Congratulations, Nektar! You're the winner of BR's Chef's Challenge: White Cow Yogurt!
Nektar's Sous Chef, William Ponholzer, prepared a fantastic dish, illustrating both his skills and versatility. This entry featured near perfect execution and strong flavor pairings, showcasing a classic utilization of the mystery ingredient with unique innovations. This combination of skill and creativity gave Ponholzer a slight edge over our second place winner, Prime 490.
Much like Prime 490, Nektar's offering was a soup, “That softly fuses French techniques with Indian spices,” according to Ponholzer. A sublimely rich and spicy puree of red lentils was garnished with a cool Indian yogurt raita. Perched in the center of the large bowl were tender and delicious slices of what Chef Ponholzer referred to as chicken ballotine. Ballotine is a traditional preparation method where an item has been boned, stuffed, tied into a bundle and is then braised or roasted. Ponholzer's dish is similar to that, but the chicken mousse he developed out of the poultry, yogurt and seasonings was wrapped in the skin of the chicken and then poached. The individual components of this dish offered a contrast in flavors and textures that proved to be cohesive and very good when combined.
Sous Chef Ponholzer has only been at Nektar for a short while, having left the Buffalo Club just a few months ago. Nektar's Executive Chef, Keith Ozlesika has also been at Nektar for less than a year, having attended culinary school in Canada after a stint at one of Buffalo's all time best restaurants, Tsunami. The two complement one another, a strong team with a passion for food from all over the globe.
Nektar's dinner menu reflects this, with a strong showing of ethnic flavors and preparations. On the Small Plates portion of the menu, you will find Grilled Squid and Octopus with lemon hummus and orange sesame lavash ($11) next to bbq ribs ($10) and a Lobster Arancini with vanilla bean sauce and a sweet pea and mint puree ($15). The pastas include a pumpkin gnocchi served in autumnal glory with apples, cranberries and gorgonzola in a maple cream sauce ($8), as well as a seafood dish featuring shrimp, mussels, chorizo, fennel, artichokes, kalamatas and a tomato saffron broth ($18). If you're looking for a hardier meal, explore the multi-cultural options like the entree of Tandoori Roasted Chicken ($18) or the Grilled Thai Curry Tuna ($28). The less adventurous will be happy to find simple, well-prepared fare like a Surf and Turf (market price), Penne Rigate ($14) or a Avocado, Shrimp and Maryland Crab Cobb Salad ($15).
Desserts are all made in-house, including a jasmine rice pudding and a Chambord and chocolate ganache cheesecake. On Sunday's, brunch is a prix fixe affair (and only $15), includes a Mimosa or Bloody Mary and your choice of a main dish. Potato pancakes with housemade lamb sausage is a popular choice, as is the Eggs Benedict, served with Canadian bacon, crab or steak.
Nektar's interior is beautiful; the bar and all of its other elements modern and chic. Great ambiance, good, modern cuisine, a killer martini menu (one of the first in the city, for sure), and a strong following have kept Nektar on the map for many years and will continue to do so.
At the beginning of this undertaking, I would have never guessed that two soups, perhaps a predictable use of the mystery ingredient, would have been the best offerings. But flavor, execution and the imaginative use of ingredients were key factors.
Congratulations, Chef Ponholzer and Nektar on winning Buffalo Rising's Chef's Challenge: White Cow's Yogurt. And, thank you, to you and all of the other restaurants that participated in this, our second chef's challenge. Look for our third challenge in early November.
BR Chef's Challenge: White Cow's Yogurt w/Prime 490, 2nd Place
BR Chef's Challenge: White Cow Yogurt w/O'Connell's, 3rd Place
BR Chef's Challenge: White Cow's Yogurt w/Bacchus, Honorable Mention
BR Chef's Challenge: White Cow's Yogurt w/Toro, Honorable Mention
BR Chef's Challenge: White Cow's Yogurt, Introductory Post
BR's First Chef's Challenge: Chayote
Nektar
451 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, 14222
716.881.1829