Haven Gastropub +Brewery, the newest venture from haven collective, opens its doors today, Thursday, December 15, in Old Pasadena! The second iteration of our concept introduces Los Angeles County to an innovative take on gourmet, seasonal comfort food and our first foray into on-site brewing. Our extensive beverage offerings include a 100 bottle beer list and 52 taps—local and international craft beer, four of our own special beers, four cask ales, and eight wine varietals served by the keg. We feature pre-prohibition cocktails and a curated global wine list to complement Executive Chef Greg Daniels’ cuisine and the Haven philosophy of supporting craft businesses.
Chef Daniels’ menu highlights include Hiramasa Crudo with Ruby Red Grapefruit, Fresno Chili, Pickled Shallot, Micro Peppercress, Pink Salt, and Arbequina Oil; Duck Prosciutto Flatbread with Leek Jam, Point Reyes Bleu Cheese, and Arugula; and a Vegetable Mélange with Roasted Seasonal Vegetables, Pumpkin Gnocchi, Toasted Pumpkin Oil, Fried Sage, and Smoked Sea Salt.
A little more about Haven Gastropub +Brewery: We reinvent classic takes on European cuisine with a modern American twist, showcased on adventurous menus featuring farmers’ markets specials, house-made charcuterie, flatbreads, and entrées inspired by California local bounty. Located in the heart of Old Pasadena, we house our own on-site brewery producing Haven’s uniquely crafted beers, featuring year-round brews and small-batch seasonal offerings in a rotating selection of five varieties, such as Imperial Stout, Bavarian-Style Hefeweizen, and IPA. The extensive beverage offerings include a 100 bottle beer list and 52 taps—local and international craft beer, four of the Brewery’s own special beers, four cask ales, and eight wine varietals served by the keg.
Haven Gastropub +Brewery is located at 42 De Lacey Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105.
We serve lunch, dinner, and a late-night menu from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., seven days a week.
Public parking is available on adjacent streets and in neighboring parking garages. For menus and additional information please visit: www.havengastropub.com or call 626.768.9555.
NOW OPEN: Haven Gastropub +Brewery in Old Pasadena
Posted Thursday, December 15, 2011 by Mona Shah
ON TAP: The Abyss by Deschutes Brewery [ORANGE]
Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011 by Mona Shah
Last month, our friends at Deschutes announced the sixth release of The Abyss, and tonight at 6p at Haven Gastropub in Old Towne Orange, you'll be able to give it a try as we introduce it to our guests on tap.
A deep, dark Imperial Stout, The Abyss has almost immeasurable depth and
complexity. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors make
it something not just to quaff, but contemplate.
Alc. 11% | IBUs 65
As for the great "drink it now or let it age" debate, the folks at Deschutes are on the fence. Distinct and delicious on release, the flavors meld and fuse into an entirely different pleasure a year on.
Proudly part of Denver Westword's "Ten beers that will make you a man...if they don't kill you first" line-up!
Come check it out while we've got it in Orange!
www.havengastropub.com
The Search For "Brewmaster At Large" | It Could Be You
Posted Tuesday, December 06, 2011 by Mona Shah
Starting December 7th, Haven Gastropub +Brewery is testing your knowledge of our bottled craft beers!
Check out our Facebook wall for a new clue each day about one of our 100 bottled beers. We’ll pass it around, and then take it down, so be sure to post your guesses and track your progress.
By St. Patrick’s Day, the person who has named the most beers correctly will be named Brewmaster At Large at Haven Gastropub +Brewery!
Haven Gastropub +Brewery opens in Old Pasadena on December 15th
Tree Lighting + Egg Nog in Old Towne Orange! December 4th
Posted Thursday, November 24, 2011 by Mona Shah
It's that time of year again when the community gathers together for a little holiday cheer! On Sunday, December 4 at 3:30 p.m., we'll get together in Old Towne Plaza in Orange for the 17th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Candlelight Choir Procession! After the ceremony, come down to Haven Gastropub for our take on a timeless tradition - Eggnog!
Tree-Lighting Special:
House-made Peppermint Eggnog with Bulleit Bourbon, topped with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon.
'Tis the season to deck the halls and drink a lot of eggnog! Happy Holidays, everyone!
Giving Thanks. Help Make A Difference.
Posted Thursday, November 24, 2011 by Mona Shah
Happy Thanksgiving. This is truly a day to give thanks - we are very fortunate compared to many around the world. This year, we've had the opportunity to get to know Ecofficiency’s Jesse Baker and Chrissy Gray, who are currently preparing for their second trip to an extremely remote part of Haiti called Pays Pourri, where many people have been dying of cholera. Because there are no roads to this area, the international aid community has ignored it, for the most part. Ecofficiency will be working with a group of Haitians to distribute simple, durable and effective water filtration systems, give cholera education presentations, and help a local clinic establish a presence where there has been none.
Unfortunately, most of those living in this area do not even know what bacteria are, let alone cholera. They lack the fundamental tools to effectively deal with this epidemic, and it has only gotten worse. Jesse and Chrissy have a great opportunity to do something really special and important, but they need our help to make it as effective as possible. Each filtration system costs only $60, and will supply clean water for 100 people a day for 5 years, without using any energy!
We support their initiative and would love for our friends to sponsor a water filter too by making a $60 donation, or whatever you can afford to their general fund – no amount is too small…everything helps! All donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of your donation will go towards the program, as the transportation and lodging have already been paid for.
Donation Link: http://bit.ly/sTaZOv
To see what they accomplished last year check out their Project Haiti website!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale!
Posted Friday, November 11, 2011 by Mona Shah
Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale will be tapped today - 11.11.11 at 6 p.m. - and it is something really special. Many of you are aware of Stone Brewing Co's Vertical Epic Ale series, and today, 11.11.11, is truly auspicious as we present this Belgian-style amber ale brewed with cinnamon and Anaheim chillis from New Mexico’s legendary Hatch Valley.
Here are some tasting notes from Stone’s Brewmaster Mitch Steele:
Appearance:
The Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale pours a deep amber with a cream colored head of foam.
Aroma:
The Belgian yeast strain we used this year has more pronounced banana aromatics than the clove flavors produced by some of the yeast strains we have used in past years. Mixed in with the banana esters are toffee malt notes, hints of spice — clove and cinnamon — and a trace of very mild green chili in the back. The aromas all blend together incredibly well.
Taste:
Upfront, the yeast-derived banana flavors are blended very nicely with toasted and toffee-like malt flavors, fruity esters, and balanced hints of cinnamon. Mid palate the Perle and Pacific Jade hops and the Hatch green chili flavors come through. The beer finishes dry, and bitter with just the most subtle of hints of chili heat and a touch of alcohol.
Overall:
Not your typical chili beer! The famous mild green chilies from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico add layers of delicious flavor with a very mild heat component. The base beer itself is very reminiscent of a European amber beer, with Perle and Pacific Jade hops, Munich and other roasted German and Belgian malts, hopped and brewed to a very Stone like 65 IBU and 9.4% ABV. Cinnamon is a wonderful spice if used judiciously, which we did here-it doesn’t by any means dominate the beer’s flavor, but definitely adds a subtly complex spice note that blends amazingly well with the banana esters and green chili.
ABV: 9.4%
IBU: 65
OG: 20.5°P
TG: 2.5°P
Malts: Pale, Crystal, Munich, CaraBohemian and Special B
Hops: Warrior, Target, Perle and Pacific Jade
Now that you’ve received the full rundown on this beer, come and try it while we have it!
NOW ON TAP: Russian River Damnation Batch 23
Posted Friday, November 04, 2011 by Mona Shah
The story goes that every 23 batches of Damnation, Russian River makes a special batch aged with oak chips or in oak barrels. This Belgian-style ale pours a really nice light amber honey color with a nice billowy head, which gives off a really pleasant aroma, strong grains complimented with ample soft oak notes and hints of honey and lemon.
A really great beer, and if you like Russian River's Damnation, this batch with the oak flavors brings out some added complexity and really takes this beer to another level.
Come and get it while we've got it!
Haven Gastropub+Brewery to open in early December | Daily Dish | Los Angeles Times
Posted Thursday, November 03, 2011 by Mona Shah
Executive chef Greg Daniels, beverage director Wil Dee and brewmaster David Larsen are opening the second location of Haven Gastropub+Brewery in Old Town Pasadena (the other location is in Orange).
The restaurant will have an on-site brewery that will feature small-batch seasonal offerings. The trio are anticipating an imperial stout, Bavarian-style hefeweizen and IPA. In addition, Haven Gastropub+Brewery will carry 100 different bottled beers from local, national and international breweries, 52 beers and wines on tap, including four cask ales. The bar will have an extensive selection, including uncommon spirits such as Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, Michter’s Straight Rye, and Carpano Antica Formula used in pre-prohibition-style cocktails.
The menu will showcase farmers markets specials, house-made charcuterie and freshly baked flatbreads. Included will be such dishes as a goose pastrami sandwich with cole slaw, Russian dressing and housemade mustard on rye bread with seasonal pickled vegetables; grilled octopus with caramelized fennel and hearts of palm, yellow tomato confit, and citrus aioli; and a duo of quail, featuring pan-roasted quail and house-made quail sausage, with hen of the woods mushrooms, butternut squash puree and Black Mission fig jam.
Haven Gastropub+Brewery will serve lunch, dinner and a late-night menu consecutively from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.
Haven Gastropub+Brewery, 42 De Lacey Ave., Pasadena, www.havengastropub.com.
Read the post online on the LA Times' Daily Dish HERE.
A Taste of Fall Fundraiser. An Opportunity to Know Your Food.
Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by Mona Shah
By now, all of you have read the feature in Coast Magazine's November issue, Positively Delicious, and you know all about our budding relationship with The Positive Plate. Well, here's your chance to be involved in the official launch of The Positive Plate at a fundraiser party on Friday, November 11th (11.11.11), at the Second Harvest Food Bank, inside the Orange County Great Park.
Here are the highlights of the event/reasons to get your tickets ASAP:
- You'll get to sample delicious - and responsible - foods from 8 OC restaurants that are part of this project (including Haven Gastropub and our sister restaurant, taco asylum, of course)
- A hosted bar with all sustainable beverages (yes, we're talking about responsible drinking: beer, wine & sustainable cocktails)
- Live acoustic set from OC's own The Common Kings
- A silent auction -- leave with some goodies knowing ALL proceeds are going to local non-profits
- And finally, it's for the good of all: you get to do something good for yourself and help others in the process.
The event is 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. on a Friday night, so come spend some time with friends, and enjoy great food from the restaurants involved with The Positive Plate: Avanti Cafe, Duke’s, Haven Gastropub, Haute Cakes, Sage, SOL Cocina, taco asylum, and Xanh Bistro. You'll get to sample a small sustainable dish that best represents each restaurant.
Tickets are $50 for our friends, and admission is limited to 200 guests, so get your tickets now to avoid disappointment: BUY TICKETS NOW.
This event benefits Kid Healthy and Real Meals, a collaboration between OC Food Access Coalition and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
A portion of proceeds will benefit Kid Healthy and Real Meals, a collaboration between OC Food Access Coalition and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Haven Gastropub or taco asylum are not producing this event or handling tickets sales - the event is being produced by Ecofficiency.org.
Positively Delicious | Coast Magazine
Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by Mona Shah
Positively Delicious :: Local restaurants show their sustainable side.
BY STEVE BRAMUCCI :: November 2011 :: Coast Magazine
Greg Daniels of Haven Gastropub in downtown Orange doesn’t feel compelled to convince anyone how green he is. “As a chef, buying organic, locally sourced ingredients is more about getting the best food on the plate than anything else,” he says.
His high standards have led Daniels to visit local farmers’ markets and get to know his sources for meat, fish and poultry. Purchasing decisions like these fit both with the chef’s cooking style and his environmental ethos. “It’s an eco-decision to try to source local ingredients,” he says. “But it also gives a certain sense of place to the food.”
Anyone who has tasted Haven’s vegetable mélange with roasted seasonal vegetables, pumpkin gnocchi and fried sage doesn’t need this philosophy spelled out; the flavor does the trick. The dish, like so many on Haven’s fall menu, is hearty while also containing a complexity and inventiveness that differentiate it from standard pub fare.
Daniels, who is a partner in both Haven and The CAMP’s Taco Asylum, is one of the first members of The Positive Plate, a project run by ecofficiency.org, that also includes Avanti Cafe in Costa Mesa, Duke's in Huntington Beach, Haute Cakes, Sage and Sol Cocina in Newport Beach, and Xanh Bistro in Fountain Valley.
Jesse Baker, co-founder of Ecofficiency, describes The Positive Plate as “a chance to help restaurants make a measurable difference in their sustainability practices.” Still in its early stages, Baker designed the program to serve as both an eco-diners club and a sustainable restaurant certifier.
When Baker hears Daniels downplay his conscious purchasing choices, he laughs. “Greg is underselling himself,” he says. “He and our other chefs certainly have a lot of pride about what they serve. But they also have an ethical philosophy about supporting things that are right. With tuna for instance, procuring it the right way and procuring it the wrong way doesn’t make a speck of difference to the taste, but our restaurants are going above and beyond to source every ingredient in a sustainable way.”
Through The Positive Plate, Baker hopes to help local restaurateurs examine all segments of their business, including waste, purchasing, energy, water use, employee training, and community engagement. Haven and seven other Orange County restaurants were the first invitees to the program. Baker handpicked them because he knew they were committed to sustainability. “You look at a place like Haven, where they just spent thousands of dollars on a water-filtration system,” Baker says, “and you can see that they’re putting their money where their mouths are.”
This enthusiasm runs both ways.
“We loved Jesse’s idea from the word go,” Daniels says of The Positive Plate. “Most green restaurant certifiers are overseen from the East Coast but this was local. It gave us a chance to be involved in a project from the ground up.”
One of Baker’s ideas for The Positive Plate is to hold quarterly roundtables with his eight member restaurants to help them source materials and share ideas. “A rising tide lifts every ship,” he says. “These guys aren’t competing with each other; they represent the push for more sustainable practices throughout the industry. With higher standards in place everyone who meets those standards is bound to look good.”
Looking across a table filled with Haven’s rich yet complex house specialties, from grilled octopus to apple panna cotta, it doesn’t take much convincing. The proof is literally in the pudding.
EAT GREEN! Check out The Positive Plate’s "Taste of Fall" event at the Orange County Great Park on November 11 :: thepositiveplate.org
RECIPE: Haven Gastropub’s Famous Brussels Sprouts by Chef Greg Daniels
NOW OPEN: Haven Gastropub +Brewery in Old Pasadena
Posted Thursday, December 15, 2011 by Mona Shah
ON TAP: The Abyss by Deschutes Brewery [ORANGE]
Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011 by Mona ShahLast month, our friends at Deschutes announced the sixth release of The Abyss, and tonight at 6p at Haven Gastropub in Old Towne Orange, you'll be able to give it a try as we introduce it to our guests on tap.A deep, dark Imperial Stout, The Abyss has almost immeasurable depth and complexity. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors make it something not just to quaff, but contemplate.
Alc. 11% | IBUs 65
As for the great "drink it now or let it age" debate, the folks at Deschutes are on the fence. Distinct and delicious on release, the flavors meld and fuse into an entirely different pleasure a year on.
Proudly part of Denver Westword's "Ten beers that will make you a man...if they don't kill you first" line-up!
Come check it out while we've got it in Orange!
www.havengastropub.com
The Search For "Brewmaster At Large" | It Could Be You
Posted Tuesday, December 06, 2011 by Mona ShahStarting December 7th, Haven Gastropub +Brewery is testing your knowledge of our bottled craft beers!
Check out our Facebook wall for a new clue each day about one of our 100 bottled beers. We’ll pass it around, and then take it down, so be sure to post your guesses and track your progress.
By St. Patrick’s Day, the person who has named the most beers correctly will be named Brewmaster At Large at Haven Gastropub +Brewery!
Haven Gastropub +Brewery opens in Old Pasadena on December 15th
Tree Lighting + Egg Nog in Old Towne Orange! December 4th
Posted Thursday, November 24, 2011 by Mona ShahIt's that time of year again when the community gathers together for a little holiday cheer! On Sunday, December 4 at 3:30 p.m., we'll get together in Old Towne Plaza in Orange for the 17th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Candlelight Choir Procession! After the ceremony, come down to Haven Gastropub for our take on a timeless tradition - Eggnog!
Tree-Lighting Special:
House-made Peppermint Eggnog with Bulleit Bourbon, topped with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon.
'Tis the season to deck the halls and drink a lot of eggnog! Happy Holidays, everyone!
Giving Thanks. Help Make A Difference.
Posted Thursday, November 24, 2011 by Mona ShahHappy Thanksgiving. This is truly a day to give thanks - we are very fortunate compared to many around the world. This year, we've had the opportunity to get to know Ecofficiency’s Jesse Baker and Chrissy Gray, who are currently preparing for their second trip to an extremely remote part of Haiti called Pays Pourri, where many people have been dying of cholera. Because there are no roads to this area, the international aid community has ignored it, for the most part. Ecofficiency will be working with a group of Haitians to distribute simple, durable and effective water filtration systems, give cholera education presentations, and help a local clinic establish a presence where there has been none. Unfortunately, most of those living in this area do not even know what bacteria are, let alone cholera. They lack the fundamental tools to effectively deal with this epidemic, and it has only gotten worse. Jesse and Chrissy have a great opportunity to do something really special and important, but they need our help to make it as effective as possible. Each filtration system costs only $60, and will supply clean water for 100 people a day for 5 years, without using any energy!
We support their initiative and would love for our friends to sponsor a water filter too by making a $60 donation, or whatever you can afford to their general fund – no amount is too small…everything helps! All donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of your donation will go towards the program, as the transportation and lodging have already been paid for.Donation Link: http://bit.ly/sTaZOv
To see what they accomplished last year check out their Project Haiti website!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale!
Posted Friday, November 11, 2011 by Mona ShahStone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale will be tapped today - 11.11.11 at 6 p.m. - and it is something really special. Many of you are aware of Stone Brewing Co's Vertical Epic Ale series, and today, 11.11.11, is truly auspicious as we present this Belgian-style amber ale brewed with cinnamon and Anaheim chillis from New Mexico’s legendary Hatch Valley.
Here are some tasting notes from Stone’s Brewmaster Mitch Steele:
Appearance:
The Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale pours a deep amber with a cream colored head of foam.
Aroma:
The Belgian yeast strain we used this year has more pronounced banana aromatics than the clove flavors produced by some of the yeast strains we have used in past years. Mixed in with the banana esters are toffee malt notes, hints of spice — clove and cinnamon — and a trace of very mild green chili in the back. The aromas all blend together incredibly well.
Taste:
Upfront, the yeast-derived banana flavors are blended very nicely with toasted and toffee-like malt flavors, fruity esters, and balanced hints of cinnamon. Mid palate the Perle and Pacific Jade hops and the Hatch green chili flavors come through. The beer finishes dry, and bitter with just the most subtle of hints of chili heat and a touch of alcohol.
Overall:
Not your typical chili beer! The famous mild green chilies from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico add layers of delicious flavor with a very mild heat component. The base beer itself is very reminiscent of a European amber beer, with Perle and Pacific Jade hops, Munich and other roasted German and Belgian malts, hopped and brewed to a very Stone like 65 IBU and 9.4% ABV. Cinnamon is a wonderful spice if used judiciously, which we did here-it doesn’t by any means dominate the beer’s flavor, but definitely adds a subtly complex spice note that blends amazingly well with the banana esters and green chili.
ABV: 9.4%
IBU: 65
OG: 20.5°P
TG: 2.5°P
Malts: Pale, Crystal, Munich, CaraBohemian and Special B
Hops: Warrior, Target, Perle and Pacific Jade
Now that you’ve received the full rundown on this beer, come and try it while we have it!
NOW ON TAP: Russian River Damnation Batch 23
Posted Friday, November 04, 2011 by Mona ShahThe story goes that every 23 batches of Damnation, Russian River makes a special batch aged with oak chips or in oak barrels. This Belgian-style ale pours a really nice light amber honey color with a nice billowy head, which gives off a really pleasant aroma, strong grains complimented with ample soft oak notes and hints of honey and lemon. A really great beer, and if you like Russian River's Damnation, this batch with the oak flavors brings out some added complexity and really takes this beer to another level.
Come and get it while we've got it!
Haven Gastropub+Brewery to open in early December | Daily Dish | Los Angeles Times
Posted Thursday, November 03, 2011 by Mona ShahExecutive chef Greg Daniels, beverage director Wil Dee and brewmaster David Larsen are opening the second location of Haven Gastropub+Brewery in Old Town Pasadena (the other location is in Orange).
The restaurant will have an on-site brewery that will feature small-batch seasonal offerings. The trio are anticipating an imperial stout, Bavarian-style hefeweizen and IPA. In addition, Haven Gastropub+Brewery will carry 100 different bottled beers from local, national and international breweries, 52 beers and wines on tap, including four cask ales. The bar will have an extensive selection, including uncommon spirits such as Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, Michter’s Straight Rye, and Carpano Antica Formula used in pre-prohibition-style cocktails.
The menu will showcase farmers markets specials, house-made charcuterie and freshly baked flatbreads. Included will be such dishes as a goose pastrami sandwich with cole slaw, Russian dressing and housemade mustard on rye bread with seasonal pickled vegetables; grilled octopus with caramelized fennel and hearts of palm, yellow tomato confit, and citrus aioli; and a duo of quail, featuring pan-roasted quail and house-made quail sausage, with hen of the woods mushrooms, butternut squash puree and Black Mission fig jam.
Haven Gastropub+Brewery will serve lunch, dinner and a late-night menu consecutively from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.
Haven Gastropub+Brewery, 42 De Lacey Ave., Pasadena, www.havengastropub.com.
Read the post online on the LA Times' Daily Dish HERE.
A Taste of Fall Fundraiser. An Opportunity to Know Your Food.
Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by Mona ShahBy now, all of you have read the feature in Coast Magazine's November issue, Positively Delicious, and you know all about our budding relationship with The Positive Plate. Well, here's your chance to be involved in the official launch of The Positive Plate at a fundraiser party on Friday, November 11th (11.11.11), at the Second Harvest Food Bank, inside the Orange County Great Park.
Here are the highlights of the event/reasons to get your tickets ASAP:
- You'll get to sample delicious - and responsible - foods from 8 OC restaurants that are part of this project (including Haven Gastropub and our sister restaurant, taco asylum, of course)
- A hosted bar with all sustainable beverages (yes, we're talking about responsible drinking: beer, wine & sustainable cocktails)
- Live acoustic set from OC's own The Common Kings
- A silent auction -- leave with some goodies knowing ALL proceeds are going to local non-profits
- And finally, it's for the good of all: you get to do something good for yourself and help others in the process.
The event is 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. on a Friday night, so come spend some time with friends, and enjoy great food from the restaurants involved with The Positive Plate: Avanti Cafe, Duke’s, Haven Gastropub, Haute Cakes, Sage, SOL Cocina, taco asylum, and Xanh Bistro. You'll get to sample a small sustainable dish that best represents each restaurant.
Tickets are $50 for our friends, and admission is limited to 200 guests, so get your tickets now to avoid disappointment: BUY TICKETS NOW.
This event benefits Kid Healthy and Real Meals, a collaboration between OC Food Access Coalition and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
A portion of proceeds will benefit Kid Healthy and Real Meals, a collaboration between OC Food Access Coalition and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Haven Gastropub or taco asylum are not producing this event or handling tickets sales - the event is being produced by Ecofficiency.org.
Positively Delicious | Coast Magazine
Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by Mona Shah
Positively Delicious :: Local restaurants show their sustainable side.
BY STEVE BRAMUCCI :: November 2011 :: Coast Magazine
Greg Daniels of Haven Gastropub in downtown Orange doesn’t feel compelled to convince anyone how green he is. “As a chef, buying organic, locally sourced ingredients is more about getting the best food on the plate than anything else,” he says.
His high standards have led Daniels to visit local farmers’ markets and get to know his sources for meat, fish and poultry. Purchasing decisions like these fit both with the chef’s cooking style and his environmental ethos. “It’s an eco-decision to try to source local ingredients,” he says. “But it also gives a certain sense of place to the food.”
Anyone who has tasted Haven’s vegetable mélange with roasted seasonal vegetables, pumpkin gnocchi and fried sage doesn’t need this philosophy spelled out; the flavor does the trick. The dish, like so many on Haven’s fall menu, is hearty while also containing a complexity and inventiveness that differentiate it from standard pub fare.Daniels, who is a partner in both Haven and The CAMP’s Taco Asylum, is one of the first members of The Positive Plate, a project run by ecofficiency.org, that also includes Avanti Cafe in Costa Mesa, Duke's in Huntington Beach, Haute Cakes, Sage and Sol Cocina in Newport Beach, and Xanh Bistro in Fountain Valley.
Jesse Baker, co-founder of Ecofficiency, describes The Positive Plate as “a chance to help restaurants make a measurable difference in their sustainability practices.” Still in its early stages, Baker designed the program to serve as both an eco-diners club and a sustainable restaurant certifier.
When Baker hears Daniels downplay his conscious purchasing choices, he laughs. “Greg is underselling himself,” he says. “He and our other chefs certainly have a lot of pride about what they serve. But they also have an ethical philosophy about supporting things that are right. With tuna for instance, procuring it the right way and procuring it the wrong way doesn’t make a speck of difference to the taste, but our restaurants are going above and beyond to source every ingredient in a sustainable way.”
Through The Positive Plate, Baker hopes to help local restaurateurs examine all segments of their business, including waste, purchasing, energy, water use, employee training, and community engagement. Haven and seven other Orange County restaurants were the first invitees to the program. Baker handpicked them because he knew they were committed to sustainability. “You look at a place like Haven, where they just spent thousands of dollars on a water-filtration system,” Baker says, “and you can see that they’re putting their money where their mouths are.”
This enthusiasm runs both ways.
“We loved Jesse’s idea from the word go,” Daniels says of The Positive Plate. “Most green restaurant certifiers are overseen from the East Coast but this was local. It gave us a chance to be involved in a project from the ground up.”
One of Baker’s ideas for The Positive Plate is to hold quarterly roundtables with his eight member restaurants to help them source materials and share ideas. “A rising tide lifts every ship,” he says. “These guys aren’t competing with each other; they represent the push for more sustainable practices throughout the industry. With higher standards in place everyone who meets those standards is bound to look good.”
Looking across a table filled with Haven’s rich yet complex house specialties, from grilled octopus to apple panna cotta, it doesn’t take much convincing. The proof is literally in the pudding.
EAT GREEN! Check out The Positive Plate’s "Taste of Fall" event at the Orange County Great Park on November 11 :: thepositiveplate.org
RECIPE: Haven Gastropub’s Famous Brussels Sprouts by Chef Greg Daniels
