Matia Kitchen, reopened in March 2023 after the sudden closure of its previous location that January, is the latest evolution of a culinary project that Co-Owners Chef Avery Adams and Operating Manager Drew Downing have been working on together since 2016. Now in a new location with an adopted sister restaurant, Monti, under the same roof, Matia is “more Matia than it ever has been.”
I traveled to Eastsound on Orcas Island to sit at one of six seats at the chef’s counter and experience their nine-course tasting menu. I was there in late autumn, and the dishes change constantly—sometimes even multiple times in one day—so keep in mind that each experience will be unique.
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
First Course
Grilled Judd Cove oyster on the half shell, Matia hot sauce, house compound butter. Paired with Chapuis & Chapuis Petillant Naturel 2022. “There is no better way in my mind to open a meal on Orcas Island than with an oyster from just down the road,” says Downing. “The oyster is intended to sort of ground the rest of the meal in a sense of time and place.” The oyster was served on the half shell on hot stones, swimming in house butter and fermented fresno chili hot sauce. It was harvested the day before at Crescent Beach, just minutes away from Matia. The heat and salt of the oyster, complimented by the bright tang and light fizz of the accompanying Pet-Nat, woke me up for the eight dishes ahead.
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
Second Course
Parsnip latke, smoked egg yolk, West Beach radishes, pickled jalapeno, spiced pear butter. Paired with Chapuis & Chapuis Petillant Naturel 2022.
One of the hallmarks of Adams’s culinary style is that each dish combines ingredients (often rarified through seasonality, locality, or preparation) in a way that evokes memories around food in new and delightful ways.
“[The food at Matia is] playful and engaging, but it’s familiar,” says Adams. “It’s presented in this way that’s unique and unorthodox.”
“[With the tasting menu] we sort of intentionally set you on your heels and then wrap you in a hug with comfort food, sort of back and forth, in order to break norms of fine dining a little bit,” Downing says.
My second dish was fried and piled high with veg, flavored by smoked mayonnaise and egg yolk. Eaten altogether, I experienced my own comfort food association– a spicy barbeque chip.
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
Third Course
Spring Time Farm beets, pain perdu, beet hummus, pickled peaches, green strawberry, kvass glaze. Paired with Marcel Lapierre Morgan 2021.
Spencer was my server at the chef’s counter that evening, although he was more like my guide through the menu. He shared how they make their house sourdough kvass, and how it was boiled down to a syrup and used to glaze the braised beets. The sourdough pain perdu (a.k.a. French toast) was the perfect hinge to both the earthy beets and the bright flavors of the strawberries, fermented green tomatoes, pickled peaches, and summer hot sauce.
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
Fourth Course
Baked celeriac, rhubarb vinegar, mustard cream, fermented kohlrabi, winter greens. Paired with Mas de Gourgonnier “Les Baux de Provence” 2021.
The tasting menu opens with “a succession of snacks followed by, generally speaking, some composed vegetable dishes.” This veggie dish had greens featuring a medley of preparations as well as whole-grain and creamed mustard, resulting in a smoky and spiced plate that I ate every last bite of. It was full-bodied and savory without needing any meat.
Fifth Course
Oil-poached pumpkin, fall fruit mole, black apple conserva, salsa macha, puffed rye. Paired with Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Spatlese 2020.
I understand why Spencer describes this plate as “one of our very favorite Matia dishes.” The butternut squash was poached in olive oil, then deep-fried, leaving the exterior extremely crunchy and the inside melt-in-your-mouth. Amongst slightly sweet, fruity toppings, the puffed rye and salsa macha added more sizzly-crunch to every bite.
My favorite garnish across Matia and Monti was also present here: deep fried sage leaves that are so infused with air and oil that they crunch and then dissolve when they hit your tongue, leaving a salty and herbaceous flavor behind.
Bread
Matia sourdough (made with Cairnspring Mills wheat), house cultured butter, seasonal marmalade.
Sixth Course
Penn Cove mussels escabeche, ikura, grilled oyster mushrooms, orange kosho, burro fuso, pumpkin seed dukkah. Paired with Domaine de la Pepiere Clisson 2019.
These mussels were prepared using a special pickling method, soaking up the flavors of oil, vinegar, chili flakes, and fennel seed. The ikura is a plump cured salmon roe that popped with every bite, draping everything in their rich, salty flavor. The orange kosho and grilled mushrooms were excellent accompaniments, as was the bread, which soaked up the white-wine-sweet broth.
Seventh Course
Aurora Farm brisket, sunchoke puree, coffee-glazed delicata squash, pickled sunchoke, pickled golden raisins, chiquita roja beans. Paired with Entienne Delarche “Le Combottes” 2020.
The last savory course played on my nostalgia once again, reminding me of baked beans and barbecue, but layered with the unexpected flavors of sweet pickled raisins, coffee, black garlic, and a touch of miso.
The wine paired with this course was a white burgundy, an unorthodox choice for red meat, but one that refreshed the flavors after each bite and sip. Between Matia and Monti, the curated wine and cocktail programs could easily draw folks on their own merit.
Eighth Course
Corn mouse, blue corn steam cake, candied squash, pepita brittle. Paired with Pierre Ferrand Pineau des Charentes NV.
The chef’s counter experience is sized and paced so that you have room for everything, and you’ll be grateful for that when you reach the last two courses. My first dessert was a bowl of sweet corn mousse, aerated to the consistency of whipped cream, chunks of steam cake, delightful bites of thick candied squash and caramelized sugar bombs from the pepita brittle. It’s a bowl of everything you could want in a dessert!
Ninth Course
Quince and sunflower seed pavlova.
The final offering is something of a parting gift from Matia. The seed and fruit flavors of the pavlova result in something like a “PB&J.” The meringue is crisp outside but has a chewy interior that helps you savor these last few bites and think back on the experience you just had.
There’s much more to be said about Matia’s story and dedication to people, community, and food systems. When you go, take advantage of their welcoming, casual take on premier dining and have a conversation with them about it. There’s no need to wait for summer to visit, either.
“People will tell you, like, ‘Oh, Matia, you know, it’s impossible to get a reservation.’ That is true for nine weeks [in the summer],” says Downing. “But come November, the sun is shining, discounts on hotel rooms. You can walk right into this restaurant, no problem. We’ll welcome you with open arms. You’ll have our full attention. I think there’s a lot of value in that.” 382 Prune Alley, Eastsound, 360.375.4350, matiakitchen.com
