Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/164544
FOOD AND DRINK The Duo at Tripel CO-CHEFS BROOKE WILLIAMSON AND NICK ROBERTS CREATE A GOURMET NEIGHBORHOOD EATERY by Breanne DeMore / photos by Susan Sabo C o-chefs, co-owners and husband and wife, Nick Roberts and Brooke Williamson clearly make quite the successful pair. Opening their first restaurant together 11 years ago, the duo has become an unstoppable force. "We've always been a team," says Williamson, "in the kitchen, in ownership and in our lives." The Tripel is the couple's neighborhood-bar spot in beachfront Los Angeles town Playa del Rey. Belgian beer–focused and with a drive towards eclectic food and beverages, Williamson and Roberts had a very specific goal for this restaurant. "We wanted this to be the neighborhood hangout that you could stop by multiple times a week because the food and drinks were diverse and interesting—but we didn't want to seem pretentious at all." Their attitude of approachable gourmet cuisine is perfectly exemplified in their signature Tripel Burger, the chosen pairing for the Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages. A savory combination of duck confit, pork and aged beef all rolled into one patty (is your stomach growling yet?), the burger is topped with truffle pecorino, arugula and house-made apricot jam all atop an onion brioche bun. "The burger is rich enough to stand up to the light tannin of the wine," says Williamson. "These ingredients just pair so beautifully with the grape." "I really love Gamay," explains Williamson. "I was very insistent about learning as much as I could about wine because I felt it went hand-in-hand with being a chef. So I've had the opportunity to visit Beaujolais and I know how beautiful the place is, which I think gives me a different perception of the region's wine. It's really versatile, playful, bright and great with food." —Breanne DeMore Co-chefs Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts of Tripel in Playa del Rey: "We think it's important to educate our customers and expose them to new flavors and cuisine—without making them feel like they're being educated." The Tripel Burger consists of duck confit, pork and aged beef rolled into one patty, truffle pecorino, arugula and house-made apricot jam on an onion brioche bun. september 2013 / the tasting panel / 103 TP0913_063-103.indd 103 8/22/13 9:24 PM