New York City : Article Spotlight

Nick Anderer: Meyer’s New Star at Maialino

BuzzEditor — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:43:00 GMT

Maialino

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Danny Meyer certainly knows how to pick ’em. Chefs that is. The restaurants within his Union Square Hospitality Group have produced a good share of mega-stars: Michael Romano, Tom Colicchio, Marco Canora, Daniel Humm and Floyd Cardoz to name a few. Meet Meyer’s new rising star, Nick Anderer, who makes his debut as an executive chef at Maialino within the Gramercy Park Hotel. Plucked from the kitchen of Gramercy Tavern, Anderer comes with a pedigree, having worked for Colicchio, Michael Anthony, Mario Batali and Larry Forgione. The Buzz chatted with the chef the morning after his first night of service.

Zagat Buzz: So we heard that Anna Wintour, Ruth Reichl, Dana Cowin and Alain Ducasse were all in the house on opening night? How did that go?

Nick Anderer: Yes, it’s true, they were all there. It went very well. It was all good to have that vibe in the house.

ZB: How do you know when a restaurant is ready to go when you’re opening it?

NA: It takes time. Any restaurant is a living organism that is going to grow over time. For me, I’ll know it’s there when I look up and see the big picture. Right now my head is focused on lots of small details trying to make that big picture come together. But the day where I can walk out of the kitchen comfortably and sit in that dining room and experience a meal is the day that I’ll say, “Ok, this vision is at least getting there.” But the short answer is that you’re never going to be there, it’s something that’s going to continue to grow. There’s always a lot of unfinished business. And that’s the beauty of restaurants, and of Danny’s restaurants, because they stick around and you always have opportunity to improve on things.

ZB: Were there any special considerations opening within a hotel?

NA: Absolutely. It was something we had to think long and hard about. It is a situation that is unique and we were given the opportunity that a lot of hotel restaurants haven’t been given in the sense that we can function Maialino pretty autonomously. There’s a room service kitchen that is separate from the regular kitchen. I have basically transplanted a team of new chefs that are all people that I have worked with in restaurants, so my entire management team has a restaurant-geared mentality. Of course, opening a hotel restaurant comes with a certain amount of hesitation from a chef. I think that all those fears go away with the fact that we do pretty much function as a free-standing restaurant.

ZB: So what is your approach to the menu at Maialino?

NA: We’re doing hearty Italian food inspired by Roman trattorias. Every single neighborhood in Rome has had an impact on the menu. Danny and I spent several weeks there researching for the menu and this is kind of a greatest hits of all the things that we tried. And Danny and I both have a shared love affair for Rome that goes way back. Danny spent a lot of time there and I spent a full year my junior year of college studying art history there. That time was the spark for my culinary career – I came back to New York and started cooking. So it was that shared love of Rome that inspired this restaurant.

ZB: What are some of the signature dishes?

NA: I don’t like to say “signature dish” because there are so many things that we pride ourselves on. But some of the things that stand out in my mind are the bucatini all’amatriciana, coda alla vaccinara (oxtails with tomato and celery) and spigola al forno (baked whole sea bass). But despite the fact that we are sticking to the Roman canon, the areas where we stray are in choosing the best ingredients. In any Roman trattoria the call is to what is really thriving at the market on that particular day. We’re not in Rome, we’re in New York, so we can’t make everything to the T. As a result we’re not going to have carciofi alla Romana every day. The things that we are coming up with on a daily basis are very market driven.

ZB: With so many Italian restaurants in New York, how do you feel that Maialino is going to stand out?

NA: Hopefully it will stand out because everyone who comes in will feel that they are getting a little slice of homeyness. I think the challenge for me as a chef is to try to make a pretty big restaurant feel smaller than it is. There’s love in each plate. I encourage all my cooks, with every single movement that they make throughout the day, to think about who they are cooking for. And we really take a lot of pride in the sourcing of our ingredients. That attention to detail will make us stand out.

ZB: This is the first kitchen that you have been in charge of as an executive chef. What have you learned from your years within the Union Square Hospitality Group that helps you to be a good leader in the kitchen?

NA: I have learned so much about building a cohesive unit and about putting together the perfect team. Danny Meyer really creates a great sense of family in all of his restaurants and makes every single person feel that their job is the most important job in the entire space. And every person takes pride in what they do because they feel valued. I have learned to make sure that every person realizes how important their job is. I think Danny is the master of making sure that each individual part of this big unit is functioning at a high level at all times.

– Kathleen Squires

Talking High Stakes With Michael Mina

BuzzEditor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Michael Mina

Photo: Hernan F. Rodriguez

With an award-winning cookbook, accolades including a James Beard Foundation Best Chef award and 17 restaurants across the country, chef Michael Mina is a household name...pretty much everywhere except New York. During the the Savor Borgata event in Atlantic City, where Mina was cooking for 700 people, the Buzz sat down with the chef to find out, among other things, exactly why he's hesitant about joining New York’s dining scene.

Zagat Buzz: Welcome to the East Coast! What are you preparing for tonight’s event?

Michael Mina: I’ll be making a Nantucket bay scallop ceviche with horseradish panna cotta and tomato gelee, and a butter-poached lobster with sweet-potato crepe and coconut curry broth.

ZB: Your restaurants are a popular draw in Las Vegas and here in Atlantic City. Did you open restaurants in these spots because you like to gamble?

MM: (Laughs). No, no, I don’t gamble at all. I enjoy it, but I have too many restaurants in casinos that I would end up writing them a check every month!

ZB: What do you consider as the biggest gamble you’ve taken in your career?

MM: Probably when I left Aqua in San Francisco and ventured out on my own to open Michael Mina. I put a lot of money and time in the establishment, and that was a big gamble. Thankfully, it worked out.

ZB: Why haven’t you placed your bets on a restaurant in New York City yet?

MM: I absolutely love New York, but there are a couple of reasons that I'm not there. The main reason is that I enjoy NY too much. My best friend lives there, and when I go I really enjoy myself. I'm not saying that I wouldn't enjoy myself if I opened a restaurant there, but it would be different and I would feel a lot more pressure. Plus, there are just so many big chefs in New York, so if I am going to open there, I will have to put in an enormous amount of effort. I have two young boys right now so the timing isn’t right for the focus and effort required.

ZB: How much do you feel that dining guides affect your business?

MM: All of the guides affect business. Zagat especially has an enormous impact on the restaurant business here in the U.S. But dining guides are important for the restaurant business around the world.

ZB: How many restaurants are you planning on opening in 2010?

MM: The only restaurant we have planned to do right now is American Fish in Las Vegas’ CityCenter. I am really excited about it, as the opening is really right around the corner. I did a walk through of the building last week and it is beautiful, really spectacularly designed. I have a lot to live up to there.

–Kathleen Squires

Jason Zukas Takes Charge of Charles

BuzzEditor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:46:00 GMT

Charles chef Jason Zukas

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Before taking over as executive chef at Charles in the West Village, Queens native and Chopped victor Jason Zukas honed his culinary craft at restaurants including Blue Water Gril, La Bottega, Ouest and Shutter Island's Sunset Beach. On November 8 at Charles, exclusively for Zagat Presents, Zukas will host a special three-course dinner focused on fall flavors of the Mediterranean.

Zagat Buzz: You have a Mediterranean background. How do you take advantage of that in your cooking?

Jason Zukas: My mother is Sicilian and her family were fishermen, so growing up I was always exposed to Mediterranean dishes and flavors. Being familiar with those ingredients allows me to exercise my creativity.

Zagat Buzz: For the Zagat Presents event, what is your overall inspiration for the menu? Any standout dishes?

JZ: I didn't want to over-complicate things, so I decided to use only the best ingredients that will perfectly complement the wine pairings for that evening. I’m keeping the menu clean but with bold flavors. I'm looking forward to my short rib ravioli with porcini! It’s a dish I really enjoy making because there are lots of flavors to work with.

ZB: You trained with Tom Valenti at Ouest and John DeLucie at La Bottega. What are the biggest lessons you learned from them?

JZ: The biggest lesson I have learned from Tom Valenti was how to use bold, deep flavors and how to cook with lots of love and passion. From working with John DeLucie, where we were doing light Italian food, I learned that when using light, clean flavors coupled with the highest quality ingredients, dishes speak for themselves. My style can best be described as a combination of both of those lessons.

ZB: There are plenty of seafood options on the autumn menu. What do you like best about cooking with seafood? What fall flavor combinations work best with it?

JZ: What I like best about cooking with seafood is its versatility – there are so many different and great dishes you can make with it. You can keep it as light as you'd like, or bolster up the accompaniments to make the dish more seasonal and warming. For this menu, we’re using seasonal apples in the scallop dish.

ZB: You’re self-taught. How do you think this shaped you as a chef and where you are today?

JZ: Going to school was never an option for me, so I had to work hard to be where I am today. My practical experience taught me more than any school could, as I knew that I had to learn from every single experience in order to make it in this competitive industry. Learning on the job really taught me to be humble in the kitchen and in life and not take anything for granted.

The three-course dinner, including wine pairings and welcome glass of champagne costs $95; two seatings, 6:30 and 8:30 PM; to reserve e-mail reservations@restaurantcharles.com, or call 212-206-1208 and reference “Zagat Presents.”

– Aynsley Karps

Ricardo Cardona: Chef to the Champions

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:33:00 GMT

Ricardo Cardona, chef to the Yankees

The Yankees are one game away from clinching the World Series for the first time in nine years. Some chalk it up to good coaching, a brand-new stadium or a roster of players dedicated to teamwork. But something else happened within the past year that might have fueled the victorious season: a new chef at the stadium. Chef Ricardo Cardona stepped in to cook for the Bronx Bombers at home games. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Manhattan, Cardona has emerged as one of the city’s eminent Latino chefs with his restaurants Sazon, Sofrito, Hudson River Café and Mamajuana Cafe. What is he feeding these champs? We caught Cardona between games to talk about the team’s favorite eats.

Zagat Buzz: Were you always a Yankee fan?

Ricardo Cardona: I became a Yankee fan while cooking for them, because I really didn’t care much about baseball before that. Once I started cooking for them, I became friends with them. I became a Yankee fan, and now I feel I am part of the family.

ZB: How did you become the chef for the New York Yankees?

RC: I used to work in a restaurant called Jimmy’s Bronx Café back in 1999–2000. The restaurant was five minutes away from Yankee Stadium. I met a family there called the Cucuzza family, who takes care of the clubhouse. They were regular customers, and we became friends. They would ask me to cater for the Yankees all the time. When Jimmy’s Bronx Café closed, we kept in contact, and they asked me to cater for them still because they liked my food. So I kept catering for them no matter what restaurant I was working at. Last year they asked one of my restaurants, the Hudson River Café, to do the All-Star Game. I cooked for all the players, both the American and National League, three meals each day – and they liked it. After that they asked me about the possibility of helping out right at the stadium instead of catering, because the stadium opened and they weren’t happy with the restaurants there. So they called and told me they needed someone to create a menu every week for the home players and the visiting teams. I pulled one cook out of my restaurants and placed him to be there every day when the Yankees are in town. During the day, he cooks sandwiches or eggs for them, and then I cook the big meal at night. Every day the Yankees have a different theme at the buffet table, so I’ll follow that, and I’ll cook for the visiting team whatever I want.

ZB: Do the players often have special menu requests?

RC: Sometimes if they are doing special training, or are on a special diet, they will ask for something in advance. For example, Mariano Rivera once requested watercress juice. But, really, they are very simple guys. When they’re hungry, they’ll eat anything.

ZB: What’s on the menu for the World Series?

RC: Seafood paella, that’s one of their favorites. Grilled shrimp, pork chops. Skirt steak. Rice and beans.

ZB: So what do you take into account when planning a menu for World Champions?

RC: You have to have fiber, vegetable, protein – fish, chicken or meat, and then how it’s prepared is really up to me. I always offer a lot of beans or lentils too.

ZB: What restaurant recommendations do you have for fans near the stadium?

RC: Well, I run a restaurant called Hudson River Café on 135th Street and 12th Avenue in Manhattan, and there’s the steakhouse at the Fairway too. I recommend eating in that area because of the parking. It’s easy to park your car there, then hop in a taxi to the stadium and you are there in five minutes.

ZB: Where do the players like to eat?

RC: The Latino players like to go to Dyckman Street to some of the Dominican restaurants and other Latino spots. I used to see Melky Cabrera all the time at Lua in Hoboken. A lot of them go to my spot Sofrito on 57th Street, one of the few Puerto Rican restaurants in New York. They like it because we do very homey-style Puerto Rican food there. Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera love Sofrito.

ZB: What’s A-Rod’s favorite dish?

RC: He likes lean foods – low-fat, low-butter – and sweet potato and apple purée. He actually taught my cook how to make it.

ZB: Does Derek Jeter have a favorite dish?

RC: Well, he was upset because the reporter who wrote an article in the Daily News recently said he eats pork, and that’s not true. He does not eat pork. I don’t know why that reporter wrote that. But Jeter likes grilled chicken breast. Grilled chicken on whole wheat bread is one dish he eats a lot. He is very self-disciplined. He is the captain and you’ve got to lead by example, so he eats very healthy.

ZB: Do you feel your menu affects whether the Yankees win?

RC: I wish I could say that! But I think it’s their playing.

– Kathleen Squires

Raising the Dead With Barbara Sibley

BuzzEditor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:07:00 GMT

There’s a firm sense of fiesta at La Palapa and La Palapa Rockola this fall. First, co-owners Barbara Sibley and Margaritte Malfy celebrated the release of their first cookbook, Antojitos, this month. And the West Village branch will certainly be rocking on Saturday night as it lies directly on the Halloween parade route. Then on Sunday, Sibley and Malfy will begin Day of the Dead festivities by cooking a special brunch at the James Beard Foundation. The Buzz talked with Sibley, a native of Mexico City, about the new cookbook and the approaching flurry of festivity.

Zagat Buzz: What’s the origin of antojitos?

Barbara Sibley: Antojitos are an important part of Mexican cooking and culture. They are small plates often called a tentempié, which literally means “something to keep you standing.” But by the time you have a lot of those, it’s your meal. Historically they originate in the markets, or in the streets. Even today in Mexico, you’ll see under the archway of a bridge or in any plaza or on the street corner someone selling tamales out of a steaming stock pot or someone making a quesadilla or a taquito. If you work in an office or a factory, someone will come around with antojitos. They are also eaten often in the home too.

ZB: What caused you to focus specifically on antojitos, and not just general Mexican cuisine, for your first cookbook?

BS: We came up with the idea for the focus during our fifth-anniversary party, where we served only antojitos. We didn’t want to do just another generic cookbook, so we thought that angle would be fun. It’s a great way to build a meal, and they are not difficult because it is home cooking. We wanted to focus on something really accessible.

ZB: I noticed you have a whole chapter of the book devoted to Day of the Dead. What will the restaurants have going on for the occasion?

BS: We do at the restaurants what you would do at home in Mexico. So we make an offering, an altar, where we put photographs of the deceased and all of their favorite foods. The belief is that they come down to visit once a year and you welcome them with a path of marigold flowers leading to the altar, which holds water, tequila, flowers, candles, fireworks, incense, pan de muertos – special Day of the Dead bread – fruit, skulls made out of sugar and poems written to the deceased. W. H. Auden lived in the building of our East Village restaurant for 30 years, and Trotsky had his printing press there, so we have great residential ghosts there. They really liked to drink, so they definitely influence our margaritas. At the East Village restaurant, we also do an altar to 9/11 every year, and we have a La Palapa family altar too.

In the West Village restaurant, that whole decor was inspired by Mexican actress Maria Felix, and she passed away a few years ago, so we did a huge altar to her, with false eyelashes on the sugar skulls and a lot of leopard skin. And that spot was once the Redhead, a speakeasy by the guys who opened the 21 Club. So those are very good ghosts for Dia de los Muertos too. We cook food traditionally eaten on the holiday – tamales and food made of corn, chalupas and things like that, will be on the menu at both spots. We will also have special drinks, like we’ll do one with mezcal and sangrita. It’s very festive. The whole point of the holiday is that the spirits need to see that you are happy so that they’ll go back.

ZB: How has Mexican cuisine changed in NY since you arrived?

BS: Oh, it has changed so much in the past two decades. You couldn’t get cilantro back then, you couldn’t get dried chiles. I used to bring everything up in my suitcase. What you could get at restaurants was what I call “New York-style Tex Mex.” You could get maybe one dish that was good. When we first opened La Palapa, we had to talk to every table and explain that while things like nachos are great, they are not Mexican. We decided early on not to do that crossover food, so we developed a whole Mexican food dictionary and trained our staff to be able to answer questions about the food so people wouldn’t feel intimidated. Today, I think New Yorkers are ready to eat authentic Mexican food.

ZB: Any plans for expansion on the horizon?

BS: We are looking at spaces for another restaurant, to do a little bit of a different idea, like a spot where we serve some of these antojitos. We are looking at spaces Downtown, Upper West Side and Brooklyn. And we’re writing a proposal for a second cookbook.

–Kathleen Squires

Grimes Comes Clean

BuzzEditor — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:32:00 GMT

Former New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes is the author of a new book, Appetite City, a history of the city’s restaurants and culinary habits. He spoke to the Buzz about everything from turtle soup to street carts to time travel.

Zagat Buzz: What was the impetus for the book?

William Grimes: The head of the New York Public Library, Paul LeClerc, called me up when I was the restaurant critic for the Times and asked if I’d be interested in putting together a show of vintage menus in an exhibition space at the library. I already knew about the collection because I had written about it before, and after I delved into it further came the idea to construct a continuous narrative about dining out in New York.

ZB: What were your primary sources?

WG: I would estimate that about 75% of the information in the book is something that people will be reading for the first time. It was buried in newspapers and magazines that were written by long-ago journalists who would retire and reminisce about their glory days when they ate at Delmonico’s. They were my best sources. God bless those journalists.

ZB: You write that steak, oysters and turtle soup were the foundations of a fine 19th-century meal, and they still are – with the exception of turtle soup. What happened to turtle soup?

WG: The turtles got scarcer and prohibitively expensive, so soon there was a lot of mock turtle soup around. Eventually it disappeared altogether, like the oyster restaurant. The dedicated oyster stand or oyster restaurant was once an enormous part of the NY dining scene, but it doesn’t really exist anymore – except at Grand Central’s Oyster Bar, the last hurrah.

ZB: Along the same lines, German food was once very popular but over time has fallen out of favor. Why is that?

WG: It’s a seldom remarked upon trend of New York dining: German food was once considered a high-prestige cuisine, particularly at finer restaurants like Luchow’s. Then the first World War dealt a death blow to not just German cuisine, but to German philosophy, German music, German everything. Today, of course, there’s the sense that this cuisine is fatty and heavy, making it an uphill climb to win favor again – although there was a moment when Austrian cooking had a resurgence after Danube and Wallsé opened.

ZB: Some older trends that you discuss are having a rebirth. For example, today’s street-cart renaissance harkens back to the very earliest days of the city when most New Yorkers got their food off a wagon.

WG: That’s right, it recalls the days when vendors strolled the streets with slices of pie for sale and coffee containers strapped to their back. It was a time when mobile lunch service was a big feature of the town – even if the idea of buying raw shellfish on the street is kind of unnerving.

ZB: If you could live in any other food time in NYC, when would it be?

WG: I think I’d like the time machine to take me back to 1910 in Times Square, which was then very upmarket. My second choice would be to go down to Park Row and see all the cheap joints, the nickel-and-dime hash houses and Dennett’s lunch room. I’d be curious to see both sides of the spectrum.

ZB: Any particular restaurant you’d like to visit?

WG: For the interiors alone, either Rector’s or Murray’s Roman Gardens in Times Square, and, of course, I wonder how the food tasted. It’s like imagining opera performances in the days before recorded sound.

ZB: A question about food criticism and the Times. Has it changed since your tenure?

WG: The big change is that when I was a critic there were only two food websites of any consequence, eGullet and Chowhound. I don’t think there were any blogs then, so the explosion of freelance criticism has changed the relationship of the paper to the outside world. There’s a clamor of conversation about food now that didn’t exist then.

ZB: And your thoughts on the Times’ latest restaurant critic?

WG: I think Sam Sifton very wisely stepped up to the plate and swung hard in his first review to announce what his voice is going to be like. Heart and soul, Sam’s a $25-and-under kind of guy, and he’s going to be presented with all kinds of super-fancy restaurants as he moves along. I’m curious to see how he talks about them and responds to them.

– Curt Gathje

Iron Man, Seamus Mullen

BuzzEditor — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:16:00 GMT

Seamus Mullen

Photo: courtesy Food Network

With two consecutive victories under his belt on The Next Iron Chef, Boqueria’s Seamus Mullen is certainly a sharp contender for the title. So far, versatility has been his secret weapon: the Vermont native may specialize in regional Spanish cuisine, but he has shown that he can cross cultures as easily as cutting through an onion. The Buzz caught up with Mullen to chat about competition and the state of Spanish cuisine in NYC.

Zagat Buzz: Why do you want to be The Next Iron Chef?

Seamus Mullen: It’s a huge honor, one of the biggest cooking accolades that you can accomplish, as well as an opportunity to compete against the best chefs in the country. And it’s fun! Competing in Kitchen Stadium is really fun but also challenging. It’s a different dimension of cooking from what we do in the restaurant. It takes me back to when I was in high school – I was very athletic and played soccer and hockey. I forgot how great that exhilarating feeling of competition is.

ZB: Is there anything from kitchen stadium that you would like to bring to your own kitchen?

SM: The urgency in kitchen stadium is unavoidable. And that’s a great thing to have in your own kitchen – a sense of getting food out really well and as quickly as you can without making mistakes. Another thing is to cook every meal as if you’re going to be judged right after, because in the restaurant, you never know who you are cooking for.

ZB: What is the most important thing that you learned from The Next Iron Chef experience?

SM: To trust my instincts. The times I went with my gut, I always succeeded. When I second-guessed myself, I had some trouble.

ZB: What was the hardest part of the competition for you?

SM: I have rheumatoid arthritis and that became a serious issue for me to contend with. It was exacerbated by stress, and I probably went through one of the most stressful things you can imagine going through.

ZB: How did you overcome that obstacle?

SM: I just pushed through. There wasn’t much else I could do but push through. It certainly made things difficult.

ZB: In terms of Spanish cuisine in NY, how is it evolving? Do you think it’s going to turn more towards tradition or follow along the path of chefs like Ferran Adrià?

SM: I think right now that New Yorkers, with the change in the economy, are gravitating more toward traditional, homey foods and revisiting a place over and over that comforts them. A lot of these restaurants like El Bulli – you can’t go there more than once a year, or even once a lifetime, because it’s impossible to even get a reservation in the first place. In NY it’s very difficult to run a viable business that way, so we try as much as possible to develop a community of diners who will come back.

ZB: What’s next for you? Any more Boquerias on the horizon?

SM: We are looking, and we have a couple of things percolating, but there’s nothing I can really speak freely about – yet.

– Kathleen Squires

Minding Manners at the Four Seasons

BuzzEditor — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:03:00 GMT

Photo: courtesy of Candlewick Press

As the longtime co-owner of the famous Four Seasons, Alex von Bidder has seen his fair share of good, and bad, behavior at the dining table. So who better to write a book for children about how to behave in a restaurant? Von Bidder teamed up with his friend Leslie McGuirk, author and illustrator of the Tucker books, on Wiggens Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant, which tracks the adventures of an adorable chocolate Labrador when he visits the landmark restaurant. The Buzz caught up with the duo to discuss the book, as well as to hear von Bidder’s thoughts on his restaurant’s new chef, Fabio Trabocchi.

Zagat Buzz: What inspired this collaboration?

Alex von Bidder: Leslie and I met in a creative class that she teaches at Rancho La Puerta, our favorite spa, and we just clicked. She showed me her children’s books about Tucker, and I told her about my manners classes for adults. Later on she said, “Why don’t we do a children’s book on manners?”

ZB: Leslie, did you get a chance to sit in on any of Alex’s manners classes?

Leslie McGuirk: No, but I saw him many times in New York and at the spa in Mexico, and I liked how he treated people. You could tell that this is a man who has exquisite manners. I could just see that he lives it, and that is a rare thing to find in this world.

AvB: I want to give my mother credit for that. She says, “No matter what your education is, no matter where you come from, if you can learn to blend in in a good way you can learn to function anywhere from a hunt in Africa to the White House.”

ZB: What were some of the rudest experiences you have witnessed at the Four Seasons?

AvB: I try to forget those. Mostly what happens nowadays in restaurants is just plain intrusion, like with cell phones, and not dressing appropriately. Another trend is that everyone is allergic to things. Instead of saying something like, “I don’t like liver,” they say they are allergic. There’s nothing wrong with not liking something, and kids are very honest about things like that. For kids, running around is the worst for me.

ZB: What is the most important restaurant manner for children to learn?

AvB: The parents need to decide if the child is old enough to come to a fancy restaurant because children are impatient and they need to be old enough to entertain themselves until the food comes and to get enjoyment from surroundings and the conversation. For my own daughter that was age 10. Many children are perfectly fine at five or six – it just depends on their energy level. So rather than give kids Ritalin before they dine at a nice restaurant, just gauge whether they are ready for it. Once they come, I like to treat children like adults. Children respond to being asked to step up and enjoy the experience as it is offered. They absolutely will rise to the occasion.

LM: I think the most important manner is shaking a hand, looking a person in the eye, saying their name and acknowledging them. I think that too often people are not present with each other. I know it sounds like a simple thing, but that is huge for kids and especially adults.

ZB: Leslie, the illustrations of the interior were done so well and so accurately. Did you work from photos or did you visit the restaurant?

LM: Both. I visited the restaurant and sketched and I worked with photos. It was not the easiest thing in the world to draw for me, but I was happy with the way that it turned out. I’m used to drawing puppies and dogs, not structural buildings and interiors. It was a very hard process.

AvB: A lot of people say you got the energy and the character of the place, and that is a very hard thing to do. Even photographers have a hard time with it.

ZB: Alex, you’ve just hired a new chef, Fabio Trabocchi. What motivated your decision to bring him on?

AvB: After months of carefully considering what our guests want, it was obvious that Fabio is the ideal chef to guide the Four Seasons kitchen. He has the precise ingredients we need. He's very smart and sophisticated. He understands that the Four Seasons is many places to many different people – from regulars who dine here daily and want simple, light dishes to those looking to celebrate who crave the truly spectacular.

ZB: In light of some of the recent closings like Café des Artistes, what do you think is the key to the Four Seasons' longevity, especially after such a hard economic year?

AvB: It’s staying power – we’ve never been in it for the short haul. My partner, Julian [Niccolini], and I have been here for over 30 years, and we are really only the second team in the history of the restaurant. It’s hard to lose money and worry about the future, but we have trust that our customers will support us when they have money again. What we did this year was maybe counterintuitive, but we’ve supported many charities and gave lots of dinners for various causes to keep this place alive in a giving way. I’m counting on it that everything we put out there comes back at some point.

– Kathleen Squires

Empire Building

BuzzEditor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:15:00 GMT

A rendering of the Empire Lounge

Nothing in New York is more iconic than the Empire State Building, and the massive renovations it's currently undergoing should only add to its legendary status. The lobby’s ceiling now glows with silver and gold leaf, etched glass has been uncovered and the marble floors are lustrous. What better time to open Empire Room, a sophisticated lounge in a space formerly dominated by fast-food joints and a brewery? And who more fitting to do it than Mark Grossich, whose company, Hospitality Holdings, has opened such chic watering holes as The Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Terminal, The World Bar in Trump Tower, The Carnegie Club in CitySpire Center and Bookmarks in the Library Hotel? The Buzz chatted with Grossich while he was overseeing construction of the 3,500-sq.-ft. lounge, due to open before the end of the year.

Zagat Buzz: This space is totally gutted. What was here before? A pizza place? A doughnut shop?

Mark Grossich: It was a post office, but it’s true that there are no high-end restaurants here. The area is changing and the building is being repositioned. The owners are putting half a billion dollars into the restoration and attracting more high-profile tenants. I feel that we got in at just the right time.

ZB: Will the theme of the Empire Room be in keeping with the building?

MG: I always look for architecturally significant spaces, and, much like the Campbell Apartment, we are trying to leverage the history. The building is unbelievable. It was apparently inspired by those Ticonderoga pencils with erasers that everyone used to have, and it was built during the Depression in 18 months. Our theme is "a toast to another time," and everything will flow from that. Goodman Charlton, the architects, are staying with the art deco style – we are using wood veneer paneling, Stark custom carpet and tables on raised platforms. Uniforms will be custom-made black dresses with pearls for women and black suits for men. We will serve things that were popular during the time when the building was constructed, like deviled eggs and stuffed tomatoes. The drink list will be grounded in classic cocktails like sidecars and pink ladies, and we are working on a classic gin-based cocktail served in a snifter edged with the Empire State Building logo.

ZB: This building is a major tourist attraction, but your other venues are full of affluent New Yorkers. Who will this lounge be geared to?

MG: The challenge will be to appeal to native New Yorkers, but also recognize that this will be a tourist destination. There is always a line at the elevator which goes up to the observation deck. I didn’t realize it before, but the deck is open until 2 AM! There are several high-end residential buildings going up right around here, and we would like to cater to the people who live there, and also the 14,000 to 15,000 people who work right here in the building. If I get 10% of those people as my customers, I’ll be happy.

ZB: This is a landmark building, and obviously a potential terrorist target. Was the insurance a problem?

MG: We definitely had to pay extra liability costs, and it’s a union building, so construction was also expensive.

ZB: Seems like the lounge could potentially be a popular spot for large gatherings. Are people ready to spend on parties again?

MG: I’ve gotten tons of calls for parties and from film companies wanting to shoot here. I keep telling them it’s not built yet. This is our eighth place, and party business is the only area we’ve felt some slippage, but it is absolutely starting to bounce back.

– Beth Landman

Wine & Food Fest Frenzy

BuzzEditor — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:55:00 GMT

Jacques Torres

Photo: Hernan F. Rodriguez

The second annual New York City Wine & Food festival hit town this weekend and Zagat Buzz was there. Festivities began Thursday at Chelsea Market's "After Dark" party, when the former Nabisco Factory closed for an evening of nibbles and drinks. Two of Food Network's powerhouse personalities, Sandra Lee and Guy Fieri, hosted the event, and decorations included pumpkins carved with their likenesses. Chefs enjoying the party included Tyler Florence, Top Chef's Leah Cohen and Anne Burrell.

Martha Stewart

Photo: Hernan F. Rodriguez

Friday's festivities started with "Meatpacking Uncorked," when the streets came alive with live music and performers ranging from tap dancers to stilt walkers to psychedelic hula hoopers. Restaurants such as Spice Market, Los Dados and Gansevoort 69 offered tastes of their specialties, while local boutiques opened their doors to pour a variety of wines. The big event of the evening was Rachael Ray's "Burger Bash" at the Old Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn, where 17 restaurants, including the Spotted Pig, Minetta Tavern and Shake Shack, competed for the title of best burger. (Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn and his DC-based Good Stuff Eatery snagged the honor.) Spotted: Martha Stewart, last year’s winner Katie Lee, Gayle King, Giada De Laurentiis, Rocco DiSpirito and the hostess herself, Rachael Ray.

"Burger Bash" victor Spike Mendelsohn

Photo: Hernan F. Rodriguez

A parade of food stars came in and out of the Standard Hotel on Saturday, including Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, Joey Campanaro, Masaharu Morimoto, Michael White and Scott Conant. Panel discussions around town included "Is Fine Dining Dead?" which featured Boulud along with Andrew Carmellini, André Soltner and Food & Wine's Kate Krader. The answer: a resounding no, as panelists agreed that the idea of fine dining adapts and changes with the times. “Fine dining no longer has to mean fancy dining,” Boulud said, citing the example of Spain's El Bulli. Soltner pointed out how times have changed by noting that, 40 years ago, Lutèce would not let in women wearing pantsuits.

Saturday night's big event was entitled "Sweet," in which the city's top pastry chefs took over West Chelsea event space la.venue. The event's host, Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes, hosted luminaries like Jean Georges’ Johnny Iuzzini and Gotham Bar & Grill’s Deborah Racicot.

The weekend culminated with Giada De Laurentiis' "Meatball Madness," also at la.venue, where over two dozen chefs competed for best meatball. Despite solid entries from Rocco’s mom, Mama DiSpirito, Little Owl, Esca, Bill Telepan, the Waverly Inn and Butter, the winner was the lamb meatballs from Locanda Verde’s Andrew Carmellini.

For Twitter highlights of the event, click here. For more photos from the events, look below.

– Kathleen Squires

Appleman Takes on the Big Apple

BuzzEditor — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:18:00 GMT

Nate Appleman

Photo: courtesy of the Food Network

Chef Nate Appleman shocked the West Coast food world this year when, just two months after he snagged the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award, he quit his popular San Francisco restaurants – A16 and SPQR – to move to New York. His East Coast challenge: teaming up with restaurant guru Keith McNally to open Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria on the Bowery. Now he’s competing for another title: The Next Iron Chef, and judging by his victory in episode one, his chances look pretty good. We talked with Appleman about his experience on the show and his move to the Big Apple.

Zagat Buzz: What compelled you to compete to become the Next Iron Chef?

Nate Appleman: I taped an episode of Iron Chef America, and when I did that I really got the bug for competition. I don’t think I would normally treat food as a game but it was almost like a sport. I learned about my love of competition from the whole experience, and I really liked being in that kind of environment.

ZB: What was the hardest part of the competition for you?

NA: The hardest part was trying to be nice to everyone. Because you are friends with everyone, they are your colleagues. But at the same time, you are all going for one goal. and there is only one position available. So it’s hard to distinguish between friends and competitors.

ZB: You recently moved to New York. Was it the opportunity of Pulino’s that brought you here or the other way around?

NA: I came to New York without an opportunity and then I found one. New York is considered the best food city in the world, and if I was going to leave San Francisco, there was only one choice.

ZB: What surprised you most about the New York dining scene since you’ve been here?

NA: How welcoming everyone is. I think San Francisco is a welcoming city but not in the same aspects. I had guys calling me out of the blue saying, “Hey, welcome to the city! Let’s grab a bite to eat,” and that is really comforting and really surprised me.

ZB: How are New York and San Francisco alike in terms of cuisine?

NA: For the longest time New York has been French-based, teetering on the edge of fine dining, while San Francisco is more like, "Let’s let the ingredients shine" and "Let’s be a casual restaurant." I see more of that every day infiltrating New York.

ZB: How is Pulino’s going to make its mark in the New York dining scene?

NA: Pulino’s is not going to be just a pizzeria – that’s the best part about it. I didn’t want people to get their expectations really high, and that’s why we’re going with the pizzeria name, but we are going to be offering a lot of different things. We are going to have two wood-fired ovens, and we are going to have a butchering room, so we are going to be able to do whole animals. I plan on bringing in whole cows, for example. I’m not sure if many people are doing that in New York, so that's one thing that will surely set us apart.

– Kathleen Squires

A Cooking-Competition Cheat Sheet

BuzzEditor — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:23:00 GMT

With all the cooking shows out there focusing on a single chef's adventures (No Reservations, Avec Eric), not to mention the ones focusing on chefs traveling around the world challenging other chefs (Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Chefs vs. City), it can be hard to keep track of the regular old cooking-competition shows. With The Next Iron Chef starting up on the Food Network on Sunday night (see video below), we thought we'd give you a leg up by breaking the shows down for you in one handy guide:

What's your favorite (and least favorite) TV cooking show?

Share your thoughts on the Zagat Discussion boards!

The show: Chopped (Food Network, Tuesdays 10 PM/9 Central)
The gimmick: In each episode, four chefs are given a random assortment of foods to combine into an appetizer, an entree and a dessert, with one chef being eliminated after each course.
Season: Currently ending its second season
Host: Ted Allen
Judges: Vary, but have included Scott Conant, Marc Murphy, Jody Williams and Geoffrey Zakarian
Chefs: Andre Marrero (L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon), Mina Newman (Christos Steakhouse) and more
Sample challenge: Make an appetizer of beef shoulder, fish sauce and canned pumpkin. Um, deelish?
Prize: $10,000
Not to be confused with: Iron Chef
In short: A surprisingly fresh take on the food competition genre with interesting results

The show: Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Tuesdays 8 PM/7 Central)
The gimmick: Chefs compete in a restaurant kitchen for the approval of Gordo.
Season: Currently in season six
Host: Gordon Ramsay
Judge: Not really judged so much as ruled by Ramsay
Chefs: No one you've heard of before the show airs
Sample challenge: Prepare a vegetarian meal for veggie-hating children
Prize: A chance to run one of Ramsay's kitchens
Not to be confused with: Considering Gordo's way with the insult, it's not likely you'll confuse it with anything.
In short: An enjoyable romp, but hard to take seriously because it's the drama rather than the cooking that takes center stage

The show: Iron Chef America (Food Network, Sundays 9 PM/8 Central)
The gimmick: Based on the Japanese original, the show features a celeb "Iron Chef" battling a guest chef using a single ingredient for multiple dishes.
Season: Currently in season seven
Hosts: Alton Brown, Kevin Brauch, "Chairman" Mark Dacascos
Judges: Vary, though Ted Allen, Karine Bakhoum and Jeffrey Steingarten appear regularly
Chefs: Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto and Michael Symon are the current Iron Chefs.
Sample challenge: Prepare five dishes featuring elk in one hour
Prize: The honor of the competition
Not to be confused with: Chopped, Throwdown!
In short: Though lacking the magic (and camp allure) of its Japanese inspiration, it's still one of the more exciting food shows on TV.

The show: The Next Food Network Star (Food Network)
The gimmick: People of various persuasions (chefs, consultants, housewives, etc.) compete to have a show aired on the Food Network.
Season: Five
Hosted by: Bobby Flay
Judges: Bobby Flay, Bob Tuschman, Susie Fogelson
Previous winners: Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, Guy Fieri, Amy Finley, Aaron McCargo, Jr., Melissa d'Arabian
Sample challenge: Inspired by Julie & Julia, cook a three-course meal for 20 of the culinary world's elite.
Prize: A six-episode television show on the Food Network
Not to be confused with: Next Iron Chef, Top Chef
In short: The title aptly describes this Food Network ratings powerhouse.

The show: Next Iron Chef (Food Network, Sundays 9 PM/8 Central starting October 4; Watch a sneak peek of the new season above)
The gimmick: Professional chefs are narrowed down in a series of challenges designed to test their readiness in areas deemed necessary to be an Iron Chef (i.e. artistry, resourcefulness).
Season: About to start season two
Hosted by: Alton Brown, "Chairman" Mark Dacascos
Recurring judges: Anya Fernald, Donatella Arpaia, Jeffery Steingarten
Previous winners: Michael Symon
Sample challenge: Create an amuse-bouche that best sums up a chef's style in 30 minutes
Prize: The title of Iron Chef and a recurring role on that program
Not to be confused with: Top Chef Masters, Next Food Network Star
In short: A departure from the Iron Chef mold, it still manages to have more bite to it than Top Chef Masters.

The show: Top Chef (Bravo, Wednesdays 10 PM/9 Central)
The gimmick: Over the course of a season chefs are narrowed down through "quick fire" and "elimination" challenges judged by regular judges and celebrity guests.
Season: Currently in season six
Hosted by: Padma Lakshmi
Recurring judges: Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons
Guest judges: Everyone from Anthony Bourdain to Tim Zagat
Previous winners: Harold Dieterle, Ilan Hall, Hung Huynh, Stephanie Izzard, Hosea Rosenberg
Sample challenge: Make a dish using only food from a vending machine
Prize: Cash and a whole lot of Glad-family products
Not to be confused with: Next Food Network Star, Next Iron Chef
In short: Arguably the most respected of the cooking competition shows, as even its runners-up appear to get a boost from competing.

The show: Top Chef Masters (Bravo)
The gimmick: 24 professional chefs are narrowed down in a bracket competition based on "quick fire" challenges from the original Top Chef and new "elimination" challenges.
Seasons: One (2009)
Hosted by: Kelly Choi
Recurring judges: Gael Greene, James Oseland, Jay Rayner
Guest judges: Girl Scouts, Neil Patrick Harris, Top Chef winners
Previous winners: Rick Bayless
Sample challenge: Create offal-based street food to serve at Universal Studios
Prize: Cash donations for the chef's charities of choice, acclaim
Not to be confused with: Top Chef
In short: Similar to the original Top Chef, but without the desperation, backstabbing and Padma.

Road Warriors

BuzzEditor — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:52:00 GMT

La Cense Beef Burger Truck

Photo: courtesy of the truck

With food trucks indisputably "in" right now, it can be a real chore keeping au courant with which truck is which (and where). So to help you out we've whipped up this handy guide to the biggies in the New York food truck scene:

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
Locations vary | www.biggayicecreamtruck.com | twitter.com/biggayicecream
Flamboyant frozen treats with a big scoop of humor are what to expect from this out-and-proud vehicle sporting a cheerful rainbow-cone logo; its soft-serve flavors are conventional (vanilla and chocolate) but accessorized with outré toppings, from wasabi-pea dust to cayenne pepper.

Bistro Truck
Fifth Avenue between 16th & 17th Sts. | bistrotruck.com | twitter.com/BistroTruck
This Mediterranean-influenced mobile unit plies the Union Square area with the likes of lamb cigars, chicken brochettes and vegetable tagines that pay homage to the owner’s Moroccan roots; however, as its name suggests, there are also plenty of bistro-ish offerings including burgers, steak sandwiches and Belgian-style frites.

Country Boys (aka Martinez) Taco Truck
Saturday and Sunday, Red Hook ball fields (Corner of Clinton & Bay Sts., Red Hook, Brooklyn) and Saturday, Brooklyn Flea (176 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
This taco truck has gained a faithful following for its homey ‘huaraches’, thick, griddle-cooked corn tortillas covered with beans, meat, lettuce, guacamole and salsa, which take their name from the Mexican-style sandal that their oblong shape suggests; traditional tacos and quesadillas are also popular orders.

Cupcake Stop
Locations vary | www.cupcakestop.com | twitter.com/CupcakeStop
NYC’s first mobile cupcake shop has lines as long as any brick-and-mortar bakery for its flavors ranging from the traditional (red velvet) to the trendy (psychedelic tie-dye); it’s perfect for impromptu celebrations, and offers mini sizes and gluten-free options as well.

El Peluche
10th Avenue & 204th St., Manhattan
To Argentines, chimichurri is a garlicky condiment, but to Dominicans it’s a hearty hamburger laced with ketchup, mayo, shredded cabbage, tomato and onion, and this truck has the recipe down pat; open till the wee hours, it’s also the place for sating late-night fritura cravings.

Endless Summer Tacos
Corner of N. Sixth & Bedford, Williamsburg, Brooklyn | www.endlesssummertacos.com
In true truck tradition, this transient taqueria keeps it simple, offering just tacos and burritos, stuffed with meat, fish or seitan; in line with its authentic-Mexican inspiration, everything is sparingly garnished with cilantro, lime, cotija cheese and a touch of crema fresca.

Eurotrash Truck
N. Third & Berry Sts., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Leave it to Williamsburg hipsters to enter the gourmet food truck fray with this irreverently named entry; it’s owned by a Swedish-born performer, so it’s no wonder that meatballs are the highlight, but there are also snacks such as bangers ’n’ mash, fish ’n’ chips and a dubiously named ‘French’ corn dog to round out the Euro-style offerings.

La Cense Beef Burger
Locations vary | www.lacensebeef.com/la-cense-beef-truck | twitter.com/LCBBurgerTruck
The Montana meat purveyor La Cense has found a prime outlet for its grass-fed ground beef in this burger truck roving the streets of Midtown; the company claims that its patties are more healthful than standard burgers, and the fact that its recipe came from Daisy May’s Adam Perry Lang surely doesn’t hurt.

NYC Cravings
Locations vary | www.nyccravings.com | twitter.com/nyccravings
If you can’t get to Chinatown, there’s always this truck dispensing Taiwanese specialties such as fried chicken or fried tianbula (fish cake) over rice, both served with ‘secret’ pork sauce, a sweet-sour-salty combo of minced meat and cabbage; dumplings also are on offer, and the display of Asian sauces begs for mix-and-match experimentation.

Pappa Perrone
Locations vary | www.papaperrone.com
This truck has some balls: specifically arancini, created from the owner’s grandmother’s recipe, offered in meat, cheese and vegetable variations; pizzas, baked ziti and eggplant parm should sate those looking for a more substantial Italian meal, while the 'grease-truck special' sandwich – piled with chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and fries and smothered in marinara – is a tailgater’s heaven on a bun.

Picknick Smoked
Corner of Wall & Water Sts., Manhattan | www.mypicnick.com
‘Good for you barbecue’ is the slogan of this smokin’ truck and its sustainable sister kiosk in Battery Park, the brainchild of chefs Will Goldfarb and Kevin Pomplun; everything on its small menu – Kobe brisket, pulled Heritage pork, smoked chicken, potato salad, slaw, pickled veggies – is either locally sourced or Fair Trade.

Pizza Moto
Saturday, Brooklyn Flea (176 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn) | www.pizzamotobklyn.com
Pizzas are made on the fly in this sturdy, portable wood-fired brick oven also known to occasionally turn out s’mores; the chef/owner/oven-builder, an alum of Brooklyn favorite Franny’s, produces his gourmet pies – margherita, pepperoni, artichoke – in just minutes for hungry browsers at the Brooklyn Flea.

Rickshaw Dumpling Truck
Locations vary | rickshawdumplings.com | twitter.com/rickshawtruck
This cheerful red truck takes its cues from the classic Chinese dim sum palace, where patrons order bites from roving carts; not confined to the dining room, this offshoot of Anita Lo’s Flatiron eatery sports slogans like ‘Who’s Your Edamame’ and dispenses dumplings in renditions including Thai basil, pork and chive, vegetarian edamame and, yes, chocolate soup.

Schnitzel & Things
Locations vary | www.schnitzelandthings.com | twitter.com/schnitzeltruck
Maria von Trapp would have approved of this truck dispensing schnitzel in three varieties – chicken, pork and cod – served with a wedge of lemon and Austrian potato salad; true, noodles are absent here, but additional ‘things’ offered include bratwurst, sauerkraut, fries and Tahitian vanilla panna cotta.

Street Sweets
Locations vary | www.streetsweetsny.com | twitter.com/StreetSweets
Create-your-own croissants are the thing at this biodiesel-powered mobile bakery, which allows customers to choose from a dozen fillings – from marshmallow cream to peanut butter – for their flaky pastries; cookies, cupcakes, muffins, scones and other oven-fresh treats can be accompanied by Fair Trade coffee drinks.

Treats Truck
Locations vary | www.treatstruck.com | twitter.com/thetreatstruck
Sweets hit the streets in this truck twosome – the big silver bakery on wheels is known as Sugar, and Dot is its little white sibling – chock-full of cookies, brownies and other baked goods; wash down specialties like the pecan butterscotch bar with organic milk, soy milk, juice, tea, coffee or soda.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck
Locations vary | www.vanleeuwenicecream.com | twitter.com/VLAIC
It’s easy to spot these sunshine-yellow refitted former postal vans dispensing rich artisanal ice cream made from hormone- and antibiotic-free milk and cream and served on organic cones or in biodegradable cups; its flavors like Mexican Coke and red currant go way beyond chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

Wafels & Dinges
Locations vary | www.wafelsanddinges.com | twitter.com/waffletruck
This truck specializes in ‘good things Belgian’ – specifically, three varieties of waffles (light and crispy, soft and chewy, mini) and the ‘dinges’ that are piled on top, including anything from strawberries to Nutella or Speculoos, a spread made out of gingery shortbread cookies; bibs are available for messier mavens.

Meet Joe Doe

BuzzEditor — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:57:00 GMT

Joe Dobias

photo: courtesy of the restaurant

His battles with bloggers may have branded him New York’s new bad boy chef, but Joe Dobias, chef and owner of East Village eatery Joe Doe, just wants people to enjoy good food, even if they think he has an attitude. Fans of the Food Network’s Chopped will see if his “aggressive American” fare comes on just as strong as his personality when he steps up to the block on October 27. In the meantime, he talked openly with the Buzz about his restaurant, the trouble with food trends, the state of dining in New York and how most cooking shows don't teach you to cook.

Zagat Buzz: What’s Joe Doe’s role in today’s dining scene?

Joe Dobias: It’s a consistent approach to cooking that doesn’t need to be precious. That’s why we call the whole style “aggressive American.” It’s a little bit in your face, kinda unapologetic, and really, really honestly American.

ZB: Sounds a lot like the chef...

JD: I cook for diners, not eaters, and I do everything to accommodate the whims of people at this point. Yet I don’t think that some people have approached me with that same respect just because I have a big mouth and sometimes I stick my foot in it.

ZB: What’s the difference between an eater and a diner?

JD: Diners are leaders and the leaders have come in despite the fact that I have an attitude. They understand that I’m doing an honest person’s cooking. It’s supposed to be a convivial process where we are all getting together and we are all doing something that we enjoy, both on my side and on the diner’s side. An eater is someone who is used to following the tail of the person in front of them, the kind of people who follow overall dining trends that are pushed on them. Eaters don’t necessarily care to understand what the purpose of the restaurant is, they are there for the scene or that this is the hot thing. I opened a restaurant for diners, not for eaters – for the shepherds, not for the sheep – and if that pisses people off, too bad really. There are plenty of restaurants out there, so go somewhere else, it’s ok with me. Eaters are a big part of what’s wrong with the dining scene in New York.

ZB: If the NY dining scene is broken, how should it be fixed?

JD: It needs to be an honest approach again as opposed to just the money-making approach. Empire building is very popular right now and I am not against someone making their money but there’s a point where restaurants are losing identity, even if they are owned by celebrity chefs. There seems to be a slowing down of the whole idea that once you have one restaurant you need to have five in order to be successful. But you can still make money just off of one place. I have a very small place and at one point when we actually get the consistent business, it will be very easy for me to make money because I didn’t spend a lot of money to open it. But look at DBGB down the block from me... If you need to make $4 million a year, and you’re ok with saying that to people, then people need to be ok with the fact that they are just having money made on them. In fact, that kind of restaurant has nothing to do with giving you the best possible product at the fairest price. It has to do with profit and loss margins, it has to do with fulfilling salaries of management and an exorbitant amount of line cooks. I never opened a restaurant thinking I’m going to make millions of dollars, I never would try to do that. That system is not really devoted to customers, it is devoted to their wallets.

ZB: Who do you look up to in the culinary world?

JD: That’s a tough question. I don’t really have a lot of people that I look up to, to be honest with you, because I haven’t really worked with a lot of people in that respect. But at Savoy I worked with Matt Weingarten (Inside Park at St. Bart’s). I model a lot of my cooking after what he does because it’s an honest approach to cooking. It would taste good and he didn’t do it with a lot of pretense.

ZB: Did you enjoy the Chopped experience?

JD: I did, because a lot of it is about who is not afraid to put themselves out there. And that shows the most confidence in what you are doing in a restaurant kitchen too. I’m not afraid of anybody’s kitchen.

ZB: Some say that the cooking-competition shows focus too much on the personalities as opposed to cooking or the actual technique. Do you agree or disagree?

JD: I agree and I disagree. Just to get on a show like that has zero to do with your cooking capacity. They are casting personalities, but I think at the same time they have brought in plenty of talented people. Top Chef is now attracting heavier talent, very talented people who have been, or could be, swallowed up by the big restaurants. A lot of those guys and girls don’t want to just be the chef de cuisine in someone else’s kitchen anymore. Even if they are making $100,000 in a Mario Batali restaurant, they are not going to be able to touch any of the food and not going to be able to influence the concept. It’s already laid out, they get a spreadsheet every week and a conference call from Vegas. To a lot of people today that is not appealing. They want to see themselves in the spotlight right away and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. The good thing about these cooking competitions are that they really expose people who can’t cook! Even though they are set up to give you twists and turns, if you can really cook you will be able to adapt to whatever is thrown your way, and I think that shows a lot more prowess than someone who can regurgitate something they have learned over a 13-year apprenticeship. I mean, people don’t recognize the difference. Look at that Star Chefs event. I mean, how can every person who is a “rising star” in the culinary world right now be the chef de cuisine for someone else? And how is that fair for someone to judge only multimillion dollar restaurants as being fitting of a “rising star”? I think it’s all a bunch of horseshit, because when it comes down to it, the only people who are doing really honest stuff are the people who are still there on the ground doing it.

ZB: If you had your own show, what would the format be like?

JD: I would definitely incorporate some stand-up cooking. The Food Network is like the anti–Martha Stewart Network now. Cooking on a budget and $10 a day – they are all stupid ideas because they are about how to do things the easiest way possible and pass it off as your own. No one is showing people how to actually cook! People don’t know how to chop an onion for example. My cooking show would have that with a little bit of Alton Brown thrown in, where it’s educational. I’ll tell people why bread rises, for example.

ZB: What can diners expect from you this season at Joe Doe?

JD: I’ll tell you what not to expect – mac 'n' cheese or a fried chicken dinner. Why does everyone need to be the same? I’ve had enough of it already, these trends where everything spirals out of control because people are more interested in being written about as opposed to just doing what they are doing. I don’t think that’s what really drives business. What does drive business is continuing to do the same kind of cooking every day and getting better at it and more effective at giving the customer what they want. But to answer your question, I like this time of year – I’ll be working with beans and offal, and doing a lot of braising.

ZB: What’s next for you?

JD: We’ve been throwing around the idea of doing a sandwich shop where we would bring back a real Jewish-style bagel. We are a city full of Jews but there’s not that many good bagel places left. I came up with the name “Joe Dough” for it.

– Kathleen Squires

The Many Hats of Michael "Bao" Huynh

BuzzEditor — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:44:00 GMT

Michael "Bao" Huynh

Michael “Bao” Huynh snags the award for most prolific chef of 2009, with an empire that includes three Baoguettes, plus BarBao and Bia Garden. And coming soon are several more Baoguettes; O Bao, a noodle bar; B Clinton, a prix fixe concept; Spot, a snack and dessert cafe with Pichet Ong; and a Southeast Asian seafooder in Williamsburg. A jack of several trades, chef Huynh is also a trained architect and savvy businessman. The Buzz was able to grab him for a few minutes between projects to discuss his plan for citywide domination.

Zagat Buzz: You are not only busy creating concepts and menus – you are designing your spaces. How is designing a space similar to designing a menu?

Michael “Bao” Huynh: I feel that architecture is art and cooking is an art. And they both make people happy. They are something beautiful and creative, so they reflect each other. I am a one-man operation in terms of design, so I can move a lot faster than other restaurateurs, and I also save a lot of money by designing the spaces myself. This helps me to give more money to the quality of the kitchen.

ZB: Your mother was also a chef and cookbook author. What are some of the most important lessons she taught you?

MH: She taught me how to cook when I was very young, so cooking is something that has always been a part of me. But I think mostly she taught me the real flavors of the Vietnamese, which is the most important thing that I have, and which has driven my career.

ZB: How is Vietnamese cuisine changing in New York?

MH: I think in New York, a lot of Asian cooking is on the rise – especially Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese – because of the recession. Because this is not expensive food, it is becoming more popular. I hope to be an influence to keep the quality consistent as the cuisine becomes more popular. And I feel that we are doing something that the market needs now – good food at a low price.

ZB: What's the secret to consistency at a chain like Baoguette?

MH: We have a formula for sauces, and a base. In a higher-end restaurant, it is harder to control quality, but in lower-end restaurants when you sell something for $5–$7, you must have a formula to work – just like McDonald’s. I’m not saying we’re like McDonald’s, but we create a consistency within the recipes.

ZB: Are you afraid of spreading yourself too thin?

MH: No, because now a lot of young American chefs love Vietnamese cuisine. I took 30 students and 15 chefs to Vietnam and everybody fell in love with the cuisine, and many of them came back to work for me – good people like Spike Mendelsohn of Top Chef. So with a good staff, I have to give up something to make them happy. Basically at every restaurant we give up a percentage of ownership to the people working there, and it motivates them to keep it good. It’s about not being afraid to pass the torch to someone else – it doesn’t mean that I stand away. But I’m not doing a three-star restaurant in the case of Baoguette, and it’s easier to train people for the lower end.

ZB: Are there any plans for you to expand beyond New York?

MH: We are staying in town for now, but we are looking into bringing concepts to Miami, Atlantic City and other cities.