Eco-conscious diners can enjoy a special menu created from local ingredients at Grace.
When it comes to minimizing his carbon footprint, Grace chef-owner Neal Fraser is on the cutting edge. For one, he drives a diesel Mercedes that's been modified to run on used cooking oil from his restaurant. Now he's created a menu using ingredients that traveled 400 miles or less to his kitchen – a "Close to Home" prix fixe for $70 per person served Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays that's as much a tribute to the abundance of California as it is to Fraser's commitment to the future of the planet.
By necessity, the menu changes from day to day. But in recent weeks, it's included Santa Barbara prawns in a sea urchin emulsion, fresh Monterey Bay sardines and a pan-roasted California white sea bass, along with braised lamb with Humboldt Fog goat cheese and filet of beef from the Brandt Family Ranch near the Mexican border. And his 400-mile menu is just the beginning – in the not-too-distant future, Fraser hopes to winnow it down to 100 miles. Give him a few fertile backyards, and he'll get that down to walking distance.
– Merrill Shindler