish filet, skin on and brined for 45 minutes
3 tbsp. pure olive oil
1 lb. peeled, seeded pumpkin, diced
Pinch sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 large shallot, finely diced
1/2 cup small mint leaves, picked
Juice of 2 lemons
1 pinch chili flakes
3 cups soy oil
1 bunch Lacinato kale, stemmed
Sea salt to taste
Rockfish: Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Remove fish from brine and pat dry. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottom skillet large enough to fit two pieces of the fish. When oil is smoking, begin to sear rockfish two pieces at a time, skin side down, until golden brown. When all four pieces are seared, place them skin side up in a dish for 25 minutes.
Pumpkin: Place pumpkin in large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season well with salt and a pinch of sugar. Bring slowly to a boil and drain immediately. Heat the 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large skillet until golden brown. Add the pumpkin in an even layer and scatter the shallots over top. Sauté until caramelized. Add chili flakes and toss. Continue to sauté until the next side is colored. Add lemon juice, butter and mint. Season with salt and toss off heat to incorporate until butter melts into sauce.
Kale: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat to 300 degrees and submerge kale in small batches until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Season with salt.
Serve: Divide pumpkin and mint on plates. Place fish skin side up on top and season lightly with salt, reserving pan juices. Top with kale. Mix fish pan juices with a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and whisk. Spoon sauce around plate.
