"It's the 'ugly American.' Big, boisterous, loud, lots of complexity. It hangs in warmer weather, develops this… pleasant funk."
A pause.
"The Prosciutto San Danielle is supple, leaner. Not aggressive at all -- very elegant. Couldn't be more different in character than the Benten's."
This is how
Reserve's Executive Chef, Matt Millar, describes aged ham. Benten's Country Ham, from Tennessee, and Prosciutto San Danielle, of Italy.
A former English and Russian Studies major, Millar has a way with words, but it's what goes in one's mouth, versus what comes out, that has his heart. Millar says he realized he wasn't very good at what he attended Grand Valley State University for, though he wouldn't trade the experience for anything. He paid his way through school working in restaurants and that's where his real passion was unearthed.
"I worked under the best chefs I could find, learned on my own as voraciously as possible and opened my own restaurant in Fennville," he says.
The critically acclaimed Journeyman, now a completely different venture called Salt of the Earth, was the restaurant in particular.
Reserve
opened this fall, unique for its vast wine selection, charcuterie menu, gorgeous interior design and the display of 2009 ArtPrize winning piece, Ran Ortner's "Open Water no. 24," above its bar. Millar came to Reserve (201 Monroe St. NW) via a consultant who contacted Millar about a year and a half ago, and Millar was interested in Reserve's concept from the start.
"Charcuterie is one of my favorite things," he says.
Charcuterie, meaning "cooker of meat," applies to the cooking of prepared meat products. Pâtés, sausage, cured meats, terrines, galantine and roulade apply.
"I first got interested (in charcuterie) when I was younger because it was one of my first windows into more involved techniques," Millar says. "It's a process that takes me time and focus, and some practice as well."
With a focus on handmade products ("If it's something that we have the technique to do here, it's something we prefer to do ourselves," he says) and local goods, Millar says the things Reserve purchases from food service providers is limited to tinfoil and plastic wrap. They buy almost all of their produce from local growers and allow the season to be the master of their menu. Meats and cheeses range from local to American and European imports.
Reserve has been touted as a wine bar for good reason: a unique cruivnet system that allows Reserve to pour over 100 wines by the glass, with an additional 200 in bottles. This could seem overwhelming to the average consumer, but Millar encourages patrons to approach Reserve with an open mind and a willingness to learn -- and that includes coming to Reserve for the food.
"Wine can be intimidating to a lot of people, and many people don't even know what charcuterie is, let alone if it will appeal to their palette," Millar says. "The best approach is to come in and lay yourself on the table and say, 'serve me.' We have two certified sommeliers and a service staff. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We don't look down on people who can't tell a pâté from a sausage."
Reserve's small plate approach and sample pour options give customers the ability to taste a variety of flavors and share the experience among their party. For those looking to learn, Reserve offers a Cheese 101 and Charcuterie 101 with details available on their website.
Millar, too, never stops learning about food, and to this day, continues to absorb any culinary knowledge he can.
"One of the things that fascinates me is how quickly this field evolves, how much there is to know, how many different ways of looking at things there are," he says. "That keeps me engaged on a regular basis. As long as the restaurant is a little better today than it was yesterday, we're happy."
Millar resides in Fennville with his wife, Amy, two dogs and three cats.
On the love of food, he muses, "There are few things that you do every day and eating is one of them. You spend a lot of time at the dinner table, or in front of something to eat, and your quality of life is improved if you spend that time well. In France and in Italy, being around the dinner table with family and friends is integral to the quality of life, and I think this is something that people who don't adopt it into their lifestyles are missing out on. Food is evocative, smell is tied to your memory; it's an irreplaceable experience."
Like art, he says. "We don't have to listen to music, or look at a painting or experience a sculpture. We do it because it brings us joy."
J. Bennett Rylah is the Managing Editor of Rapid Growth Media.
Photo:Reserve's Executive Chef, Matt Millar (3)
Reserve (4)
Photographs by
Brian Kelly -All Rights Reserved