By Avery Powell
Published: Apr. 29, 2016 at 5:42 AM EDT
Taste of Downtown may be over in Harrisonburg but one restaurant in the downtown area is still cooking up something special, by welcoming a new executive chef. Isaac Coles is now the new executive chef at Jimmy Madison’s restaurant and is bringing an interesting mix of experience to the downtown spot. Coles grew up on a cattle farm in Bedford county, Virginia where his love for food began. He went to school in Vermont but has family in the Valley. Coles says he has traveled the country, experiencing food in Las Vegas, San Francisco and more. Now he hopes to bring some of that flavor to the downtown area.
“(I hope to bring) a lot of culture, a lot of ingredient driven kind of recipes,” said Coles. “You’ve got a little bit of everything I think, going around in Las Vegas and trying to bring it back in to what I grew up cooking.”
Chef Coles Elevates Southern Cuisine At Jimmy Madison’s
April 20, 2016 by Guest
By Katelyn Quinley — It’s been just over a year since Jimmy Madison’s Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar took up residence in the former location of Dave’s Taverna—a year, and regrettably I am just now checking it out. I couldn’t have picked a better time. Executive Chef Isaac Coles has only been in the kitchen at Jimmy Madison’s since January, but he has already made his mark on the menu, bringing with him a strong passion for the farm-to-fork concept—something owner Jeff Ramsey was hoping for in a new chef. “We support farmers. They support us—that’s the beauty of community,”
Coles said. “For the restaurant, sourcing local food is still in the development stages. It’s definitely not as extensive as I’d like it to be. But, on my days off that’s what I’m doing—visiting farms, talking with people at the Farmers Market, and making connections with local organizations such as the Fields of Gold Farm Trail and the Turkey Federation. We’re hoping to add fried turkey legs on the menu instead of fried chicken wings.”
The turkey legs are a great example of Coles’ unique blend of innovation paired with Southern tradition—something that is clearly apparent in the newly released lunch and dinner menus. “‘Modern Southern’ is the concept here,” Coles said of the restaurant’s style. His own roots are strongly influencing many of the dishes. “Baked peanuts is one of the new things you’ll see,” he said. “My grandfather was born in Surry on a peanut and tobacco farm during the Depression, so peanuts are a natural addition to the menu.”
Originally from Bedford, Virginia with family in Bridgewater as well, Coles is no stranger to the area. “I grew up on a cattle farm of about 250-acres, so I spent a lot of time outdoors, working with my mom in the garden and my dad with the cattle.” He decided it was time to come back home after being on a ten year “culinary pilgrimage” across the U.S., cooking in kitchens in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Big Sur, Napa Valley, and Charleston.
Other ingredients patrons can expect to see in new dishes at Jimmy Madison’s are oysters, crab, turkey, apples, and maple syrup.“Duck is one of my favorite things,” he added, “so you’ll see that as a dish as well.”
After trying the Seared Duck Breast, it’s now one of my favorites too. The dish utilizes five different techniques of cooking duck, and is served on rice with an apple fois sauce. It is bursting with flavor!
The Chicken & the Egg is Coles’ creative take on deviled eggs. “There are probably few people who take food as seriously as I do, but sometimes I like to have a little fun with naming the food.” Served on a bed of kale and topped with BBQ chicken, pickled mustard seeds and what he calls ‘cracklin crumble’—a pork rind based topping for a bit of crunch—these aren’t the kind of deviled eggs you would expect.
All the dishes are beautifully plated and rich with color and texture. Coles’ beet salad was so beautifully arranged, I almost didn’t want to disturb it with my fork. This is yet another example of his ability to take a classic dish and elevate it to a new level. The roasted beets are served with pickled peaches (yes, it sounds strange but it’s delicious), goat cheese coulis and topped with micro greens and a honey thyme vinaigrette. In other words, not your grandma’s beets.
With Taste of Downtown, Harrisonburg’s restaurant week kicking off on Sunday, it’s a great time to head over and sample the new fare. Jimmy Madison’s will be offering three courses for $30 during the event.
Bon Appétit!
Jimmy Madison’s hires new head chef to bring southern cooking to Harrisonburg
Emma Korynta and Yasmine Maggio | The Breeze
May 4, 2016
Beet salad at Jimmy Madison’s.
• Photo courtesy of Emma Korynta
Shrimp toast at Jimmy Madison’s.
• Photo courtesy of Emma Korynta
Sweet potato dumplings drizzled in a smooth kale and pecan pesto with flakes of crispy country ham sit in a simple white bowl in the middle of a rustic yet inviting dining room.
Specialty southern dining is closer than you think.
Tucked away in the heart of downtown Harrisonburg, Jimmy Madison’s lends itself to delicately crafted, authentic southern food, tailored to the local area. Isaac Coles, the new head chef of Jimmy Madison’s, puts a lot of thought into each of the unique southern dishes on the menu that the restaurant offers.
“It’s a big process,” Coles said. “First, you want to brainstorm a lot. For me on this one, it was like, ‘What represents Virginia food? What do I get excited for when I think of Virginia food?’ I want to represent a southern kitchen and Virginia really well, because it’s my home state.”
With southern food in mind, the new lunch and dinner menus at Jimmy Madison’s feature those country meals with a twist. Dishes like sweet potato gnocchi and BBQ baked peanuts are just a few of the uncommon goods served at the restaurant. Even traditional recipes are uniquely altered, like kale pesto made with pecans instead of pine nuts.
“One of the big things is, you want to represent ingredients as best you can,” Coles said. “Then you want to serve those ingredients as best you can. Some of those [on the menu] are that simple: It’s taking something simple and just adjusting it.” Typically, hearing the words “southern cooking” make some immediately think of meat. But Coles wants to change that. The menu items are quite versatile, making it easy to make a dish vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian by simply excluding a few ingredients.
“You want everyone to come eat your food,” Coles said. “So you try to fill these categories up. You start compiling a list of experiments. You don’t want it to be heavy in one area, you don’t want it to be too one-sided. You want something that’s vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, etc. You want something that feeds people.” Finding local ingredients that complement Coles’ southern recipes is a big part of his job. He strives to create a connection with the Harrisonburg community through his food.
“We buy their food, they’re going to talk good about us,” Coles said. “We support them, they support us, that’s what communities are all about. The more I am here, the more it will become that.”
While Coles puts a lot of thought and time into his creations, he strives to make sure the restaurant still feels welcoming instead of exclusive.
“I want it casual,” Coles said. “I’m serious about my food, I’m serious about my service, but I want a casual atmosphere. I want people to come in with jeans and a T-shirt and be relaxed, as if they were at their house. It doesn’t have to be stuffy to eat great food.”
Coles believes that the environment of Jimmy Madison’s has had a big impact on his time there since he joined the team in January.
“The best part of working here is, of course, the food and the people that work here,” Coles said. “If you’re not doing the food you want to do and if you’re not working with the people you want to work with, you don’t last very long and it gets you to move on fairly quickly. I spend more time here than I do with anyone else.” Coles aspired to find a balance in creating the new menus. Entrees like the chicken and waffle panini or the pork belly shrimp and grits give customers a real taste of the South, while other meals like the harvest plate with quinoa and sweet potato puree allow for lighter, healthier options.
The shrimp toast, for example, features a textured bruschetta liberally coated with a creamy pesto, topped with shrimp and refreshing micro greens that would leave anyone feeling satisfied without feeling guilty.
“As you experience, you kind of know that you don’t want to overload one person,” Coles said. “Everything can’t be fried, everything can’t be grilled. It’s almost like a choose your own adventure book.”
Contact Emma Korynta and Yasmine Maggio at breezearts@gmail.com.
SFGate Review of Chef Coles 1313 Main Wine Bar and Lulu’s Kitchen
2013
Dinner got off to a nice start at Lulu's Kitchen one recent evening, when sommelier Ada Reyes offered my table complimentary tastes of brut sparkling wine served in logo-engraved glasses, then offered to guide us through the wine list.
I imagine she guides often. There are four pages just for wines by the glass, including a fanciful "Flight of Your Life" ($1,500 for 5 ounces; $600 for 2 ounces; $300 for 1 ounce) composed of Domaine De La Romanee-Conti 2010 Echezeaux Grand Cru, Petrus 1978 and Harlan Estate 2000 Bordeaux Blend.
Four staff sommeliers include Jordan Nova, a 24-year-old who will be taking his Master Sommelier exam in February.
All this is an example of the surprises to be found at Lulu's, starting with its location inside 1313 Main, a wine bar and retail store that opened in downtown Napa in mid-2011.
Amid the 1,300-plus international bottles, there originally were a few snack-y things like cheese and charcuterie, served in a glamorous, intimately compartmentalized setting of cork floors, a polished wood bar glowing under moody lighting, contemporary sofas in front of a fireplace, and red leather chairs.
Full kitchen
In August, owner Al Jabarin got serious with the food, adding a full kitchen and opening Lulu's Kitchen, named after his mother.
With 6,000 square feet to play with, diners can sit in a formal room in the back, but on all my visits, the front lounge was the place to be, with most of the bar and tall bistro seats filled, the small tables laden with tasting and entree plates.
As with the wine, sophisticated touches show that Jabarin has ambitions past a typical bar experience, including seasonal specials like black Burgundy truffle shaved tableside (add $5 for appetizers, $15 for entrees).
Under the direction of executive chef Isaac Coles, formerly of Napa's Carpe Diem Wine Bar, the cooking is relatively simple, but satisfying.
On one visit, I zeroed in on "The Flight of Bites" ($21), which could make a perfect light meal.
The impressive sampling was composed of a delicate ricotta gnudi decorated in black truffle shaving and a lick of beurre monte, a meaty Miyagi oyster baked with braised greens and bacon, and a nubbin of bacon-crusted butternut squash accented with pear and chile.
Plus: a few forkfuls of pan-seared mac 'n' cheese topped with pancetta and apple-celery slaw, a rich lobster roll on a tiny house-made bun, and, my favorite, a thick slice of turducken roulade made of moist turkey, duck and chicken centered by a jewel of duck rillettes. The chef deep-fries the roll for a crunchy exterior, then caps it in tart apple-cranberry chutney.
Larger plates are more straightforward, but well-crafted.
A big bowl of mussels ($16) contains the requisite chorizo, while short rib cassoulet ($15) hits all the proper comfort notes, hot and savory with lima beans and chunks of bacon and duck.
By comparison, whey-braised rabbit ravioli ($14) was tame, moistened in carrot consomme that could have used some fiery spice.
Smoked sturgeon salad ($15), on the other hand, will appeal to diners who like bold flavors, since the strong fish is paired with bitterish braised greens and bacon mustard vinaigrette. It was too much for my taste, but my companion - who loves big wines and hoppy beers - was happy.
I wasn't a fan of the flatbread ($13) either, because it was a busy recipe of butternut squash, pomegranate, Brussels sprouts, house-made white cheese and prosciutto (optional; add $2). Too many assertive flavors competed, then fell apart.
'Secret menu'
However, diners who discover the "secret menu" will be rewarded with the 1313 hamburger ($13). Tucked among a hidden list of snacks like wings ($7) and poutine ($9), the juicy burger comes with spicy potato strings, and sings when topped with the white cheese and a truffle shaving.
To finish, the s'mores semifreddo ($8) is a fun approach to the chocolate, graham cracker and marshmallow combination. But the spirits cart is more interesting, when a sommelier comes by with selections from three dozen liquors.
As we sipped Adrien Camut 12-year Pays d'Auge French Calvados ($11 for 1 ounce; $21 for 2 ounces), we savored its spiced honey flavors. And we thought, with good drink, friendly servers, and now, good food, there's plenty to like about Lulu's.
LuLu's Kitchen/1313 Main
1313 Main St. (near Clinton Street), Napa
(707) 258-1313
www.1313main.com/lulus_kitchen
Dinner 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; limited bar menu served 2-4 p.m. and after 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Street parking.
Overall
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS
Atmosphere
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS
Food
Rating: TWO STARS
Prices
$$
Service
Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS (out of 4)
Noise Rating
Noise Rating: THREE BELLS
Carey Sweet is a Bay Area freelance writer. E-mail food@sfchronicle.com, and go to www.sfgate.com/food for comprehensive Bay Area restaurant reviews and listings.
