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Curtis Stone’s modernist restaurant Maude has been a hit from the moment it opened, helping to revitalize the Beverly Hills dining scene with a monthly rotating "hero ingredient" menu that highlights one item in every dish. Lots of seasonal stars have made their way to the plate already: corn and rhubarb among them, with fennel slated for March.
Now Forbes is taking a look inside of Stone’s test kitchen, to find out just how hard it is to focus that strongly on a single ingredient at such a high level, and for only a month before turning it all on its head again.
The test kitchen, which doubles as Stone’s overall office space, is just a two-story residential house near the restaurant. Staff completely overhauled the kitchen to put in the kind of necessary details that make Maude’s modernist cuisine possible, but otherwise it’s just a sorta cute house.
Though there aren’t many trade secrets revealed as to how Stone has been able to so seamlessly utilize singular ingredients every month, Forbes does get an early look at the potential March menu. Bison tartar and brandade raviolo make an appearance, with dessert described as still "under construction." They also tip off some details on how to increase your chances to score a table, and even pitch in an anecdote about turning away Kim Kardashian when she asked for a special table. Awesome.