ML - Aspen Peak

Aspen Peak - 2015 - Issue 2 - Winter - Lift Off

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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PhotograPhy by C2 PhotograPhy (Maru); Quentin baCon/getty iMages (fish) The name might mean "full circle," but Maru—Aspen's newest Japanese restaurant since July—represents a new beginning as much as a homecoming. It's a project that 34-year-old Aspen High School alums Taylor Hale and Jonathan Sundeen and their partner, Peter Coyne, have been working toward their entire careers. After living in the Ute City snow globe and working at Matsuhisa, Kenichi, and Pyramid Bistro; after traveling and cooking at some of the world's leading restaurants, such as The Fat Duck, Bouchon, La Folie, and The Pearl Restaurant; after tasting their way through Japan, Malaysia, China, and Thailand, the trio is back to plant new roots in the Rockies. Located in the space where Takah Sushi thrived for more than three decades, Maru serves a fresh take on traditional Japanese fare, incorporating new favors based on the group's beloved taste experiences. "The reason to open a restaurant is to cook the things I've learned to cook from chefs all over the world," says Coyne, Maru's executive chef. "A lot of infuences have inspired us to open this restaurant and do our food." So far, diners have been delighting in nightly specials from Coyne's ever-evolving chef's signature menu, which might include halibut cheeks with abalone, crispy lobster dumplings, black garlic shrimp, or Peking duck moo shu. Other popular dishes include braised octopus with seaweed salad and shiso chimichurri, and short ribs braised in gochujang, the savory, spicy, Korean-red-chili paste. From Hale's deft hands at the sushi bar: yellowtail hamachi with grapefruit, ponzu, and serrano chile, and other artful tableaux of sashimi, all flown in fresh daily, with produce sourced from Paonia and house-made accoutrements. Maru is also the rare restaurant to introduce Aspenites to a novel way of dining: shabu shabu (Japanese for "swish swish"), or tabletop hot pots in which diners poach their own meal of lobster, scallops, Colorado rib-eye, or Wagyu beef. At the bar, sommelier Robbie Parker showcases a menu of specialty cocktails to complement Maru's growing list of sake, wine, and Japanese whiskey. "We're taking the best Japanese [dining] elements and elevating them to a whole new level," Coyne says of the restaurant recipe that has been years in the making. "When it [all] comes together, it can be a beautiful thing." 320 S. Mill St., 970-429-8640; maruaspen.com AP Native Sons after years of travel, a trio of local chefs returns home to plant new roots. by amanda rae freSh c atch Sea the truth Alton Peacock, managing partner of Florida's Wild Fish Direct—a source distributor and supplier to numerous local restaurants—answers our sushi questions. Was this fish really sWimming in the Water yesterday? "almost! we get it from the water and into the kitchen within 48 hours, which is quite quick. we freeze on the boat at 180 degrees below zero—a lot of sushi restaurants acquire fresh fsh this way. Basically, it suspends that flet in time but also takes out parasites or bacteria." is freshest alWays best? "in fact, some fsh, such as tuna, is thought to taste better after its muscles rest a day or two. when we send species outside of tuna, the quicker the fsh dies and eliminates the release of enzymes and adrenaline, the quicker it hits ice, gets in a box, and stays at a temperature of 41 degrees and below, the better." don't eat fish on monday? "not necessarily. a fsh could be caught thursday or friday, put in a box for saturday delivery; then you order that fsh on monday. that's perfectly fne. it's more a matter of knowing from where your chef sourced it and from whom." does the quality of seafood differ among aspen's various sushi restaurants? "if so, we're unable to tell. aspen kitchens share the few main primary source suppliers, which adhere to sustainable practices advised by the monterey Bay aquarium seafood watch program. we steer away from striped bass, chilean sea bass, and certain varieties of tuna." Peter Coyne sears a braised octopus appetizer. below: Maru's yellowtail hamachi with grapefruit, ponzu, and serrano chili. The Aspen-native minds behind Maru: Taylor Hale, Jonathan Sundeen, and Peter Coyne. above: Tuna sashimi with "uni dust." Think the seafood served in a landlocked state is less fresh? Nonsense, says Aspen fish supplier Alton Peacock. 128  aspenpeak-magazine.com taste Best eats

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