press
Allium in the news:
If you missed seeing Lisa on Q13Fox on April 19, here’s the link to watch her clip
The New York Times
San Juan Islands, Wash.
Bold-face restaurateurs vie with unspoiled nature. Nature wins.
The big draw for the San Juan Islands this year just might be its dining scene. Blaine Wetzel, a former chef at the wildly acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant Noma, took the reins at Willows Inn on Lummi Island (due to reopen on Feb. 10), while Lisa Nakamura, who has trained with big-name chefs like Thomas Keller, opened Allium on Orcas Island.
Puget Hound
“What I did expect was good food, what I did not expect was to have my heart so touched by such gorgeous food and gracious hospitality that it would fundamentally change the way I want to write about Chefs, their food and their restaurants forever.” To read more….
Wright Eats
“It turns out that, yes,it is entirely possible to spend just 24 hours in the San Juan Islands and feel like you’ve had a grand getaway.: To read more Allium On Orcas
Seattle Weekly Top 5 Seattle Chef blogs
There are a handful of blogs in Seattle who have stories and opinions worth reading. What makes a good chef blog? Ultimately, its a nice mix of information and entertainment. For Nakamura, its always been a dream to write a cookbook for life in and out of the kitchen; simple lessons translated from food, if only we are willing to listen.
Thrillst A French Laundrys Vet new San Juan resto
Acclaimed Seoul Munich Paris trained chef Lisa Nakamura s providing a culinary reason to hit Orcas Island with seasonally inspired, exotically flavored Frenchiness in this laid back secondstory eatery which used to be pioneering locavore spot Christinas.
Seattle Met Magazine
You may know Chef Nakamura, or from her latest gig as Chef de Cuisine at The Herbfarm, where she once had to create salt using water from the Puget Sound for the restaurants 10 mile dinner. To read more….
Bull Wings World renowned Chef brings Family Atmosphere to Landmark Restaurant
She comes to Orcas Island from a position as Head Chef at the esteemed Herb Farm restaurant in Woodinville, famous for its 9course dinners. But Lisa emphasizes that Allium will be a family restaurant. This restaurant is not about being fancy or cutting edge. As you see, its a family affair and will be for the family of community. To read more….
Islands Sounder Lilies and Onions
The Chef de Cuisine from the illustrious Herbfarm in Woodinville, Wash. is coming to town. And shes bringing with her a wickedly talented pastry chef. To read more….
Cornichon Lisa Nakamura to Take Over Christinas
Allium will be a casual restaurant, without the trappings of fine dining. No tablecloths, for example. A small menu that showcases seasonal products from local farmers in the San Juans. Allium is the botanical name for onions. The unsung heros of cooking, says Nakamura, whose degree is in botany. Its my favorite vegetable.
We found somebody wonderful, Christina says of Nakamura. Someone who understands how much work is involved in running a restaurant. To read more…..
Flav Blog Food: allium
Creamy Carrot Soup with julienne of radish and fresh cilantro: The word creamy does not truly speak to the smooth, buttery, and feather like texture of the soup. Osa, Chef Nakamura, and team produced an excellent evening with flavors that comforted our palettes, a fantastic view that you could spend hours staring at, and a wonderful friendliness that reaches across the islands. Do not pass up the opportunity to eat at allium. It is worth way more than the ferry ride to get there. To read more….
Eric Rivera cooking: my Stagiaire at Allium
“How do I stay here… this is the effect of great food. You feel happy, question it, appreciate it, and then try to break it down. You are lost, you are happy, you are full.”
To read more….
Cooklocal
“In the Pacific Northwest, we have no scarcity of excellent restaurants. But for all of the excellent restaurants, there are few with the heart of Allium. We’re drawn to restaurants where the chefs put their heart and soul into the food. Lisa IS Allium. You can see the excitement in her face when she talks about a local farm or the fresh peas that just came in, or those rose petals she got down by the post office. She has real relationships with the farmers who supply her ingredients, and that relationship and love is put into every dish. We’ve believed that knowing where your food comes from can only enhance the experience of eating. At Allium, you can feel that connection through Lisa, so even if you’ve never been to Lopez Island to visit the farms, you know that she has, and that she’s designed your meal with those farms in mind.”
To read more…
The Cookbook Chronicles
“Orcas Island is simply spectacular during the summer months, and it’s our favorite of the San Juan islands…. My husband had the same tomatoes and pesto with salmon “chops” a la French Laundry. Henry couldn’t stop raving about this dish. He talked about it multiple times the next day, too, to give you some indication of how much he loved it.” To read more…
