A few questions and a recipe with Chef Lindley of St Johns

Hi all

This week we have a question and answer with St John’s chef Daniel Lindley He was also nice enough to share a recipe with us. Sadly we don’t have a picture for you but we do highly suggest you give the ST John a try if you’re in the area.



1. What attracted you to cooking? Cooking involves the senses perhaps more so than any occupation. My first restaurant job was at age seventeen washing dishes and I remember being exhilarated by the smells in the kitchen. I enjoy the pressure and performance aspect of the job as well.

2. What is the philosophy behind your cooking, or in your kitchen? I am certainly a product driven chef. I like to think of my food as being refined but not too fussy or overdone

3. What is the biggest influence on the way you cook? My drive for balance certainly influences the way I cook. My kitchens physical parameters certainly influence the way I cook here at St. John's. We have a very small kitchen. What we do with five cooks in my kitchen, restaurants in New York do with twelve or more (literally).

4. Is there a chef living today you would like to work with? I am a huge fan of Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison in NYC


5. Is there a particular ingredient you like to cook with more than others? Mushrooms-morels especially

6. If stuck on a desert isle and could have one meal from then on out what would it be? . Braised Beef Cheeks with yukon gold potato puree & balsamic onion relish
7. Besides your own what restaurants would you recommend any where in the world. Eleven Madison (NYC)
Osteria La Piana (Siena, Italy)



8. Would you be willing to share a recipe with us?

Roasted "Cinderella" Pumpkin Soup
For the pumpkin- split one pumpkin horizontally, scrape the seeds out, score the flesh, press cubes of butter in scored areas, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast until pumpkin is caramelized and very tender. 375 degrees to 425. When finished let it rest for 15 minutes and then scrape out the flesh. Discard the skin and liquid in the pan.
While the pumpkin is roasting- small dice 4 large shallots, 2 peeled winesap apples and one bulb of fennel. Sweat this mixture out until very tender with olive oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Pureeing the soup- marry the shallot, apple & fennel mixture with the roasted pumpkin in a blender and puree until smooth. Finish with a touch of heavy cream while in blender and adjust seasoning if necessary.
To serve- heat soup and bowl. Garnish with chopped pancetta or guanciale and scoop a quenelle of whipped creme fraiche infused with a touch of nutmeg on top. Finish with minced chives.
Key reminders- pumpkin must be roasted fully. Not Baked! The carmelization makes the soup. Also Veg/apple mixture must be very tender before it is blended.



As always thanks for stopping by and if you happen to stop by one of the restaurants you find in our blog let them know you heard about them here! If you have any questions or comments we would love to here from you at Barb or Jonathan @milehigheater.com


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A little southern comfort, at ST Johns in Chattanoga Tn

A little southern comfort...The St. John's in Chattanooga, Tennessee.




Barb and I were recently in Chattanooga to see some relatives and while we were there decided to try out St. John's (www.stjohnsrestaurant.com) on the recommendation from people on the Chowhound boards (www.chowhound.com). The Chef is Daniel Lindley who puts on a fantastic seasonal menu. The night we were there the chef was away but his sous-chef Josh did a great job with our meal.




The restaurant itself is in downtown Chattanooga and is a converted hotel. The space is very open with high ceilings and a very nice feel to it. With 2 floors and the tables spread out nicely you never feel cramped. The staff do a great job of the service with everything being served smoothly and the pacing near perfect. I can only imagine how tired a new wait person must be at the end of the night after running up and down the stairs all night.







We were seated and our server Bethany came over and greeted us and spoke a bit about the menu and a bit about the restaurant itself. She spoke highly about two of the menu items and I decided to go with her recommendations while Barb chose a few others.

The first item that came out was an Amuse Bouche.

Hawaiian Walu fish with Tomatilla sauce, cucumber, radish, and basil.

He says:
The textures here were great with the vegetables giving it a nice crunch and the fish being soft and tender and a great slightly spicy taste of the sauce. I will give this a 7.

She says:
The fish was very delicate and tasty. The veggies were a nice combination and left us hungry for more. I too, give it a 7.





Ok, I normally do not show bread but this came with a nice little story attached. The white bread is the Chef's mothers recipe and from what I am told every time she comes to eat she makes sure to tell the wait staff to make sure they let people know that it's her bread. So, just wanted to pass that along and say yes, it is brag worthy. A great fresh bread is a hard thing to beat.


Barb's First Course



Roasted Texas Cross Quail with Apples and Chorizo Stuffing and a Whisky-maple Glaze

She says:
The quail was cooked perfectly, the presentation of it was cute (with the crossed legs) and the flavors were amazing. The glaze was delicious, and the stuffing was a nice mixture of stuffing, chorizo and apple. This was a great starter to the meal. I would give it an 8.

He says:
The quail was cooked very well, the skin nice and crisp and the glaze has a smoky sweet flavor that was great. The stuffing was good as well but I have to be honest here I was so taken with my first course that I do not have a strong memory of it. I will give this a 7.5


Jonathan's First


Maine Lobster & Saffron Soup - Delicata Squash Ravioli and Celery.

He says:
The soup also had roasted pumpkin seeds in it and a deep woodsy flavor that I just loved and paired with the lobster made for a taste that went together so well that I ended up eating this very slow because I wanted to savor the tastes more and more. The only thing I will say against this dish, and it is a weird thing to complain about is the ravioli really did not need to be there and added almost nothing to the dish. The soup and the lobster were the stars here! This did not pull a yum out of my lips but was very close to it, 8.5 is what I will give it

She says:
I had a very small taste of this as I was enjoying my quail so much. The flavors were deep and smoky, all in all, it was very tasty. I would give it a 7.5.

At this point the kitchen sent out a little bonus for us to enjoy.



Sequacthie Cove Farms Baby Beef, with a Red Wine Vinaigrette, Shallots, Capers, and Parsley with a Fried Egg and Mustard Aioli with some toasted bread.

He says:
I saw this coming out and was not pleased. I have had tartar two times before and both times I have been pretty underwhelmed but decided, well might as well give it a go and this was good. Very good. The meat and vinaigrette has a nice tartish flavor, the egg was still warm and perfectly cooked and the mustard aioli just gave the perfect additional flavor that you just caught at the edge of your tongue. Another 8from me. I would like to note even though this is the best tartar I have had it did not give me a yumm so can't give it a “best of type“ rating.

She says:
When I saw this I was skeptical. I am not a big fan of tartar, but when in Rome. The trick to this dish was getting a little bit of everything. And when done properly, this dish was a delightful surprise. I really didn't think I would like it, but I did. Again, I think it was the combination of all the flavors that made it unique and special. I would give it an 8.

Barb's Main

Smoked Hudson Valley Duck Breast with Sweet Potato Gratin and Cherry Cognac Reduction.
He says:
Ok, this intrigued me. You bite into it and a citrus flavor hits you at first followed by a fairly strong flavor that I just could not figure out so I kept on poaching from Barb's plate trying to figure it out. Finally I asked, and the duck is rubbed with a orange rub then is smoked in hickory. This combo just gave a taste I really can't describe, but I liked it and it kept making me want a little more. I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes, so was not a big fan of those. I will give it a 7.

She says:
The duck was cooked perfectly and the mixture of cherry cognac with the duck was spot on. A slight sweetness mixed in with the duck taste. I liked the sweet potatoes, they were a nice contrast to the duck. My only problem was that the duck was a little tough for me, but all in all the dish was very good. I would give it an 8.

Jonathan's Main




Broken Arrow Ranch Axis Venison with Wildwood Farms Delicata Squash, Stone Ground Grits and Summer Truffle Jus.

He says:
MMMM YUMMMM! Ok, deer is not supposed to be this tender, just is not suppose to be. Venision is a little tough and a bit gamey, it is not supposed to melt in your mouth like this did. Tender with an out of this world flavor that just sings. From what I understand, Axis deer are native to India and Nepal and you know it would almost be worth going to live there just to have this again. The grits were very good and the squash was nice but darn that deer was good. A solid 10, I doubt I will ever taste venison that tender again.
She says:
The venison was so tender that it almost melted in your mouth. I actually begged for a couple of more pieces, it was soooo good. The flavorings was perfect and the venison was tasty. I would give it a 9.


Barb's Dessert



Pineapple & Butternut Squash Bread Pudding with Coconut Gelato and Run Caramel

He says:
This was nice and rich and different it was nice to see a inventive dessert that breaks the mold at the same time is really good. Too many restaurants seem to have great mains but the desserts are kind of an after thought. These here seem to have had a lot of thought put in to make it as much as an experience as the meal itself. A 7 here.

She says:
My dessert was very good. The bread pudding was nice and warm still, topped with caramel sauce and mixed with the coconut gelato. It was soothing to my mouth. I would give it a 7.

Jonathan’s Dessert



Carrot Cake Souffle with Cream Cheese Anglaise

He says:
This was not your standard carrot cake, this was rich and served warm with a flavor that had a carrot flavor but not a overwhelming one. I really liked it. I give it a 7.

She says:
I wasn't a huge fan of this. The server brought out the dish and then punctured the top of it with a spoon and poured in the cream cheese anglaise so that the flavors would mix together. The tastes were fine, but just didn't blow me away. I would give it a 6.

Bonus Dessert



Banana Split; Banana Ice Cream in a Chocolate Gnosh Bowl with a Strawberry Caramel Sauce and a Chocolate Covered Cherry.

He says;
Very, very good. The house made ice cream was incredibly rich and of course how can you go wrong with a chocolate bowl. I'll give this a 8.

She says:
If I would have known they were going to throw in another dessert, I would have never ordered one - but what a nice surprise. The house made banana ice cream was the real treat in this dessert. I could have had a bowlful of it and been very happy. I would give this dish an 8 as well.

Numbers and such With the .75 add on for a 5 course or more meal St Johns scored a 8.44 score which is pretty good indeed. We had a great time here and would highly suggest you give it a try if your in Chattanooga! The chef answered a few questions for us and gave us a very yummy looking recipe which will be in next weeks post. The over all cost of this meal was 123.45.




Thanks as always for coming by and if have any questions or ideas where we should go in the future feel free to drop us a line at jonathan or barb @milehigheater.com




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