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A few weeks ago, when I reviewed Euclid Hall, I wrote that I’d noticed a certain shortcoming common to chefs who’d trained under Wolfgang Puck. “They’re excellent cooks with mastery of technique,” I mused, “but they’re not innovative chefs.”
Plenty of readers took issue with that. And now I’m ready to eat my words.
When I wrote that, I was thinking not just of some early meals at Jen Jasinski’s Rioja but also of my first dinner at twelve. Like Jasinski, twelve chef/owner Jeff Osaka had trained under the California culinary titan, and at that dinner I found his food well-executed but uninspiring; it reminded me of meals I’d consumed in Puck’s eateries, and seemed to lack any expression of Osaka’s own personality.
But then I returned to twelve for this week’s review , and the food I ate there completely obliterated my first impression of the restaurant.
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In fact, Jasinski and Osaka have been responsible for some of my favorite meals of the year. And their creations proved beyond a doubt that these two Wolfgang Puck alums can both craft and execute an excellent — and innovative — menu.
I’m swallowing hard, but I’m eating my words.
