Earlier this year, I sent out a chef signal in search of Dave Racicot, the former Executive Chef of Lautrec at the Nemacolin Woods Resort in Pennsylvania. Having fallen off my radar, he was nowhere to be found.
Thanks to a reader of this blog, I was reconnected with Racicot by email a few weeks later. He was in the Pittsburgh area working on his own project, a restaurant. He couldn’t talk about it much then, but promised to resurface when things came together.
After a few months of silence, last night, Racicot reappeared in my inbox. He had a restaurant to announce.
The details are vague at this point, but sometime this winter, notion will open in Oakmont, a suburb outside of Pittsburgh. Judging by the video feed on the restaurant’s website, I’m guessing that Racicot has decided to lean into his interest in molecular gastronomy, an emergent culinary influence in his cooking when I ate his food in 2006.
Although I can’t say from recent experience with his cooking, if I’m gauging Racicot’s dedication, drive, and talent accurately based on the meals he cooked for me four years ago, then notion is a restaurant to watch. I’m anxious and excited for it to open.
If you want to know more about Racicot, read “rumintion 9: chef signal…,” or watch the video on the restaurant’s website for a flash-by resumé. You can also follow notion’s development on Racicot’s Twitter account.
Notes: The photo at the top of this post was a Blumenthal progeny, “Caviar and Cocoa,” served by Racicot at my first dinner at Acqueous in 2006. I took the photo of Dave Racicot at Falling Rock at the Nemacolin Woods Resort in 2006.
5 replies on “news: notion…”
Wow, this Gentleman has some solid background (I read a bit on him) . Thanks UE to write about him. I am adding his restaurant to those I am looking forward to visit in a short term. Relatively not far from Montreal (by plane), actually. That will also be an excuse for me to go and watch the Penguins hockey matches (I am a huge hockey fan).
As the younger brother of Dave my opinion may be biased but this restaurant will surely impress. Being a chef myself in the Pittsburgh area I can say that there is no one else for 500 miles in either direction doing anything comparable to his food. Thanks to UE for his continued support!
Ryan Racicot
Executive chef, Longue Vue Club
@SLloyd: Yes, this boy has game.
@Ryan: You rock, dude. Everyone should have a li’l bro like you. I hope I can make it up there sometime.
Thanks ue would have loved for you to try my food at one of my restaurants before I went into the private club arena! I definitely hope you get the chance to cone try his new spot. Maybe you and sloyd can both take in a penguins game
wow, someone really got their monies worth out of the alinea cookbook