THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Origen

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Origen Restaurant Review:

Every detail of Origen's ambience --- soft music, muted lighting, cozy booths, walls in rich vegetable tones that match the actual produce used as décor --- has been carefully orchestrated to soothe. This is startling at first: many trendy restaurants are so loud, their tables crammed together so tightly, that one forgets the joys of dining in quiet privacy. Co-chefs/co-owners Trace Leighton and Daniel Clayton mesh creativity with culinary knowledge, a commitment to sustainability, and irrepressible pluck when it comes to devising everything from maple-praline-pumpkin trifle to parsnip soup to fresh-fruit cocktails. Menus change seasonally and include such offerings as chewy potato-ricotta gnocchi in tangy duck ragù and a velvety-smooth feta, harissa and roasted-squash salad. The international array at this "farm-to-fork" restaurant always includes rustic wood-fired pizzas with eclectic toppings such as stinging nettles and lamb: big pies so seductive that you'll find yourself actually savoring the taste and freshness of the flour in their chewy crusts. The menu proudly specifies all farms, fisheries and other ingredient sources.