The UK hasn't exactly earned a reputation for great cuisine. But take a good look at the kinds of restaurants getting press these days. Notice British and Scottish cuisine are slowly tip-toeing their way back into the mix? You have the Breslin in New York, Minneapolis' Anchor Fish and Chips has a line stretching out the door, and then there's Michael Dotson's Scottish-influenced gastropub, Martins West, in San Francisco. We talk to this chef about cooking in California, condiments, and of course, haggis.  

AndrewZimmern.com:  How did you get your start in the kitchen? Who were your biggest influences?

Michael Dotson: I got my start at Jennifer Maloney she gave me my first opportunity in the kitchen at an upscale Californian restaurant in Santa Barbara, probably the first of its kind.  Cutting class and cooking was more fun than going to school. I started as a pantry cook, getting myself in the weeds every night. One night, one of the line cooks couldn't make it because he was still drunk from the night before and Jennifer looked at me and said "Alright, you're up, it's you and me on the hot line tonight". And the rest, they say, is culinary history.

Direct influences would have to be Arnold Rossman for his passion, Maria Helm for her technique, but Norbert Schultz gave me my first true opportunity from which I really laid my foundation. Peripheral influences would probably be Jacques Pepin and Madeline Kamman.

AZ.com: You’ve spent much of your career in Northern California. How has this shaped the way you cook?

MD: Having worked on both coasts and Europe, it has given me a genuine appreciation for what we have to work with here in Northern California. It continually remind me that sometimes it is better to not do too much and let the ingredients sand the restaurant be a reflection of its surroundings.

AZ.com: Martins West focuses on Scottish fare. Why Scottish?

MD: It is less about Scottish and more about Gastropub. Exploring some of the gastropubs of Great Britain - especially Scotland, I saw a symbiotic relationship from the way the Scots were cooking and the way I like to cook, and the great appreciation of both pork, game and offal. Oh, and my business partner is from Scotland and is constantly reminding people that Scottish cuisine and Scottish Chefs can be something great.  Also, it’s a little known fact, but starting in the 17th and 18th centuries, French and Italian cooking began to influence Scottish food, and in fact, it was the Italians who opened up the first fried fish shops in the 1860s.

AZ.com: When talking about Scottish cuisine, most people think heavy meat-and-potato dishes with a few out of the ordinary selections (haggis comes to mind). What are the key components in your take on Scottish cuisine? Any elements that might surprise most diners?

MD: The large use of seafood is something that is missed when people speak of Scottish cuisine. It is after all, an island. There is also a strong influence of French technique in Scottish cuisine. The meat and potatoes that everyone knows is peasant food and people forget that there is a whole range of classes as well as cuisines that go along with it. We also use the local ingredients so our menu naturally progresses into a slightly lighter style.

AZ.com: What’s Martin West’s signature dish?

MD: I don't think Martins West HAS a signature dish, my menu is constantly changing with the season and what the farm has to offer so nothing is on the menu long enough to become signature. I guess you could say it is the "Banger & Mash" which has always been on the menu but can be anything from a Lamb Banger with Eggplant puree to a Blood Sausage with Squash puree.

AZ.com: You’re dedicated to serving local, fresh and high quality ingredients. What are your favorite places to source ingredients?

MD: The farmers markets in the greater bay area are where I source everything. Farmers are constantly trying new things and talking to us chefs who are interested and that relationship makes for new inspirations within the kitchen. In fact, I just learned this past weekend that one of my farmers is growing tobacco as a pesticide. We can even use the leaves in the kitchen for smoking meats.

AZ.com: Five favorite places to grab a bite in the Bay Area?

MD: Pizzaria Picco in Larkspur is one of my favorite spots, they do a great job on their crust. After living in New York for a short time it is hard to get a good pizza and they have one of the best around. House of Nan King is the best for Chinese - the line is long, but totally worth it. When I am in the mood for offal or something slow cooked I usually head to Incanto. I also love the clean, spot on flavors of David Bazirgan and I look forward to trying his food at the Fifth Floor. With all the time I spend at work I do not have a lot of time to eat out unfortunately.

AZ.com: Describe your favorite meal.

MD: I really don't have a favorite meal. I have had a number of fantastic meals which cannot be narrowed down to one. But I can tell you that the last meal that left an impression on me was a meal Marea in NYC about a year ago.
 
AZ.com: What’s in your fridge?

MD: About five different kinds of hot sauce and that is about it right now.

About Michael Dotson
A native of Southern California, Michael Dotson first came to prominence as a chef during his mid-90s stint as Executive Chef at Plumpjack Café in Lake Tahoe’s Squaw Valley. Walking the stylistic line between rustic and sophisticated, Dotson’s work at the restaurant earned 3 stars from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Michael Bauer.

Dotson’s unwavering reverence for the freshest seasonal ingredients started early in his food career when he apprenticed with Master Chef Norbert Schultz at Brigitte’s in Santa Barbara. “My almost obsessive desire to buy locally goes back to these very early days of my career, when I would buy wild mushrooms from mountain biking foragers.”

Another stint as an apprentice—this time at the Michelin 3-starred Au Crocodile in Strasborg, France—lingers in his mind because of the volume of farmers that would appear at the restaurant’s back door every day wielding everything from a dozen fresh rabbits to pounds of parsnips.

Post Plumpjack Dotson moved worked as Executive Chef at Heirloom Restaurant in the wine country of Northern California and as Chef and Proprietor of Heirloom Catering and Consulting until 2001. During this time, Dotson’s cooking earned him national recognition in Wine Spectator and Food & Wine, while Chronicle reviewer Michael Bauer labeled him “One of the Bay Area’s brightest stars.” After briefly working in San Francisco’s Kokkari he segued to Evvia Estiatorio in Palo Alto to run the kitchen. His five years there led the restaurant to a three star review in San Francisco Magazine. In 2007, he accepted his next position as Executive Chef at Sens restaurant in San Francisco.

Inspired by multiple trips to Scotland and the opportunity to rethink its much maligned ethnic fare, Dotson opened Gastropub Martins West in Redwood City with his partners Moira Beveridge and Derek Smith in May of 2008. More information: www.martinswestgp.com