Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, The Kingston Ale House — known to locals simply as the “Ale House” — is the culinary heartbeat of Kingston.
Its varied menu is strong on seafood favorites, from crab cakes and clam linguine to cioppino and grilled salmon, all generously portioned and approachably priced. (The restaurant is mindful of the “no seafood” lot, too: pasta, burgers, steaks, and prime rib French dips are also served).
Named executive chef in February, Lee Kaldenbach carefully watches over a menu trusted by diners but is bringing his own style to the restaurant’s popular themed and wine dinners. His occasional specialty meals offer multi-course, prix fixe menus with wines paired to cuisines around the world.
We recently sat down with Kaldenbach to learn more about life inside and out of the kitchen. Our conversation has been edited for clarity.
How did you get here? I started in the mid-’90s at a place in rural Texas called the Rough Creek Lodge, washing dishes at age 15, then prep cooking. I’ve done quite a bit of front-of-house work as well, waiting tables, server. The only role I have not played is bartender. I’ve even worked lunch shift in front of house and dinner shift back of house in the same day. It keeps you engaged. There’s always a new experience — always a new technique or skill or equipment to learn.
Did you have an interest in cooking as a child? It’s something I’ve always liked; there’s a lot of craft and nuance to it. You can spend your entire life trying to perfect your skills.
Did you go to culinary school? After 11 years in the kitchen, I went to culinary school because it was decided that I needed the “credentials.” When I was coming out of high school, computer technology was starting to ramp up. I had offers for scholarships to go into accounting, but I didn’t want to sit behind the computer all day.
How did you put your stamp on the kitchen without changing the menu favorites? When your customers say, “Hey, I want I want my Ale House fish and chips,” you better make sure that’s what they’re getting. If not, you’re going to hear about it. There are certain dishes that you don’t mess with. That said, there might be some additions coming up, but I enjoy the special wine dinners and weekend specials. That’s when I get to have a little bit of fun.
What are the challenges of preparing a regional wine dinner? It forces you to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes from a different area that you may not have a ton of experience. You’re never going to know the nuances of every regional cuisine in the world; I don’t care how many abbreviations you have after your name. These dinners give us the ability to stretch our legs and experiment. We work hard on them.
Favorite Pacific Northwest ingredient? Anything seafood. When I was 2 feet tall, my grandpa installed a car seat in his boat for me to go fishing with him on Chesapeake Bay. (He raises his sleeve to reveal a Baltimore Orioles tattoo.)
Salmon is so ubiquitous here. Do you have an original style? Candied. We smoke ours in house. The sweet spicy thing is underutilized.
How would you like to push boundaries on the menu? This summer, we’re going to do a braised and grilled octopus set. When you put a tentacle on a plate, people can be taken aback. One of our sous chefs has been just chomping at the bit to prepare it.
If you could sit down with any chef, who would it be? James Beard or Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain exemplified that you don’t have to be a perfect human being to still be good at what you do. I’m also a huge Alton Brown fan. That man’s career has meant more to me than culinary school.
Do you have a favorite food show on YouTube? “Tasting History with Max Miller.” It’s kind of infectious. I’ve got his book, and I watch every episode. It’s fascinating to watch the evolution of a dish. For one of the wine dinners, we did the beef bourguignon. That dish was not always a chunky stew; it has changed many times over hundreds of years.
What is your response when your child, at age 15, says, ‘I want to be a chef’? She’s already said that — at 5 years old. She already has her own set of kids’ knives! You’ve got to be OK with failure and have realistic expectations of what this business is like, coming home smelling like onions and salmon. It’s not glamorous.
