The Curious Kumquat

The award for most far-flung modernist cuisine may go to chef Rob Connoley of the Curious Kumquat in Silver City, New Mexico. A winding four-hour drive through the desert from Albuquerque, the 'Quat, as locals call it, incorporates hydrocolloids and other standbys of molecular gastronomy into globally influenced dishes—Thai red curry duck, Korean-spiced elk shank—but Connoley's food is just as inspired by his own town. Kids from the local 4-H supply his pork, and he's big into foraging (the crayfish, for example, that fill samosas topped with pistachio foam and pickled grapes are harvested from the nearby Gila River). Sure, Connoley could hold his own in a metropolis, but the 'Quat's roots run too deep to transplant.