Lottē was started as a seasonal farm to table restaurants from Chef Josh Rathbun.  Opened in the fall of 2023 it was named for his daughter Charlotte.  A Wichita native Rathbun has worked in many different kitchens where he developed a fondness for seasonal cooking, using as many local products as possible.   He developed a good working relationship with Chef de Cuisine Zakk Thomas at Siena Tuscan Steakhouse and now the two create their own dishes with a menu that changes about every six weeks.  Located on the ground floor of a bank parking garage it’s a large space with a wall of windows to the downtown street.  Opposite this was a wide granite counter facing the kitchen prep area with fancy cut wood tables of varying sizes in between.  We chose counter seating to see some of the action and while it did get a bit noisier I liked the many granite surfaces they combined to make the counter.  The other end of the room had the bar area with a different counter and higher stools for those that wanted to eat or drink there.  It was a bustling place with 4 chefs cooking and excellent servers handling the rest.  It was a place I’d heartily recommend you try especially if you’re willing to share so you can taste more things.  It was all good with a nice variety of flavors and textures.

Set-up

 

Food

An amuse bouche was a pork and duck paté topped with a bit of marmalade.  It was delicious.

 

The Brioche was a freshly baked brioche loaf served with cultured butter and jam.  It looked too brown but it was actually perfect.  Soft and buttery inside it came with an a scoop of softened and salted butter.  The marmalade was good but I preferred the warm bread with a bit of the butter or plain – to better savor its flavor and divine texture.

 

Doppio Ravioli came with mushrooms, broccoli rabe and a charred rapini gremolata.  We didn’t order it but it was delivered in error.  When we sent it back they turned around and gifted it to us.  There were two different colors of stuffed ravioli that were both tasty in the sauce and toppings.  Lots of mushrooms always help too.

 

Lamb orecchiette came with Merguez sausage, broccolini, feta, oregano and chile oil.  This is one of the dishes that’s been on the menu since the place opened and I could see why.   Really savory Merguez sausage chunks were mixed with the delicate feta and greens with a fabuous housemade orecchiette.  The pasta pieces were slightly thick and yet cooked to perfection.  This was a divine blend of flavors and textures.

 

Smoked duck breast was served with roasted turnips, pickled beets, charred endive, fennel soubise and a sauce a la orange.  the medium rare duck was sliced and lightly smokey.  It was great with the fennel soubise – that resembled sabayon in richness and creamy texture.  The beets were both red and golden and very tasty as was the endive.  A very tasty plate of food.

 

Citrus tres leches was topped with kiwi, blood orange curd, citrus supreme, and garnished with coconut shortbread.  The lovely moist cake was topped with the two oranges, grapefruit and kiwi on top of cream with a blood orange infusion sauce.  Clean flavors with a good amount of sweetness made for a fine dessert.

 

Chocolate chip cookies were touted to be ‘the best cookie you’ll ever have’.  They came 2 to an order and held large chunks of bittersweet chocolate with a sprinkle of salt on the top.   The edges had a good crisp with the center staying chewy.  They may not be the best I’ve ever had but they certainly were up there.