Bento Picnic: Everything in Its Right Place: Leanne Valenti’s Japanese homecooking venue exceeds the sum of its parts – Food
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Leanne Valenti. from Bento Picnic (Photo by John Anderson)
“The ignorance was the worst,” says chef Leanne Valenti when asked about her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Valenti is the owner of Bento Picnic, the popular East Cesar Chavez restaurant that is based on Japanese home cooking. The personable cook, who initially trained at the Natural Epicurean Academy in Austin, started the business in 2015 – after spending months in Izu, Japan learning the domestic art of washoku from her best friend’s mother.
Valenti’s culinary pride and joy in the Eastside is a eatery that, like a bento, also has the components of a wine shop called Saba San’s and the recently transplanted sushi bar from LA. The inviting place with its menu with meals that are as healthy as they are delicious, Instagram-ready meals has not only survived the food service nightmare of 2020, but is waking up even better than before.
But yes, that wasn’t entirely certain a year ago. “In March of last year,” says Valenti, who is sitting at a table in the elegantly designed front yard of Bento Picnic, “when we didn’t know enough about the virus, there was this fear that I would somehow endanger people – just by asking her “to come to work. We didn’t know how it spread, or how quickly, or whether it was there at all. That was what I was most happy about – not knowing. Now we have more information on this and I think there was a pretty quick response to developing a vaccine and I feel a lot more confident. And a lot of people, a lot of my customers, come back too. “
What people come back to is the variety and convenience of Bento (the word originally meant “convenience”) in a street location that seems like something from Austin’s more laid back past.
“The current state of our outdoor space,” says Valenti, pointing to the tables well-spaced on the soft artificial turf, the curated layers of the fragmented landscaping, “this is the vision I’ve had since our inception. But the pandemic really accelerated our improvements Our roofed room here is air-conditioned: In summer we have fans with fog lights and in winter heaters that we hang from the ceiling so that the room is comfortable regardless of the weather. Menu at 6 p.m., this long table – it offers 22 seats under the Awning – available for private parties The kitchen is open during dinner, but we have people pre-order what they want and we also do drink pairing – so you can drink beer, wine and sake – and we provide de service too during the event, so that the guests are well looked after. “
Eating in the Bento al fresco en la noche seems dead poli kala – to mix several languages at once. But will this situation continue outside of business hours when the world is fully back to what we used to call normal?
“It’s part of our long-term plan,” says Valenti, “and it works quite well with the food we serve. Stacy Franklin is even a good friend of mine – we’re at Les Dames d’Escoffier together – and she and Aaron at the Franklin Barbecue do a similar format. Bentos and picnics are often more of a lunch special, but when we have a group that wants to do this for dinner, we’re happy to chat. “
As if the universe – occasionally backed by the City of Austin – were trying to compensate for the suffering of the pandemic, are there other clever pivots, other workarounds that continue because they seem like best practices for all times?
Photo by John Anderson
“We have an automatic door opener!” calls out Valenti. (She’s an unabashedly happy person, this seasoned cook.) “Our front door,” she says, “it’s like a fun new toy, but it’s fantastic – especially when you can get away with glassware and all, it’s just so cute too opened the door for you. Also this order-and-pay-at-the-table program from Toast, our point-of-sale provider. You brought this feature out during the pandemic, and that’s something we did They plan to continue using it [Sanitchat of Thai Fresh] was only here to see how it works, to possibly use in their business. “
So here is Bento Picnic, back forever to charge the Eastside with casual Japanese elegance and offer a range of adult beverages in their collaboration with James Havens of Houstons Heights Grocer.
“Saba San’s is our wine shop,” says Valenti, “but everything you buy in the shop is also available for consumption on site. We also have a tasting for our club members every first Saturday of the month. Every time you come You, there’s going to be a new wine – James has a great palate and all the connections to make great wines – as well as a taste of our featured Sake of the Month. “
And of course, sake goes particularly well with sushi. “But,” says Chef Valenti, whose favorite dish is tamagoyaki, “my specialty is home-style cooking, so sushi is not in my wheelhouse. However, it is compatible with what we do, so it is natural to have a sushi bar here in the evening. “
And the sushi bar itself? Well, dear reader, as we sip a mug of Bento Picnics fresh ginger lemonade and watch the people walk by on the sun-drenched sidewalks of East Cesar Chavez, Jessi Cape of the Chronicle covers this topic in our online edition.
Bento picnic
2600 E. Cesar Chavez
Tue-Sat, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
bentopicnic.com
Photo by Jessi Cape
Sushi | Bar Omakase settles in Austin (for now)
Tucked away in a private Bento Picnic dining room is the Los Angeles pop-up Omakase from the couple and co-owner, chef Phillip Frankland Lee and pastry chef Margarita Kallas-Lee. Sushi | Bar is a 17-course granny cheese inspired by traditional sushi bars of the 1930s and heavily influenced by Lee’s childhood in California.
The pop-up opened quietly at the end of December 2020, originally intended for just a few weeks, but our welcoming, food-obsessed city has sold out its bookings for six months now. As we had dinner in the lovely dimly lit room on a sultry Saturday night, Lee informed us that they would be staying until Austin makes it clear that we are ready to return home. This fourth location of Lee’s tiny restaurant (and first location outside of California) is still operated in a COVID-safe manner, with plexiglass barriers between parties in the sushi bar.
Reservations are 100% required, and I wholeheartedly recommend the slightly louder, less time-sensitive seating at 9pm. Arrive early for a free cocktail, and when the time comes, venture through the curtained door into a seemingly hidden world. Lee and his team are savvy and love asking, and the more diner-chef interaction, the more fun for everyone. A wooden menu board helps the experience with 16 pieces of nigiri, delicious cucumbers and an impressive dessert bonbon made of macrut lime ice cream with black sesame shortbread and a matcha bowl made of white chocolate, paired with a green tea toddy. The main courses change frequently and offer fresh creative dishes such as hamachi with corn pudding and sourdough breadcrumbs; Otoro from bluefin tuna with Japanese whiskey and caramelized pineapple; and roasted bone marrow with fresh wasabi (see shark disc) and homemade soy sauce. (They are also happy to provide accommodation for people with allergies, if possible.)
With options for sake pairings or a range of paired sake, Japanese beer, and craft cocktails, the beverage schedule is up to the challenge of elevating fine dining. Our most memorable sip was the Shiokawa Yamahai Junmai Ginjo Genshu “Cowboy” sake that screams pecans and skillfully two steps with beef and smoky notes (hello, Texas barbecue).
And unlike most granny cases, if you end up still hungry or intrigued enough to move on, the team opens up the floor for additional -la carte bites – repeat the evening’s dishes or let the trainees do their own unique Present your creations. Thanks to forgiving clothing, we managed an impressive 22 courses and our diners followed this example – no peer pressure, only camaraderie and curiosity fueled the frenzy. After leaving the experience, you will likely have made new friends and have already made another reservation.
Sushi | Austin bar
2600 E. Cesar Chavez
5 pm-10pm
sushibaratx.com
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