W hen we go out to eat for leisure we often end up at fleishig restaurants. Maybe we feel like the money spent is better justified on meat than on dairy or maybe the dishes I usually order at milchig places just seem like ones I can easily recreate at home but whatever the reason is the list of milchig restaurants we frequent is quite a short one. For that reason when I noticed some buzz about the newest upscale dairy restaurant in my neighborhood La Cambio I figured I’d get there eventually. Not urgent as if eating out is ever urgent business to begin with.

It turns out I was wrong about all of it. La Cambio is no run-of-the-mill café passing off low-end-ingredient dishes as haute cuisine. There’s nothing on their menu that I could or would think to create in my own kitchen. It’s absolutely the real deal and Chef Jose Soto (formerly of Basil which yes made it to my aforementioned shortlist) creates dishes that are absolutely unreplicable and unique. I actually feel a little bad about my milchig misconceptions now.

We walk into La Cambio about an hour before dinner service picks up and take a table by the window which overlooks busy Coney Island Avenue. With the soft blinds closed though La Cambio is in its own little world. The décor is high end with white tablecloths on the tables in the small 28-seat or so dining room. Ruby the owner is busy taking reservations when we walk in so we have a minute to admire the murals on the walls a print of the Detroit Industry Murals by Diego Rivera and a jazzy print by French painter Bernard Ott.

We meet Chef Jose Soto whose entire persona is alive with excitement over his passion: creating delicious food by letting local seasonal and natural ingredients shine. He entered the food service industry at just 14 years old as a dishwasher at the legendary Savoy restaurant and worked his way up with mentorships from the best of the nonkosher culinary world. And working in kosher he says isn’t that much of a stretch.

La Cambio showcases Italian flavors prepared with French techniques which Chef Soto finds is a natural direction for kosher food to go in. Before getting into detail he goes back to the kitchen to bring out what turns out to be the first of many impressive dishes. A fresh loaf of bread is accompanied by fresh house-cured olives as well as a trio of house-made butters.

“I make the butter from scratch and flavor each of them separately ” Chef Soto says. There’s a goat’s milk butter which is tangy and smooth; an apricot and truffle butter which is very sweet and not overwhelming; and an absolutely delicious salmon butter which tastes like all the best parts of Sunday-morning brunch.

Next we have a gorgeously plated watermelon appetizer a perfectly summery dish which combines texture and flavor for a really interesting opener. There’s both fresh and grilled watermelon slightly melted feta and crunchy fried quinoa and it’s visually beautiful. Chef Soto gives us instructions: “Try to get a little of everything onto the fork if you can. The flavors are meant to be tasted together.”

He’s right. The grilled watermelon’s sweetness is more concentrated than I expected and the fresh melon is light the feta is smooth and tangy and the quinoa adds little bursts of texture throughout the whole dish.

Chef Soto brings us some of his famous fries with house-made truffle aioli Parmesan cheese and rosemary. I’m fascinated by how far his dedication to making everything he can from scratch goes. Who on earth makes their own truffle oil? Which leads me to a very important consideration: Should I be making my own truffle oil?

Next Chef Soto brings out a plate of gnocchi. It’s obvious that the dish has been composed and plated with balance in mind; the colors and textures and placement of the food is very much deliberate. The gnocchi themselves have a slightly toasted exterior from a quick pan-fry but have the most luxuriously smooth and silky texture once you bite into them. Chef Soto takes offense at chewy gnocchi that take effort to bite into; his are everything gnocchi are supposed to be — tender soft and pillowy. They’re mixed with mushrooms caramelized apples crispy capers sage leaves and a beautiful fried egg. The runny yolk mixes with the gnocchi and mushrooms and becomes the dish’s sauce. It’s surprisingly light and savory and really delicious.

Chef Soto explains how his plating style relates to the diner’s experience. “Everything has to make sense. It’s just not the same unless every element has a purpose ” he says. He sits nearby while we enjoy discussing his philosophies on sourcing the best local ingredients to create the best dishes he can. His viewpoint seems to work; this is the best gnocchi I’ve had in a long time maybe ever.

Next Chef Soto brings us two of his favorite pizzas a five-cheese pizza (Cinque Formaggio in Italian since we’re being fancy) with oregano and a really spicy kale and roasted-garlic pizza with chilies and house-smoked mozzarella. I was skeptical about the Scorcher since I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to spicy food but I have to say I liked it even better than the Cinque Formaggio.

While the five-cheese pizza is an excellent dish for any cheese lover it’s definitely the safe way out. The Scorcher is more of an overall experience; that smoky pizza oven smell hits your senses first and the first flavor to register is the sweet sauce and roasted garlic. Then it gets very very hot. “Almost too hot ” laughs Chef Soto “but it calms down right when you think it’s going to overwhelm you.” The kale adds an extra level of texture and a nice earthiness that pairs well with the charred crust. Plus I figure that the kale and pizza pretty much cancel each other out health-wise (not that this is a night to count calories).

Our tasting continues with Chef Soto’s delicious homemade pastas. He serves us goat cheese tortellini —the biggest tortellini I’ve ever seen — plated with oyster mushrooms in a Parmesan broth and a creamy pappardelle plated in a sleek coil topped with creamy ricotta and salmon bread crumbs. The star of the tortellini dish is the savory and complex Parmesan broth which has deep layers of flavor. It’s perfect with the slightly chewy oyster mushrooms and the goat cheese tortellini. The pappardelle is rolled beautifully across the plate and covered in salmon “bread crumbs ” which is actually not bread at all but salmon that’s been smoked then roasted and finally fried and turned into a crunchy garnish. It sits in a white fumé which tastes distinctly like a smoky salmon broth but manages to be not at all fishy. Chef Soto explains that it’s his playful rendition of a carbonara made with fish instead of the traditional nonkosher meat.

We finish off the main dish tasting with fish proving that Italian cuisine can be successfully delicious without being heavy. Chef Soto prepares his take on a tuna Nicoise. Everything on the plate represents the elements of a classic Nicoise which traditionally is composed of canned ingredients. His plate showcases a beautifully seared piece of tuna crusted with his secret spice mix plated with potato salad and egg salad in an au poivre sauce. The spice crust is unique and delicious; it’s bold and assertive but pairs very well with the tuna and the pepper sauce. The whole dish feels fresh and clean and would absolutely be something I would come back to order again.

We also try a seared salmon plated with pea pesto and pea sauce a beautiful juxtaposition of color. The two pea elements taste completely different from each other and balance each other and the barely cooked salmon very well. I love the pea puree and this is without a doubt the first time I’ve really enjoyed (and not just tolerated) a pea dish.

We finish the meal with two of Chef Soto’s desserts: a coffee zabaglione that tops a dense chocolate cake and a cheesecake slice with lemon curd. The coffee zabaglione is smooth and creamy with just a hint of alcohol taking the sauce to the next level and the chocolate cake is dark and rich. The cheesecake on the other hand is light not the manufactured cream-cheesy taste that many restaurant cheesecakes tend to have but with a more developed cheese taste. It pairs well with the citrusy curd which is a really satisfying end to an extremely decadent meal.

La Cambio is definitely an occasion restaurant. Chef Soto uses the word “indulge” a lot which seems to be quite an accurate portrayal of his point of view. Refined seasonal ingredients and dishes that are made completely from scratch (down to the smoked salt homemade churned butter and freshly infused oils) are luxury items but well worth it for a dining experience that goes beyond just eating out.

Favorite dish: Gnocci with caramelized apples mushrooms capers and egg.

Biggest surprise: The Scorcher! It was hot but I was still able to taste the other flavors on the pizza. So good!

Best plating: Watermelon salad. Almost too pretty to eat but luckily I got over that quick.

Best Garnish: Salmon bread crumbs. I’m still not sure how Chef Soto managed that perfectly crunchy crumb! (Originally featured in Family First Issue 553)