{"id":3638,"date":"2011-05-25T16:56:17","date_gmt":"2011-05-25T23:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anthologysd.com\/blog\/?p=3638"},"modified":"2011-05-25T16:57:33","modified_gmt":"2011-05-25T23:57:33","slug":"chef-todd-allison-makes-pretty-food-fast-in-san-diego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/2011\/05\/25\/chef-todd-allison-makes-pretty-food-fast-in-san-diego\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Todd Allison Makes Pretty Food (Fast) in San Diego"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Elizabeth Salaam | theyukipages.com<\/a><\/cite><\/p>\n

At first, it\u2019s hard to tell if Chef Todd Allison (of Anthology) is a solemn guy or if he just needs time to warm up. He sits across from me at one of Anthology\u2019s tall bar tables drinking coffee out of a paper cup. He offers me some, and it\u2019s not not more than five minutes before he\u2019s smiling and telling me about his puppy. (Whew!) Don\u2019t let his impeccable posture and serious face fool you. He swears he\u2019s a laid-back guy.<\/p>\n

\"Chef<\/a>

Chef Todd Allison<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m probably one of the calmest chefs ever,\u201d he says. \u201dI\u2019ve worked for yelling chefs, and the way I see it, it\u2019s possible to teach a person how to cook without yelling at them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The no-yelling rule might sound simple until you take into consideration the amount of pressure his kitchen is under every night. While a typical restaurant staggers reservations, thus keeping the pace at a steady flow throughout the evening, Anthology is a San Diego supper club that doesn\u2019t accept reservations. Guests come in one big rush centered around performance time.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur doors open at 5:30,\u201d Allison says, \u201cbut people tend to come closer to show time. Most shows begin at 7:30, so they\u2019ll come in around 7, hoping to have their meals in front of them by the time the show starts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pan-seared<\/a>

Pan-seared salmon. Yum.<\/p><\/div>\n

What this means for Allison and his gang in the kitchen is that they might get 200 orders at once. Because of this, he has created dishes built around speed. Most have fewer ingredients than he\u2019d like to play with artistically. And, yes, he does sometimes miss the slower pace, but he believes \u201cthere\u2019s a time and a place to be an artist.\u201d Besides, the crazy pace of the just-before-showtime rush makes time fly.<\/p>\n

Allison does admit to one rule: Please keep it down. With so much happening and so many people in the kitchen at once, the noise can get out of control.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere shouldn\u2019t be more than a few people talking at once,\u201d he says. \u201cSome nights, all I want to hear is pans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Oooh.<\/a>

Oooh. Curried duck.<\/p><\/div>\n

Even with the intense pace, you can\u2019t take artistry out of the equation. Even though he works in slightly more confining parameters than he was accustomed to in the fine-dining establishments of his past, Allison does have full freedom of the menu at Anthology. Along with the creation of each dish (you can\u2019t tell me those brussels sprouts aren\u2019t pretty), he also finds the time to add in little bits of artistry where he can. On a slower night, for example, he\u2019ll take an extra step that adds to the presentation of each dish.<\/p>\n

\"Brussels

Brussels sprouts never looked so delicious.<\/p><\/div>\n

Favorite Dog Beach: Coronado Dog Beach<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI have a new puppy, a Lab\/Pit mix named Lily. She loves this beach. It\u2019s big and clean. Also, I grew up in Coronado, so it\u2019s home to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Favorite Surf Beach: Black\u2019s Beach – La Jolla<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has the best waves in Southern California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Favorite Sushi: Azuki Sushi \u2013 Bankers Hill<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor one, I like this place because it\u2019s open on Mondays, which is my day off. A lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays. I just go in, sit down, and I\u2019m at their mercy. I tell them what I like, and they\u2019ve never let me down. I\u2019m into yellowtail, octopus, Spanish mackerel, anything spicy or citrusy.<\/p>\n

Favorite Market: Little Italy Farmers\u2019 Market<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s right up the street from my home and the restaurant. And I have a good relationship with the farmers. If I can\u2019t make it to the market, I call, and they\u2019ll usually stop by the restaurant on their way out of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

P.S.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ever wonder if chefs watch cooking shows? Count Allison among those who do.<\/p>\n

\u201cTop Chef is the best one,\u201d he tells me.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t tell anyone, but Anthology might have to give him a leave of absence some time in the coming year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m waiting for the next Top Chef auditions,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Hmmmm. Based on his obvious culinary time-management skills, the contest pressures should be a breeze.<\/p>\n

Our fingers are crossed, Chef Todd!<\/p>\n

All photos courtesy of Anthology. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Via theyukipages.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Elizabeth Salaam | theyukipages.com At first, it\u2019s hard to tell if Chef Todd Allison (of Anthology) is a solemn guy or if he just needs time to warm up. He sits across from me at one of Anthology\u2019s tall bar tables drinking coffee out of a paper cup. He offers me some, and it\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,15],"tags":[855,856],"class_list":["post-3638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-kitchen","category-restaurant-buzz","tag-chef-todd-allison","tag-executive-chef-todd-allison"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3638"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3644,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3638\/revisions\/3644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}