At Rockenwagner, It’s Season to Celebrate the Asparagus

In Germany, it’s white asparagus season, and this month, as he has for the past 14 years, chef Hans Rockenwagner offers a spargelkarte, or asparagus menu, through June, or whenever the imported white asparagus stop coming. It’s a wonderful tradition, which he celebrates by combining traditional and innovative California asparagus dishes on one menu. I like the way he lists a handful of asparagus appetizers followed by the same number of classic Rockenwagner dishes. (Remember, this year is the Santa Monica restaurant’s 15th anniversary and each week guests get to vote for their favorite Rockenwagner classics, such as crab souffle with lobster butter sauce.)

If you love the queen of vegetables, it’s difficult to choose. The only solution: Come with enough people to order everything. White asparagus soup with “prosciutto twists”? Grilled jumbo green and steamed white asparagus salad with smoked Scottish salmon? There’s a lovely ragout of white asparagus, lobster and potato in a satiny beurre blanc showered with chervil. Or, for a touch of the exotic, the snowy spears presented with snap peas, mushrooms and apples in a creamy curry sauce. But a seductive special of white asparagus with musky morel mushrooms and a beautiful reduction tops them both.

The absolute best main course, though, is the “classic” 1 pound of perfectly steamed white spears laid out on the plate surrounded by new potatoes that taste as if they came direct from the earth. The combination of the slightly crunchy, delicate asparagus with the potatoes and a homemade mayonnaise is memorable. If you order the side of thinly sliced smoky black forest ham, it makes a wonderful feast.

For dessert, he’s got a traditional apple strudel stuffed with diced apples, formed into a narrow roll and cut on the diagonal. What’s intriguing is its sharp, sweet balsamic sauce.

The spargelkarte is also being offered this year for the first time at Rockenwagner’s new Marina del Rey restaurant, Rock. And some of the recipes from the asparagus menu are featured in this month’s Saveur magazine. Or, you can also opt for a cooking class next Wednesday with the chef himself, who is also author of “Rockenwagner” (Ten Speed Press).

BE THERE

Rockenwagner, 2435 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 399-6504. Open daily for dinner; for brunch on the weekends. Spargelkarte appetizers $9 to $16; main courses $26 to $38. Valet parking.