As he steps from the shoebox kitchen of his new Spanish/French RiNo eatery, Heretík, chef Theo Adley adjusts his diner-style paper hat before chatting with customers. The mesh-topped cap (sometimes called an overseas cap) acts as a chimney to cool a cook’s head, he explains. It’s less emblematic than a traditional towering French toque but is instead equal parts crisply professional and jauntily playful.
This kind of interplay between European culinary convention and short-order snap informs Heretík’s menu and overarching style. Adley (who’s also behind Lyons’ acclaimed Marigold) says everything started with a foundational trio: raw oysters next to chubby little chipolata sausages (Iberian surf and turf, perhaps); rotisserie cou nu chicken (or “naked neck,” a heritage French breed); and a green salad whose melange of fresh herbs contradicts its menu description of “simple.”…