Coda
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
North Carolina's Charlie Redd put in plenty of time in area kitchens (Lumière, Central Kitchen, Hamersley’s Bistro, Radius, Harvest) before being handed the main post at Coda. The new father took some time recently to chew the fat with the Buzz.
Zagat Buzz: Coda straddles the unofficial border between the South End and the Back Bay. How would you describe the restaurant's clientele?
Charlie Redd: Coda has a neighborhood-restaurant feel, and draws from both [neighborhoods]. We face the South End, but Back Bay diners do come across Boylston as well. These neighborhoods are eclectic, diverse and full of small apartments with small kitchens. So we see a lot of local diners.
ZB: As a native Southerner, it figures that you are one of the few chefs in the area who feature a "meat-and-three" plate on your daily menu. What draws you to that concept?.
CR: Meat-and-three plates offer the best of all worlds: a hefty portion of meat gives you the substance, while the veggies offer a variety of flavors. What better way to eat than with such variety on one plate – throw a biscuit on the side and it's all set.
ZB: We hear your wife recently gave birth to twins – congrats.
Coda's neighborhood is home to quite a "baby-stroller crowd." Do you have them in mind when shaping your menu?
CR: Even before becoming a parent, I was always conscious of making families comfortable in the restaurants I worked in. What parent wants to go out to a nice place, ask about kids' options and find out, while reading about foie gras, handmade pasta and fresh fish, that all the kitchen does is chicken fingers? Parents, kids and families in general are customers like any other and deserve the same attention, so I always have a few nutritious and approachable dishes for kids that parents can feel good about. Now that I have three kids, I definitely don't want them full of sugar and junk before taking them home for bed!
ZB: For a first-time visitor to Coda, which of your current dishes would you say best represents your approach to cooking?
CR: For my tastes, I would start with a salad to catch the end of local lettuce season, then the meat-and-three or roast pork loin, and I am pretty into the mint chocolate Bavarian cake that I just put on the menu. ... I want to keep mint and chocolate on the menu until the fresh mint fades.
ZB: As a native Southerner, are there any dishes/ingredients that you're homesick for, ones you can't find or aren't satisfied with around Boston?
CR: Sweet tea, Bojangles, great pies, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, not to mention a couple of my North Carolina faves – Price's Chicken Coop and Allen and Sons BBQ, great food in the seediest of places.
ZB: Do you have a favorite local spot for Southern-minded fare/dishes?
CR: Pit Stop BBQ (Mattapan) and Blue Ribbon BBQ (Newton/Arlington) both offer a taste of home. Blue Ribbon even flies the NC flag.
Represent!
ZB: Are there any chefs – in Boston or elsewhere – you look to for inspiration?
CR: Hungry Mother's Barry Maiden, a friend and collaborator. We were just talking pickles the other day. In my opinion, he's doing the most exciting food in town. Simple, ingredient-focused, egoless. Ana Sortun at Oleana is also an inspiration since I am floored by the flavors every time I go there.
– Eric Grossman