Wednesdays at ArtsRiot Kitchen Collective, 400 Pine Street, Burlington, 540-0406
Just as it should, the ArtsRiot Kitchen Collective has continued to morph since I visited every pop-up dinner for a week in November. Last week, I made it to the Hawker Stall, which debuted its Wednesday night dinners last month.
But the man behind the Hawker Stall isn’t new to ArtsRiot. Jeremy Bernozzi was Richard Witting’s sous-chef at the space’s short-lived Chinese café.
Now Bernozzi is bringing his vast knowledge of Asian cuisine to Wednesdays, with a new stop each week. He works with Misery Loves Co. vet Andrew Burke, who adds fine dining experience to Bernozzi’s street food. Every other week, Burke’s menus prevail with more upscale offerings, such as “inauthentic Japanese” tasting menus.
Rojak
Last week, I made it to one of Bernozzi’s nights. He was focused on the neighborhoods of Kuala Lumpur, a destination that I’ve long had on my wish list. And I hadn’t experienced Malaysian food since I was a kid in New York City.
Clearly, I wasn’t alone in my excitement. By the time I arrived, about 7 p.m., the kitchen had already sold out of daal fritters and beef stew. I ordered coconut ice cream, but the counter help forgot to include it in my order and that, too, was gone by the time I realized it.
This isn’t the Hawker Stall’s fault, but careless counter service seems to be part of the deal at ArtsRiot, and the one thing that keeps me from being a regular.
But Bernozzi and Burke’s food was worth it. I had never had anything quite like their rojak before. The salad featured cubes of pineapple, sour mango and apple sweetened with tamarind and palm sugar. A touch of shrimp paste added salt, while bird’s-eye chiles gave it heat. Cilantro cooled it, and tofu skin, peanuts and sesame gave the dish varied texture. The deceptively complex flavors were as bright and beautiful as the salad looked.
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