At Bulrush in St. Louis, chef Rob Connoley strives to tell the story of the cuisine of the Ozark Mountains of the 19th Century, which he has spent years researching. This is an interpretation of a classic dish of pork, wilted greens and grits, but instead of wilting the greens, Connoley fries them crisp.
He starts with Floriani grits from Oakland Farms in Drexel, Mo., which he cooks in water with locally foraged wood ear mushrooms.
He cooks local Red Wattle pork loin in sous vide and finishes it with a glaze of pork reduction and fermented elderflower honey. He tops that with an aerated foam of white chocolate potato mousse. The greens are flash-fried red Russian kale, and the dish is finished with a large puff of smoke from black cherry wood.
Price: Part of the $100 tasting menu