In honor of Chef Todd Allison, Anthology’s new culinary rock star, elite members of the San Diego media scene came together on August 17 to celebrate on the club’s third floor lounge
The media movers and shakers not only enjoyed champagne and the music of the Anthology House Band, but a variety of Chef Todd’s specialties including Maine Lobster Corn Dogs, Dungeness Crab Beignets, Golden Beets & Goat Cheese, Braised Short Rib And Truffle Risotto, Mediterranean Meat Satay, White Chocolate Rice Pudding.
Each guest received a jar of Chef Todd’s homemade gourmet jams. Along with Heirloom tomato and saffron, the flavors included black mission fig and port preserve and yellow peach and clove preserve.
All the food was well-received (as was Chef Todd), but the braised short rib was singled out by at least one guest as the last thing he’d like to eat before he died.
Guess he liked it.
CLICK HERE to view the photos.
by Ryan Eisenacher | discoversd.com
San Diego foodies, drum roll please…..
Little Italy’s revered restaurant and music venue Anthology has added another kitchen superstar to their already stellar lineup. Award-winning Chef Todd Allison has joined the San Diego supper club to bring savory and innovative dishes to the San Diego scene.
But you’d be equally surprised to find out that this all-star didn’t start out his career wanting to be a chef.
“It was set in stone that I was going to go to a racing school,” Todd said. “That’s where my passions were, but a certain series of events landed me back in San Diego and, to earn money, I went back to what I was comfortable in and that was back in the kitchen.”
A native of Coronado, Allison began his culinary career working as a dish washer before moving his way up the ranks to be sous chef. Still, Allison never thought about cooking as a career until a good friend named Ken Irvine suggested he go to culinary school. Irvine introduced Allison to James Boyce, a top chef at Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician Resort & Spa in Arizona, who became like a second father and the rest is chopping block history.
Over the years, Allison has acquired accolades including the Mobile 5-Star, Triple A 5-Diamond and the Grand Wine Spectator awards, as well as notable positions as Sous Chef at Aqua at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point and Chef de Cuisine at Bollinger’s in Laguna Beach.
Now back in action in his hometown of San Diego, Allison’s deep rooted culinary passion has made him overwhelmingly excited about making the Anthology menu as noteworthy as its musical lineup. Music fans can expect nightly specials to offer tastes compatible with the musical guests.
“Music has a huge impact on food,” says Allison. “If you’re listening to some conga drums, you’re not going to want Mediterranean Sea Bass; you’re going to be thinking about drinking a pina colada and having some plantains. Music and food both have the ability to take you to an area, even if you’ve never been there.”
With plans to freshen and shake things up in the kitchen, Chef Allison will definitely wow diner with his signature Cranberry-Pistachio Pesto and unusual Harissa spice, a chili paste made from the North African Piri Piri pepper that delivers a pleasant heat on the end of dishes. He also plans to incorporate his favorite fish, Loup de Mer, which he says translates to ‘Wolf of the Sea.’
Make Chef Allison’s Fav Dish
Harissa Marinated Calendonia Skewers
What you’ll need: 5 smoked Roma tomatoes, 5 roughly chopped Roma tomatoes, 5 cloves of garlic chopped, 1 chopped Spanish onion, 2 ribs celery chopped, 1 fennel bulb chopped, 2 stalks leeks chopped, 2 cups white wine, 1 quart chicken stock, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 handful fresh basil
Make it: In large sauce pot, sauté garlic, onion, celery, fennel and leeks for roughly five minutes, deglaze with wine and add saffron. Add tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a simmer, add fresh herbs and cook for 40 minutes. Puree and strain through a fine sieve.
Combine 1 cup of olive oil and half-cup of harissa paste mix well. Next, marinate 4 to 5 prawns in the harissa marinade for 30 minutes then place them on a skewer with assorted vegetables (cipiollini onions, bell peppers, fennel). Preheat your grill and once it’s hot, cook skewers on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes.
Serve: Place your skewers in a large bowl or deep plate and pour the tomato broth over and enjoy!
Eat Up! Head into Anthology this summer to discover how Chef Todd Allison has “relit the kitchen fire” with his creative menu full of marvelous flavor. We guarantee your taste buds will be hooked.
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Via discoversd.com
by LINDSAY HOOD | nbcsandiego.com
He is a feast for the eyes and he can prepare a feast for your tummy.
Todd Allison is a talented culinary artist and was once nominated for title of ‘most sexy’ chef. He is the executive chef at Anthology.
Allison likes to think of himself as a Mediterranean and French fusionist with a passion for California ingredients.
He has been working in the kitchen since he was a child, ever since he used to ask his mom, “What’s for Dinner?” and she would reply, “I don’t know, Todd. What is for dinner?”
Through trial and error, Allison became a master in the kitchen, but with his serious side comes his playful side and two of his recipes can help you bring the fun right into your own kitchen.
Dazzle your guests with a Cotton Candy Mojito. Stir up your favorite mojito mixture, sugar the rim, place a small amount of cotton candy in the glass, and pour your mixture right on top. Your guests can watch the cotton candy melt right into their glass.
If you are in the mood for fun, amaze your friends with Allison’s Lobster Corn Dogs.
Take some lobster and dip it in your basic corn dog batter and dip it in your fry daddy at home. If you don’t have one, put some oil in a pot wait until it reaches 300 degrees, which you can check by using a candy thermometer. Fry it for about 3 minutes and voila you have a lobster corn dog.
A native of Coronado, Allison began his career in the kitchen as a dishwasher, working his way up through the ranks.
As a child, he dreamed of attending racing school and becoming a NASCAR driver, but at the suggestion of a friend he entered culinary school.
“I wanted to be like Ricky Bobby, I wanted to go fast, but I ended up going fast in the kitchen,” Allison said.
Allison was introduced to top chef James Boyce, who became like a second father to him and guided him through his career.
“He changed my whole world view on what being a chef is all about,” Allison said.
Allison plans to take his passion for food and make Anthology’s menu as noteworthy as its musical lineup.
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Via nbcsandiego.com
by Keli Dailey | signonsandiego.com
Three weeks with a new chef at Anthology (they finally replaced Eric Bauer, who left in May), and already the supper club kitchen’s smoking.
Smoldering within: a hot acquisition from the Hilton Checkers in Los Angeles, chef Todd Allison, nominated L.A.’s sexiest chef not long before his departure (la.eater.com).
Know what that means?
Allison — a San Diego native who busted suds in Coronado restos as a teenage dishwasher; who worked the line beside renowned chefs James Boyce and Michael Mina; who has executive cheffed in three Cali culinary cities — could be Mr. August in our calendar of smoking hot San Diego chefs. (He surfs. We’re thinking a B&W Herb Ritts-esque beach shoot.)
Of course, some of you turn to our food notes for more than which pretty faces are on our gastro-groupie radar.
So we’ll tell you last night Anthology hosted a coming-out-media-party for Allison. We were treated to the chef’s handmade jams as gifts. (We’ll probably use his tomato saffron jam – made with overripe toms from Suzie’s Farm — on a chicken kabob with carmelized onion and cucumber tonight.)
We were also introduced to some of his new menu. We talked to the chef about his love of fresh and local. However, it felt like a real missed opportunity to not have Allison spoon feed the bite-sized samples to guests.
Musician Josh Damigo, who stopped by the Allison party with Rosie Bystrak of SDDialedIn before the Swell Season concert, had this to say on his Twitter.
“The Braised Short Rib w/ truffle risotto at @AnthologySD. May the record show, this is what I want for my last meal when I’m on death row.”
And then Damigo retrieved two spoonfuls of the baby soft short rib dish for us.
It tasted like love.
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Anthology’s new Executive Chef, Todd Allison, plans to shake things up not just in the kitchen but in the bar as well. At his former restaurant, Checkers Hilton, he experimented with truffle-infused rum and simple syrups mixed with peppers. Chef Allison is brings that same enthusiasm to cocktails so diners’ taste buds are thrilled and enamored with not only his innovative dishes but with the perfect cocktail compliment.
He shares a little “taste” of his culinary genius with the recipe for one of his signature dishes.
Served in a saffron and smoked tomato broth, this delicious recipe serves five and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
Smoked tomato broth
5 smoked roma tomatoes
5 roughly chopped roma tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1 Spanish onion chopped
2 ribs of celery chopped
1 fennel bulb chopped
2 stalks leeks chopped
1 large pinch saffron
2 cups white wine
1 quart chicken stock
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 handful fresh basil
Make it
In a large sauce pot sauté garlic, onion, celery, fennel, leeks for roughly five minutes, then deglaze with wine and add saffron.
Add tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a simmer, add fresh herbs and cook for 40 minutes.
Puree and strain through a fine sieve.
Combine 1 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of harissa paste. Mix well.
Marinate 4 pounds of prawns in the harissa marinade for 30 minutes.
Place 4-5 prawns on a skewer with assorted vegetables (chipiollini onions, bell peppers, fennel).
Preheat your grill, once the grill is hot, grill your skewers on both sides for around 4 to 5 minutes. Heat the tomato broth.
To serve
In a large bowl or deep plate, place your skewers and pour the tomato broth over skewers (2 cups per serving)
Enjoy!
To learn more about Chef Allison’s biography and resume click HERE.
By Hadley Tomicki | losangeles.grubstreet.com
Chef Todd Allison has apparently bolted from Downtown’s Checker’s. The news arrives this morning from down south, with San Diego Gay and Lesbian News reporting that Allison is now manning the stoves at a Downtown San Diego restaurant and music venue named Anthology. Allison, a gifted veteran of Michael Mina’s empire, revitalized the menus at Checker’s, where ole man Keller himself once cooked, with gorgeous plates of seasonally influenced cuisine. Sadly, the restaurant and hotel bar were typically much more empty than his cooking deserved, likely overshadowed by the boom of trendy new Downtown food and drink projects. It’s hard to picture Checker’s bouncing back without a big name to follow Allison’s departure, so stay tuned for updates on its fate.
Anthology’s new executive chef Todd Allison shares recipe for prawn skewers [San Diego Gay and Lesbian News]
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Todd Allison didn’t start out wanting to be a chef. He actually wanted to be a race car driver and had his future road to success all laid out for him.
“It was set in stone that I was going to go to a racing school,” Allison said. “That’s where my passions were, but a certain series of events landed me back in San Diego and, to earn money, I went back to what I was comfortable in and that was back in the kitchen.” It’s a place he’s always been comfortable ever since he asked his mom, “What’s for dinner?” and she replied, “I don’t know, Todd. What’s for dinner?” and let him learn through trial and error.
From that fateful moment, Allison, a native of Coronado, moved on to professional restaurants, where he worked while in high school trying to earn money for surf trips with his friends. He started out as dish washer before working his way up through the ranks to be sous chef. Still, Allison never thought about cooking as a career until a good friend, Ken Irvine suggested he go to culinary school.
Irvine introduced Allison to James Boyce, a top chef at Mary Elaine’s at The Phoenician Resort and Spa, a highly regarded restaurant in Arizona, who became like a second father. “He changed my whole world view on what being a chef is all about,” Allison said. “It’s more than writing a menu. You have to mentor. You have to coach. You have to go out into the dining room and mingle. You have to make a connection with your customers or they’re not going to come back.
“Yeah, your food will speak for itself, but there’s more than that. You have to talk with your servers. It has to be more than, ‘What do you want?’ It’s, ‘Hey, have you tried the risotto?’ Tell the customers your favorite dishes. Tell them what’s in season. Tell them about that particular fish or vegetable and why it’s so much better in the summer than the winter.”
Allison has learned his lessons well. So well in fact that he has already earned such prestigious honors as the Mobile 5-Star, the AAA 5 Diamond and the Grand Wine Spectator Award.
But the road to Allison’s success has brought him back home to San Diego for the first time in 12 years as Anthology’s superstar chef. He is excited to see how his hometown has changed since he’s been gone. “San Diego definitely needed time to develop into more of a restaurant destination like New York, Chicago or San Francisco,” he said. “San Diego didn’t have that 12 years ago and that’s why I left. I wanted to see what this business really had to offer. I wanted to be challenged and yelled at by a big French chef, and be threatened, and learn what it was like to be in a serious professional kitchen.
“I think if I had stayed in San Diego, I would have stayed in my normal rut of surfing and hanging out with my friends and just going to work for a paycheck.” Now, Allison has the passion of a true believer and is excited about making the Anthology menu as noteworthy as its musical lineup. He will do this by introducing such signature dishes as Cranberry-Pistachio Pesto and through his unusual use of Harissa spice, a chili paste made from the North African Piri Piri pepper. Still, Allison - who plays piano, drums and guitar - wants to give himself plenty of room to improvise.
“My menu will change seasonally,” he promised. “Once I see a dish come through the pass more than 500 times, I don’t want to see it anymore. There’s just too much food to be stuck on one item.” Music fans can also expect the nightly specials to offer tastes compatible with the musical guests. “Music has a huge impact on food,” he said. “If you’re listening to some conga drums, you’re not going to want Mediterranean Sea bass; you’re going to be thinking about drinking a pina colada and having some plantains. It has a huge influence. Music and food both have the ability to take you to an area, even if you’ve never been there.”
San Diego, CA - An elite Los Angeles chef whose skills and masterpieces in the kitchen have been described as having “marvelous flavor,” “relit the kitchen fire”‘ and a “creative menu” is on the move to San Diego’s Anthology.
Chef Todd Allison will join Anthology’s line-up as Executive Chef on July 19. The culinary veteran already has some major plans for the fine dining restaurant known for their unique atmosphere that blends top quality food with an intimate music and entertainment venue.
“I am about to test San Diego’s palate,” said Chef Allison. “I want to change the whole menu. I’m starting to plan and I’ll see what I can get away with.”
Mystery doesn’t surround everything on the future menu though. Chef Allison will definitely wow Anthology diners with his signature Cranberry-Pistachio Pesto and unusual Harissa spice, which is a chili paste made from the North African Piri Piri pepper that delivers a pleasant heat on the end of dishes. He also plans to incorporate his favorite fish, Loup de Mer, which he says translates to ‘Wolf of the Sea’, a perfect description.
“I don’t like getting stuck with a signature dish,” Chef Allison said. “I want to have multi-use spices and pastes that you can use on a wide range of things. I’ve used harissa on chicken sandwiches and cheese plates and fish dishes. It goes with everything.”
Chef Allison plans to shake things up in not just in the kitchen but at the bar too. At his former restaurant, Checkers Hilton, he experimented with truffle-infused rum and simple syrups mixed with peppers. Chef Allison is bringing that same enthusiasm to cocktails so diners’ taste buds are thrilled and enamored with not only with his innovative dishes but with the perfect, cocktail compliment.
Chef Allison will continue the cuisine standards of Anthology, especially in regards to the restaurant’s sustainable, market-driven food focus and campaign to support local farmers and fishermen.
With music in his roots, Chef Allison was immediately drawn to Anthology. From an early age, he fell in love with playing instruments - the piano, drums and guitar. That passion is still there, and now Anthology can help fulfill that musical inclination.
This award-winning California chef isn’t new to the San Diego scene. His childhood was spent on the beaches and back roads of Coronado Island where he lived with his parents and two siblings, a younger sister and older brother.
He moved to Scottsdale to pursue his education at the Scottsdale Culinary Le Cordon Bleu. While attending school, he worked as Tournant Chef at Mary Elaine’s at The Phonecian Resort and Spa where he won multiple honors including, the Mobile 5-Star, Triple A 5-Diamond and the Grand Wine Spectator awards. Chef Allison took his position of leadership as Sous Chef at Aqua at St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point. Two years later, he moved to Laguna Beach to work as Chef de Cuisine at Bollinger’s before his latest gig as Executive Chef at Checkers.
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By Chad Deal | San Diego Reader
Anthology is a three-level restaurant and club just south of Little Italy on India. Inspired by CEO Howard Berkson’s roots in Chicago nightlife, the 13,000-square-foot establishment pairs New American fine dining with live music in a sophisticated environment of 30-foot high ceilings, a wall of drapes illuminated by soft blue lighting, natural wood finishes, and concrete interior walls. The club hosts jazz, blues, classic rock, R&B, world, and Latin music and has seen performances from Chick Corea, Earl Thomas, and the Count Basie Orchestra. Reservations are encouraged.
Haylie and I are seated a few tables back from the stage, where a Tina Turner video projects on the wall. Our server, Tabitha, brings us a wine list of 250+ selections and the Fresh Vibe Tuesday menu featuring appetizers and entrées for under $20. We order an appetizer of buttery Calamari al Ajillo ($7), which is garnished with Yukon gold potatoes and organic olives.
The house band opens with a jazz number sung by the sultry Rebecca Jade. Members of the well-versed group have performed with Stevie Wonder, Jason Mraz, and Stanley Turrentine. The digital sound quality is immaculate as the group covers a Grover Washington Jr. tune. Tabitha returns with an entrée of Red Snapper Veracruz ($17) and a plate of Roasted Spring Vegetable & Manchego Cheese Tamales ($14) served with sweet corn purée and a citrus-y tomatillo & avocado salsa.
The band goes on to play tunes from Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera, and the Jobim classic “Corcovado” as patrons converse softly over the music. Jade sings an a cappella “Happy Birthday” to a woman in the audience, which, Haylie conjectures, secretly makes us all wish it were our birthdays.
The mezzanine, empty on this night, hosts dining and a chic bar/lounge with an aerial view of the stage. The second level offers informal dining with a view, a Taylor Guitars private dining room, a balcony over India Street, and a lounge with an 18-foot-long fireplace. The restrooms (the true measure, Haylie tells me) maintain the upscale ambiance with mouthwash, marble sinks, and automatic everything.
Attire: Upscale casual
Prices: $15-$45 (up to $100). Value and VIP tickets available.
Happy Hour: Tuesday-Friday, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Capacity: 300 seats
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 5:30-9:00 p.m., Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm-12:30 a.m.
Best deal: Fresh Vibe Tuesdays. $5 entry. No food/drink minimum ($15 per person most nights).
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Via San Diego Reader
Schaner Farms Avocado Gazpacho, Petite Dungeness Crab Cake Tomato Remoulade
Grilled Prime Filet Mignon, Pommes Dauphinoise, Summer Squash Ragout
Macerated Strawberry Gastrique
- or -
Sauteed New Zealand Bluenose Bass, green garlic & spinach ragout, Jerusalem artichoke puree, truffled lobster nage
Dark Chocolate Soufflé, Gianduja Crème Anglaise
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Saturday, May 29th, 2010, 7:30pm |
Sunday, May 30th, 2010, 7:30pm |
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Saturday, May 29th, 2010, 9:30pm |
Sunday, May 30th, 2010, 9:30pm |
This swanky Little Italy supper club is making your life easy this Mother’s Day by offering two ways to celebrate mom that will leave her singing your praises. A specialty brunch will be served from 11am – 2pm, and during brunch, the Anthology House Band will be performing a musical tribute to female R&B legends – featuring all the favorites from Billie to Aretha and Beyonce. Goodies on the brunch menu include Carpaccio of Hawaiian Pineapple with mango and strawberry crudo, honey infused yogurt and toasted coconut; Dungeness Crab Benedict with poached cage free organic eggs, crab salad, Crows Pass Farms bordeaux spinach, roasted rosemary potatoes schaner and Farms citrus hollandaise; and House Fried Chicken and Waffles with pure maple syrup, vanilla bean cream, rosemary and apple buerre blanc; among many more dining options. For dessert, make sure to save room for the Buttermilk Panna Cotta with strawberry and lemongrass coulis, dried fruits and toasted rosemary. If you can’t make it to brunch, then treat mom to Anthology’s dinner and show duo with a multi-media presentation by Luscious Noise starting at 7:30pm. Dining options are a la carte; brunch show tickets are $10 and dinner show tickets are $15. For details and reservations, please call or visit Anthology in Little Italy. Get more details here
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Via DiscoverSD.com
Anthology in Little Italy will host the Manny Cepeda Orchestra. Enjoy the Salsa/Merengue music of this invigorating group while indulging in the restaurant’s extensive wine list and inventive menu. Show begins at 7:30pm and the bar/lounge admission is just $14.
WHAT: Manny Cepeda Orchestra
WHEN: Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 - 7:30pm
TICKETS: $10 - $14 BUY TICKETS
MORE INFO: Artist Profile
