
Ebbe
To celebrate New Years Eve, Teresa and I decided a revisit to Ebbe was in order. My son was fortunate enough to stage here for a day and I ran in to Chef Ebbe at the Tampa Michelin awards. He has been warm and gracious. I've followed him a bit closer than I do others and am aware of some ups and down in the business since my first visit 16 months ago. He recently opened a companion food and wine bar called Fisk right in the same space.
Entering the building, it's that beautiful long bar that catches your eye. It's warm, sumptuous wood calling to you more than the bland colors of the fine dining space to your left. But the elegant divider between the two areas elevates the fine dining space as well, removing some (if not all) of the pedestrian green wood which dominated the space previously.
Without a host, the awkward "What do we go? Where do we go? Do they know we're here?" returned. I'm such a believer in first impressions that set the tone, that this just seems such an easy thing to fix. A dedicated FOH person would make such a difference.
The feeling didn't last long, however. Chef Ebbe himself came around the bar and greeted us like old friends, kindly asking about my son and wishing he was joining us. Chef personally handled half of the diners and we were glad to be seated on his side of the counter. He could not have been more outgoing, affable and engaged. All of us were treated quite specially and it was a step up from the friendly yet unpolished engagement on our first visit.
The food was also an incredible improvement. Shockingly improved, to be honest. On our first visit, other than his signature beet dish (which came from Vollmers), the other dishes were quite tasty, but lacked the elevation and refinement that I expected from a chef of this caliber. Tonight? Every single dish had such an incredible "Wow!" factor that it almost felt like a different restaurant. Varied, tasty, refined, perfectly cooked, beautiful to look at.
There is a marked difference between Michelin standards in Europe and the USA. I wish there wasn't, but it's true. A 2 star in America would be a 1 star in Europe. The bar is higher over there. The food we enjoyed tonight was a clear (European) 1-star level and pushed into 2 stars many times.
I discussed this Chef Ebbe, who was incredibly open and honest about where this restaurant was, where it is and where they are going. Perhaps he was more open with me than he would be with others, but it was incredibly refreshing to dive into the business-side of high end dining with a Chef so open to acknowledge his accomplishments but also where things have fallen short. There was no attempt to keep a nose in the air and ignore reality. Rather, there was a warts-and-all discussion on his business and vision. Humility is baked into Nordic ethos, but he owed me none of what he shared. And it left me far more "bought in" to this man and his restaurant.
I have detailed thoughts on each dish in the photo captions. Please dive in and enjoy as we did. The flavors were incredibly Nordic - simple, recognizable, quietly stupendous. They were each varied and exhibited such a high level of execution. Proteins were so perfectly cooked. I went with the wine pairing this time and it was excellent, curated by the Vollmers sommelier.
Front of house as a whole still feels not quite put together. We were served the wrong wine for one of the courses. Chef requested something of one of his staff and, right in front of us, there was a frustrated huff in response.
Some if it is endearing, such as when chef struggled with shaving a black currant onto the beet dish. "Well, this is a firm little bastard!" he blurted with a smile. I couldn't help but adore the humor and honesty! But the FOH feel of this place is still not star-worthy. It's not trying to be.
What is star-worthy is the food. Tonight, it was extraordinary.
My first visit called for a return simply from a curiosity. To see where the restaurant had come. Tonight's meal will call for a return much sooner. To enjoy Nordic cuisine of similar quality as you would find in Copenhagen. I am delightfully glad to find it in my backyard.
Many thanks, Chef Ebbe.
Ebbe Volmer has a killer resume. Vollmers in Maelmo, Sweden (just across the bay from Copenhagen) is a well-respected 2-star restaurant run by Ebbe and his brother Mats. Ebbe has relocated to Tampa (ostensibly for his wife's career) and "got bored staying home all day", so he opened this 24-seat Chef counter in downtown Tampa.
Needless to say, I had to go.
Arrival was a bit of an eyebrow-raise. The restaurant is located in what seemed to be an abandoned neighborhood. No cars in any parking lot. No buildings open. You enter into a fairly cavernous space that swallows up the rather large bar. With no host to greet you, it's an awkward entrance to be sure. The scale of the place lent to a bit of a detached feel. Walking in, the bar felt worlds away on the other side of the room. Sitting at the large bar, you feel removed from the chefs and staff behind it.
The design also feels a bit haphazard with a ritzy, upscale granite bar, simple, exposed wood construction supporting it (and creating separations between the dining room and the kitchen) yet with uber-modern lighting. It feels kind of "self done" - and we learned later that it was when our chef/server proudly stated that he had built the bar himself.
The restaurant is staffed only with chefs. "We fold your napkins. We clean the dishes. We print the menus." I was introduced to this concept at Christopher's in Phoenix and applaud the effort. They are clearly still finding some FOH legs, as a lengthy confusion at the pass over some missing tickets was clearly overheard. (There were us and 2 other couples in the entire restaurant at the time.) We also received some silverware that wasn't fully clean. Details matter at places like this.
That said, our chef/server was delightful, energetic and very eager to be sure we had everything we needed for a terrific experience. He happily provided me with tastes of a few wines to be sure I could pick one to my liking. Eagerly provided an alternate menu when I requested one. And excitedly described each dish. He was clearly invested in the place and it showed. Kudos to Ebbe for finding him. (He also made Teresa's favorite dish.)
Alright. On to the food.
This is a ridiculously enjoyable meal. The dishes are diverse and many are very unique and inventive. The highlight was most certainly Ebbe's signature dish: beets cooked in brown butter. "It's been on our menu in Maelmo for 15 straight years" Chef Ebbe shared as he presented the dish. Truly spectacular in concept and execution, and shows the heights a dish can reach when refined for so long. It was also quintessentially Nordic - simple ingredients, simple preparation, mind-blowing flavor through incredible technique.
The other two standouts for me were the fois gras/squash mousse with green apple oil. So surprising and unique, brilliantly conceived and executed. And the broken black currant jelly and yogurt (Skyr) mousse dessert. Insanely simple and insanely delicious. Teresa loved the eclair (patachou) so much, she stole mine before I could try a bite! I snatched it back and understood why she wanted a double portion.
Every dish here deserved a nod, however. The beef tartare with sturgeon roe sang and I never wanted it to end. The turbot reminded us of le Bernadin. (High praise, indeed.) The duck was deliciously layered with sweet (raspberry, honey) and salty, accompanied by a delicious jus.
The juice pairing fell flat. Simple juices (mandarin juice, lemonade) that didn't have or lend speciality to the experience. I'll definitely try the wine pairing next time instead. I'm no expert, but the wine list looked very well conceived.
Leaving had the same effect as coming in. Our chef/server bid adieu from 20 yards away across the dining room as we were steps from the door, having been busy with others as we rose from our seats. They would really benefit from a FOH manager.
The restaurant opened too late for this year's Michelin guide, but I surely expect it to receive a star next year. I was delighted to see the bar full by the time we left. I hope this place succeeds. Any new restaurant needs refinement and this one is no exception. But given Chef's experience in Sweden and clear commitment to the craft, I expect they'll continue to improve.
Without question, I'll be back to see.