Photograph by George Sakkestad
Chef Jason Siccone brews stock for some of his dishes at Le Mouton Noir.
By Suzanne Cristallo
Jason Siccone brings to his profession the taste of the wild mountains and the rugged seashore. He is an avid hiker, but first he is chef at the quaint and romantic Le Mouton Noir restaurant in Saratoga, which has been serving classic French food for 20 years. There he creates dishes reflecting the inspirations he gets from walks along the California coast.
"If I see deer nibbling berries in the woods, I might come back and cook venison with a berry sauce," he says. A walk along the Big Sur coastline can be an inspiration for Maine lobster with French truffles, "my favorite thing to cook."
A native of Boston, Siccone, 26, started cooking at 14, preparing French toast on Sundays for his family. "I knew then I wanted to be a chef," he says, recalling he even had a laminated menu for his family. Eventually he studied formally for his profession at Johnson and Wales College in Providence, R.I.
When he came to California three years ago, it was to study 12 hours a day without pay under Roland Passot of La Folie Restaurant in San Francisco, the man he credits with being the biggest influence on his cooking. Later, he moved to Los Gatos to work for a while at Cafe Marcella and later at Le Mouton Noir, which changed ownership last October when Karen and Jeff Breslow of Los Altos bought it.
"The restaurant reminds me of a rustic yet elegant and quaint little village at the bottom of a mountain," Siccone says of Le Mouton Noir, which translated means "The Black Sheep."
The good food comes from all over the world. There is foie gras (goose liver) from the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, fresh black winter truffles from France, venison and wild pheasant from New Zealand, "lots of big, fat scallops from Chatham" and, of course, lobster from Maine and salmon from the Atlantic.
Next week, a new menu will contain two sides. One side will list seasonal selections such as the classic rack of lamb and duck for which the restaurant is best known. The other side will contain specialty items. Entrées are generally in the $18-$26 range, but with advance notice, Siccone will arrange a five-course tasting meal for $50-$60 each person.
And in the near future, Siccone says Le Mouton Noir will be offering a four-star Sunday brunch. Curious customers then might get a chance to taste the family French toast that launched his career 12 years ago.
Le Mouton Noir, 14560 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Open for dinner Mon.-Fri., 6-9:30 p.m., Sat., 5:30- 9:30 p.m., Sun., 5-9 p.m. Lunch Sat., 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. 867-7017.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, March 5, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.