RISING CHEFS 2004

Age: 31 Home Town: Colmar, Alsace Favorite Ingredient: bacon Signature Dish: choucroute garnie Mentor: Prosper Montagné

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Maple Drive, venerable dining icon in the 90210 for studio execs and local families, has experienced a renaissance since Eric Klein took over the kitchen. Trained in the LA Puck empire (Spago Beverly Hills, Chinois on Main) and at Röckenwagner, as well as his native Alsace Lorraine under the formidable Jean-Yves Schillinger, Klein has a real love for the dishes of his farm-raised heritage. He might just be the perfect element to gel the old and the new. You'll still find the kick-ass chili that put Maple Drive on the map a decade and a half ago, but allow yourself to be dazzled by rustic dishes like a thin-crusted tarte flambée and his divine choucroute. Lately, he's been intrigued by bacon and the challenge of creating a seasonal fall menu for a city that knows no seasons. "Old stuff is new stuff again. I do things old school, but so clean, so fresh," he says.

Maple Drive

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