Jean-Georges Vongerichten

New Bar Menu at Perry St.

2012-02-24T20:04:00.015-08:00

Let me just start by saying that I'm not a lush. Really. But I do like a good drink. That's just one of my reasons for launching a new bar menu at Perry St. Another is that there's been a rebirth in the West Village. In my neighborhood, I've noticed people coming and staying later to drink and eat. At Perry St., my chef and son Cedric and the team behind the bar (Mac Wyatt, Shinya Yanao, and Tracey Olson) have worked with me and our beverage director Bernie Sun to create amazing new cocktails.

I used to start my meals with the classic Martini Rossi or Lillet Blanc. I still enjoy those, but now I go for bitter aperitifs too because they really open up your appetite. My favorite is one that inspired us to create the new Perry St. bar menu. Suze, a distillation of bitter gentian roots, was created in 1885 by Fernand Moureaux and is bottled in this stunning design by Henry Porte. I grew up with this herbaceous bitter drink in Alsace and now enjoy it at Perry in a cocktail with creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) and tonic water.

Another drink common in my French hometown and now at Perry is Alsacien Picon Beer. In it, bitter Picon, made with orange, gentian, and quinquina, livens up pale lager. (Of course, I use Kronnenbourg 1664, which is brewed in my native Strasbourg.) I add a splash of homemade lemon simple syrup to make it even more crisp. The head of beer is intentional here. As Cedric demonstrates here, this tastes best when you drink it through the foam.

As much as I stick to my heritage with those cocktails, I've become more American in my tastes too. Over the past year, I've developed a new appreciation for scotch and whiskey and expanded those options at my restaurants. I drank too fast when I was younger; now, I take my time. When I sip scotch, I experience the changes in flavor every five minutes, so I get a range of vanilla, wood, and caramel notes.

This isn't to say that I don't like my clear drinks. In fact, I've come up with a white version of a traditionally brown drink. For my take on the Sazerac, I use the crystal clear 1512 Barbershop Unaged Rye with Miracle Mile Bitters, both of which are made in California. The flavors here are very, very clean.

I also love a well-made Gin and Tonic. At Perry, we start with Reisetbauer Blue Gin, made in Austria, then offer a choice of tonics. The uncarbonated handcrafted Tomr Tonic is a concentrate made with quinine and we top that off with sparkling water. Q Tonic sweetened with agave makes a lighter G&T and Fever-Tree Tonics come in regular and bitter lemon.

The one thing that hasn't changed with my approach to cocktails is the way I apply seasonal cooking to seasonal drinks. Because Cedric, my chef at Perry, was using Meyer lemons in the kitchen, his mixologists began using the juice in their Mojito. They also began seeding and pressing pomegranates by hand to create an intense juice that they combine with Charbay Pomegranate Vodka and lime salt for their take on the Salty Dog. Soon, they'll begin experimenting with rhubarb.

As different as all these drinks are, they share one common ingredient: good ice. There's nothing worse than a watery drink. We start with whole blocks and turn them into large spheres, which have the slowest rate of melting. Shinya Yanao, who previously tended bar at the Mark and Matsugen for me, creates these spheres by hand, using a chef's knife and a technique that every bartender in Japan masters. This contraption made my MacCallan creates perfectly round spheres, which melt more slowly than Shinya's but don't look have an organic hand-carved look. Take your pick!

I'm so excited about our new bar program and if the crowd around the Perry St. bar is any indication, other New Yorkers are too. Come and have a drink. Given my travel schedule, I can assure you: It's five o-clock somewhere.

Sweet Shrimp: Eat 'Em While You Can!

2012-02-17T18:17:00.001-08:00

The sweet shrimp season in Maine is short and there may be only a week left at best. I love the distinctive sea sweetness of these small coral-pink crustaceans, which my seafood supplier Ingrid sends to me whole. As with the diver scallops and day-boat line-caught fish she finds for me, Ingrid sends me only sustainably gathered shrimp.

Sweet shrimp are best enjoyed raw to get the most out of their delicate flavor and texture. That's the way Japanese chefs prepare them for sushi and the way I like to serve them at my restaurants. At ABC Kitchen, I keep it really simple: the shrimp all in a row with shaved fresh horseradish and lemon juice. Fresh horseradish doesn't have the almost bitter sharpness of the jarred stuff. Instead, its light mustardy brightness highlights the sweetness of the shrimp, as does the lemon’s tang.At Jean Georges, I take advantage of the whole shrimp. I still keep the shrimp raw, seasoning them simply with lemon and olive oil. Then I fry the heads, tempura-style, similar to the way Japanese restaurants do, and top them with a lemon foam seasoned with black and cayenne pepper. I also differ from tradition in another way: I have my cooks remove the eyes from the heads before serving them and cut the heads into small pieces. That way, whole shrimp heads aren't staring at you. I figured it may be hard for some diners to imagine eating shrimp heads. Without those eyes, you can just think of them as croutons in the dish. Really, really delicious croutons.
I never know when Ingrid's going to tell me the season's over so I enjoy these shrimp as much as I can these winter months. I hope you get a chance to try them too.

The Best Diver Sea Scallops

2012-02-16T14:27:00.001-08:00

Getting the best ingredients is key to creating the best food. But I want my ingredients to have been grown, raised, and harvested sustainably. That’s why I love diver scallops. The “diver” here refers to the person who dives down and gathers the scallops from the sea. The alternative—dredges or trawls that drag along the bottom of the ocean to get the scallops—can damage the underwater ecosystems. My seafood supplier, the incomparable Ingrid Bengis, works closely with the divers in Maine who collect delicious scallops for my restaurants. The hand-picked scallops she sends me are so fresh that when they arrive, they’re still quivering. That is the work of true artisans.

It’s been a mild winter and I’m convinced that that has made the scallops sweeter and bigger. At my restaurants, I’m taking advantage of these amazing scallops and showing them off in different ways: At ABC Kitchen, Dan Kluger sets them over a stew of beans and kale and tops them with olives. On the Upper East Side, Pierre Schutz at The Mark serves them simply cooked with a Sriracha emulsion. At Jean Georges, Mark Lapico turns them out with my classic caper-raisin emulsion and caramelized cauliflower and also prepares them with spaghetti squash in a ponzu broth with chile and sesame at Nougatine. Cedric Vongerichten at Perry St. pan-seared them to serve with a passion fruit emulsion, baby bok choy, and porcini oil. Also downtown, Chris Beischer at the Mercer sets them over a lentil salad with crisp pancetta and lemon crème fraîche.

My chefs do an amazing job each day creating these dishes. But before they even start cooking, here’s where my dishes start:

Terry Gray, the scallop diver, and Craig, his tender on the boat (he’s the one who runs the boat while Terry is diving) go out each day to harvest scallops. They’re meticulous and very conscientious about harvesting sustainably.

Once Terry gets a load, they pull it up.

They gather only legal-sized scallops. Terry brought up the two small ones (left and center) just to give a sense of scale.

Because scallop shells never completely close, they need to be shucked immediately to prevent spoilage. Here’s a just-shucked scallop with all its guts.

And here, the beautiful muscle that’s on its way to my restaurant.

Thank you to Terry, Craig, and Ingrid for providing me with such amazing scallops and for protecting the ocean they come from. And thanks to my chefs to transforming them into delicious dishes.

My Funny Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T18:06:00.001-08:00

I’m celebrating all day…though not in the most traditional way. To start, I spent the morning with an amazing woman I’ve admired for years: Martha Stewart. I was a guest on her show and cooked a complete Valentine’s Day dinner with dishes from my newest book, Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes.

We started with a cocktail, of course, then moved on to the main course. I prepared almond-caramelized duck breasts with amaretto jus. The secret ingredient is Jordan almonds, those white candy-coated nuts you get at weddings. When crushed into bits and broiled on top of seared duck, they create a fantastic aromatic crust. To serve alongside this elegant entrée, I did my incredibly simple sesame-lime roasted mushrooms. And for dessert, I baked my classic French chocolate cake.

This evening, I’ll be with my beautiful wife Marja—and eighty or so new friends. We’re hosting a private dinner at ABC Kitchen organized by American Express. We’ll have cocktails with the guests before we do a few cooking demos for them. Once the guests sit down to their seven-course dinner, I’ll pop in and out of the kitchen to check on the food and I’ll be signing books too.

Yes, I know, that doesn’t exactly count as a real Valentine’s Day date for Marja. That’s why I’m whisking her off to St. Barths for the rest of the week. Maybe I’ll check in on my restaurants at the Eden Rock Hotel once or twice, but I’m really there to just relax on the beach with Marja. We’ll stop by my new favorite market in town. It’s more like a house with a guy who sells food, but it’s great. Lots of interesting chiles and produce from Guadeloupe, like christophines. Marja and I look forward to seeing—and tasting—other new ingredients he’s selling now.

Sharing great food with my wife? Can’t imagine anything better.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Best--and Easiest--Way to Make Short Ribs

2011-12-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

This past week, Julia Moskin of The New York Times featured my newest cookbook, Home Cooking with Jean-Georges, in an article in the Dining section. She writes, "the ingredient that flies most freely in his kitchen seems to be konbu, the dried seaweed that gives many Japanese dishes a briny depth." Maybe she exaggerated a bit, but I do love konbu. It's an amazing natural source of umami, that great savory sixth taste.

I apprenticed and trained in French kitchens where we always seared meat first before braising--a technique I still love and practice--but I discovered a few year back that konbu delivers that same meaty depth of flavor without the hassle of browning. I have a powerful hood for my LaCanche stove at home, but whenever I sear meat, I still need to open the kitchen windows to keep the room from filling with smoke.

My recipe for short ribs requires little more than throwing together all the ingredients in the oven. And the konbu gives the whole dish really rich flavor. (Note though that searing also gives you texture. I want these short ribs fall-off-the-bone tender, so I don't really miss the sear in this dish.) I love serving these ribs over glazed parsnips.
Now that it's finally chilly here in New York, I can't want to make this warming braise for my family on the weekends. I hope you enjoy it too.

The Best Restaurants in China to The Best Meal in America

2011-11-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm thrilled to say that Jean Georges Shanghai ranked number 2 in the 2011-2012 Miele Guide to the best restaurants in China. In a population of over 1.3 billion people with countless restaurants spanning 3.7 million square miles, this is high praise.

When Michael Graves designed the room, he fused the romanticism of the old French quarter in Shanghai with a modern aesthetic. I love doing the same with the food here--bringing together classic French flavors and modern Asian influences.

My talented team of Shanghai chefs turn out great dishes like crunchy tiger prawns with avocado basil puree and pineapple juice. I was there a few weeks ago with my corporate executive chef Greg Brainin to teach them a new slate of dishes for the season. As always, we're incorporating local ingredients into global flavors. We've had a great run at this restaurant since it's opening and it just keeps getting better.

Now that I'm back home in New York, I just finished celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. It's one of the best family meals of the year. I get to put twists on American classics (like foie gras in my stuffing) and just spend the day cooking and eating with my family in the country after we watch the Macy's parade outside the windows of my flagship restaurant.

This year, I prepared one of my favorite fall side dishes: Butternut Squash with Balsamic and Chile Panko Crumbs. The combination of flavors may sound unusual, but the sweet-tangy-hot blend is perfect with turkey. You can find this recipe--and one for the turkey sandwich I'm making today with leftovers--in my new book, Home Cooking with Jean-Georges.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Butternut Squash with Balsamic and Chile Panko Crumbs
Serves: 8
• 1 large butternut squash (about 2 ½ pounds)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add the whole squash and cook, partially covered, until tender, about 45 minutes. (A knife will pierce the flesh very easily.) Drain, cool slightly, then remove and discard the stem and peel. Reserve the seeds, removing and discarding the strings.

Transfer the flesh to a large serving dish and mash with a fork into an even layer. Drizzle the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the oil over the squash, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the squash seeds in a large skillet over medium-low heat until dry. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and a pinch of salt and toast, tossing occasionally. When the seeds begin to pop, partially cover the pan. Continue toasting until golden brown, about 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat, then toss in the crumbs. When well coated, stir in the thyme, chile, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and toasted seeds. Spread the crumb mixture over the squash in an even layer and serve immediately.

How to Get a Reservation at ABC Kitchen

2011-11-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

That's what Deepak Chopra and I laughed about last week at the launch party for my new book, Home Cooking with Jean Georges. To put a spin on the classic book party, I teamed up with Deepak Homebase at ABC Carpet and Home to have a conversation with Deepak about food, sustainability, and the joy of eating.

Before and after the talk, I celebrated my book launch with my family and friends the way I like best--with great food and drink. My chefs Greg Brainin and Dan Kluger prepared an amazing spread of dishes and cocktails from the book and from ABC Kitchen. It was amazing seeing my whole family (including my infant grandson Olivier) and so many friends--old and new--come together.

But back to the question at hand: the secret to scoring a reservation at ABC Kitchen. (Apparently, Deepak gets tons of requests every day.) I'm thrilled with how popular ABC is, but I want it to be a place where anyone can eat, so I always keep tables open for walk-in customers. All around the bar, we serve the full menu every night to walk-in diners. As with getting a reservation, it's easier to get a walk-in table if you come earlier in the evening.

The other way to get a taste of ABC Kitchen is to cook from my new cookbook. I created the recipes for my family up in our country home, where I cook simple, sustainable meals using the freshest ingredients from local farmers' markets. I was so happy with those dishes, I put them on the menu at ABC. What I want both the restaurant and the book to do is to inspire you to eat and cook dishes that highlight the beauty of seasonal ingredients. It's that easy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

I haven’t had a chance to post in a while, but am happy to be back and to wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

Since opening The Mark Restaurant and ABC Kitchen in New York, I’ve been thrilled to see them become neighborhood favorites where visitors feel at home too.

Just a few weeks ago, I opened another new restaurant, Fern, at the St. Regis in Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico. As at my other places, I’ve created a menu and space that reflects the surroundings and culture. I especially love cooking the local catch and gathering beautiful produce from regional farmers and gardeners.

Between those openings, I’ve been traveling the globe, training and retraining my chefs and staff. I’ve also had a chance to pursue other projects, like writing another cookbook. Also, I’ve been lucky enough to work with my beautiful wife Marja on her television series that explores her Korean heritage.

Even in recounting the past year, I’m reminded of how grateful I am to get to do what I love. I’ve been a chef for years, and I’m still excited to go to work everyday and create the best dining experiences possible.

It goes without saying that I’m thankful for my family and I can’t wait for our feast tonight and our time together this weekend.

I’m also thankful for my restaurant family. Most of them are at our restaurants all day today (including my son Cedric and daughter Louise), apart from their own families and friends. I appreciate how tirelessly they’re working to give our diners a delicious Thanksgiving meal that feels as warm and comforting as home. A special thank you to the staff at my flagship restaurant, who are helping our breakfast crowd enjoy the Macy’s parade early this morning.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

ABC Kitchen Now Open

2010-03-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Phil Suarez and I are thrilled to be partnering with Paulette Cole, CEO and Creative Director of ABC Home, to open ABC Kitchen, our new farm-to-table restaurant. I’ve been an advocate of sustainability over the years and am thrilled about opening ABC Kitchen.
Paulette did an amazing job transforming the space into a stylish, warm dining room, using many recycled materials. Beautiful old beams from a barn and the whitewashed floor creates a farmhouse effect that matches the market-driven menu.
Local artists made the ceramic plates and the bread and dessert dishes and the silverware are antique. Placemats and menus come from 100% recycled paper and our coasters are squares of cardboard from shipping boxes.
Lois Freedman and James Liakakos have been doing a great job training the front-of-house staff to be as warm and inviting as the ambiance. We want this restaurant to reflect the farm-to-table experience with a casual and convivial atmosphere and the servers have made diners feel very much at home. We’ve even found some of the front-of-the-house staff uniforms at local thrift stores in the spirit of the recycling.
In this elegant, comfortable dining room, we serve market-driven dishes made with the freshest organic and local ingredients possible. Even the cocktails devised by Bernie Sun, my beverage director, are made with local, organic liquors and juices. I especially love the tarragon-infused Green Kitchen and sparkly Blood Orange Bellini. An extensive list of biodynamic wines and local beers accompany the mixed drinks.
My executive chef here, Dan Kluger, who worked with Danny Meyer at Gramercy Tavern and Tabla before joining me, and I had a lot of fun creating the dishes. And we’re still enjoying it, since our menu will change daily. We’re only a few blocks from the Greenmarket and will create dishes based on whatever we find. Everything—vegetables, fruit, cheeses, meats, flowers—is sourced as locally as possible.
Here’s a glimpse of what you can taste now:
Roasted Beets with Homemade Yogurt: These end-of-winter candy-striped and baby beets are incredibly sweet.
Peekytoe Crab Toast: The smoky, crusty grilled bread brings out the sweetness of the lightly dressed crab.Shaved Fluke with Blood Oranges: I can’t get enough of these ruby-hued fruits when they’re in season. Their sweet-tartness highlights the freshness of the fluke.Raw Maine Sweet Shrimp with Grated Horseradish: My dear friend and amazing seafood purveyor Ingrid Bengis tells me these aren’t going to be available much longer. If you’ve never had Maine sweet shrimp, you need to try them. Amazing.Mackerel Sashimi Marinated with Ginger: Anyone who thinks mackerel tastes fishy needs to taste this version. A little heat makes it great.Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds and Citrus: This is one of my favorite dishes here. The sour cream in the center brings together all the flavors.Housemade Ricotta Ravioli: Delicate, but satisfying. Needless to say, vegetarians have been offering rave reviews of this one.Clam, Mint, and Parsley Pizza: We’re working with Jim Leahy to create seasonal pizzas and this is one of my favorites. Chilies add a little kick too.Roasted Cod with Citrus Emulsion: Clean and bright flavors define this entrée.Roasted Pork T-Bone with Apple-Meyer Lemon Puree and Swiss Chard: The flavorful, juicy meat comes from Flying Pigs Farm in Sushan, NY and is great with the sweet-tart puree.Salted Caramel-Peanut Ice Cream Sundae: The perfect balance in a sweet-salty dessert with a whipped creme fraiche topping, chocolate sauce, and caramel popcorn crisp.Pear Bourdaloue Tart: This rich pear-almond dessert reminds me of the French tarts my mother and grandmother made for me in Alsace.Chocolate Layer Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Icing: A classic American cake, made even better.By the time you read this, the menu will likely have changed again. But everything will taste just as good. I love cooking with organic, seasonal ingredients from local farms and hope you enjoy eating the results.
ABC Kitchen
35 East 18th Street, near Broadway, NYC
212-475-5829

Cooking with Michel Bras

2010-02-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

The dinners on Friday and Saturday night were amazing! And the anniversary party continued last night at D’Artagnan’s progressive dinner through some of New York City’s best restaurants. I cooked at my flagship restaurant with the brilliant chef, Michel Bras.
Michel had been in town all week and we worked together on the dish that we served on the third stop of the progressive dinner. Our “Pigeonnaux D’Ariane by Michel and Jean-Georges” was created with D’Artagnan’s beautiful squab. We broiled it and served it with a vinaigrette of orange blossom honey, ginger, coriander, white pepper, allspice, cinnamon, and sherry vinegar. It will be finished with a prune pit oil that Michel brought from his restaurant in France. To accompany the squab, Michel also made an orange powder with juniper berries.
We refined the dish all week, but decided on the accompanying vegetables only on Saturday morning. At the crack of dawn, we went to the Union Square Green Market to look for the freshest vegetables. We both love cooking this way—by choosing vegetables that have been just picked from local farms.
It’s been a joy to cook with Michel. And our dish was pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. Of course, we’ve come together for D’Artagnan, but the experience has been a celebration in and of itself.

Celebrating D'Artagnan's 25th Anniversary

2010-02-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

D’Artagnan changed the way I cook in America. By providing me with the highest-quality foie gras, game, and wild mushrooms over the years, they’ve made it possible for me to create great dishes out of those great ingredients. So it’s an honor and pleasure for me to celebrate their 25^th anniversary with them.

Tonight and tomorrow night, we welcome guest chef Bernard Ramouneda to Mercer Kitchen. Born and raised in Gascony, the same region from which D’Artagnan’s founders come, chef Ramouneda learned traditional Southwestern French cooking from his grandmother. In 1968, he took over the family restaurant, Le Florida, and continues to showcase his regional cuisine there today.

I’m thrilled that he’s bringing his best Gascon dishes to us in New York City tonight. To start, he’s preparing a savory quail-wild mushroom salad and a creamy white bean soup with French country ham, and, of course, foie gras on toast.

On these chilly winter nights, nothing is quite as satisfying as chef Ramouneda’s cassoulet with pork shank, sausage, and duck confit. His other entrée, roasted guinea hen with mushrooms and natural essence, is a close second.

For dessert, he will treat us to an apple tart with frangipane and a prune and armagnac ice cream with lemon madeleines.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the delicious meats D’Artagnan provides than with dishes from their native Gascony. And coming up, on Sunday, we’ll be part of a progressive dinner through New York City. I’ve been working with another guest chef to create an amazing new dish. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

The Mark Restaurant: Coming Soon

2010-02-02T18:00:00.001-08:00

Ten years ago, I took Marja to the bar at The Mark Hotel for our second date. I’m back at the bar now—running it and the adjoining restaurant. All to impress Marja…
Kidding aside, here’s a glimpse of how I create a restaurant. We’re in the final stretch now and I’m so excited about opening another place on the upper east side of Manhattan.
The space is simply stunning, thanks to renowned designer Jacques Grange. It feels high-end and flush, with elegant touches like these columns of light.
At this stage, I can see there are too many tables for the lounge, so
I’ll have the extras moved out before opening night.

Grange completely gutted the old restaurant so that the main dining room has a skylight ceiling and the bar flows seamlessly to the raw bar, lounge, dining room, and private dining room. Sliding partitions, built out of this gorgeous textured wood, open up the space, but can also be closed for private parties. To help my diners to feel completely at home here, Grange chose chairs that are as beautiful as they are comfortable.I also chose to create a menu of comforting, everyday food to contrast the refined ambiance. I'm working with my team of chefs to reinvent and perfect the rustic, classic dishes from my childhood in France.Perhaps my favorite new dish, which will debut at the Mark, is my Croque M. It’s a cross between a croque monsieur and croque madame. The secret to my decadent version? I make a Mornay sauce with gruyere and comte, then spread it on slices of fresh pain de mie. I do a triple-decker version with Flying Pig Farm ham, comte, and gruyere, then broil it with a quail egg on top. Delicious.Of course, I’m still pushing the envelope with new creations as well. Here, I’ve made a buckwheat fettuccine (as tasty as Matsugen’s soba, but completely different in this treatment), and top it with clams, mussels, sweet shrimp, crab, and uni. With a little chile, the nuttiness of the buckwheat really comes out.For dessert, pastry chef Erik Hubert returns to his French roots too. He’ll make whole cakes, like this delicate vanilla and chocolate-citrus charlotte, and serve generous slices.
Pierre Schutz (on the left), who headed my kitchen at Vong and has been with me for decades, will be the chef de cuisine at the Mark.He already has the kitchen ready to go. We’re currently providing the room service for the hotel and putting the finishing touches on our restaurant menu.[JG in kitchen photo] I don’t yet have an exact opening date, but we’re getting close. Everything has been going smoothly, and I’m thrilled about the dishes we’ll be introducing at the Mark. I’ll report back as we get closer to our opening. Until then, I need to get back to my team and put finishing touches on the dishes and the dining room.

Helping Haiti

2010-01-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

I’m deeply saddened by the events in Haiti. My thoughts are with those who are suffering and those who are aiding the struggling nation. Here in New York, we are doing all we can to support our employees who are from Haiti and who have family there.

We are also working together as a restaurant family to raise money to help the wounded and sick. Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 26th, we will donate 10% of the proceeds from all of our New York City restaurants to Doctors Without Borders.

Join us at Jean Georges, Nougatine, JoJo, Perry St., Mercer Kitchen, Matsugen, or Spice Market for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or drinks. I look forward to partnering with you.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

Since I last wrote, I’ve been immersed in one of the busiest travel seasons of my career. After opening Market in Boston, I flew to Scottsdale to change the menu at J&G Steakhouse in the Phoenician and to cook for a James Beard dinner there. I then jetted to Paris where I changed the menu at Market and began the earliest stages of opening another restaurant in the city of lights. Upon returning to the states, I headed to Hawaii to open the Kauai Grill in the St. Regis Princeville Resort.
I took a short break to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, then headed to Utah to open J&G Grill in the St. Regis Deer Crest Resort. I’m now in Las Vegas opening Jean Georges Steakhouse in the new City
Center.
It’s been a whirlwind and I’ve loved every second of it. Deer Crest was especially exciting because it’s my first ski resort restaurant. Needless to say, the setting is gorgeous. I took this video of the train that takes you from the village to the resort because it reminds me so much of the ski villages in Switzerland.
The hotel and restaurant are situated in the middle of the mountain, so we designed the restaurant to match the beautiful surroundings. A big communal table sits near the fireplace and stunning works of art adorn the walls. For the tables, I chose simple arrangements of pine cones.
I grew up near the mountains in Alsace and thoroughly enjoyed creating the sort of dishes that I love eating after skiing. And yes, I did hit the slopes. James Gersten, the president of Culinary Concepts, and I took a much-needed break to check out the runs at Deer Crest. (They’re great.)
Las Vegas has been just as fun, albeit in a very different way. On Tuesday night, we hosted a huge cocktail opening for 6,000. Last night, we had our official opening. Both went well and I’m staying here a few more days to make sure everything runs smoothly.
After that, I’m going to reunite with Marja and Chloe for a two-week vacation. This amazing string of openings has been successful and fun, but nothing compares to spending time with family. I hope you have a wonderful holiday with loved ones too.
Happy holidays!

Market in Boston Opens; Vong Closes

2009-11-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

Our Market opening in Boston’s W Hotel was fabulous. The warm, modern space feels like a blend between my original Market restaurant in Paris and Perry St. in New York, but with a distinct Boston vibe. We wanted to evoke the casual chic of New England beach houses. To do so, we sourced our building materials locally. The beautiful bleached wood you see throughout the restaurant comes from Cape Cod.

Like the design, the food is influenced by New England and its seasonal ingredients. We do a great clam pizza with chili and parsley and a creamy clam chowder with smoked bacon. Here, we’re lucky enough to get Casco cod, so we treat it with the clean flavors of a miso-yuzu broth and shimeji mushrooms. Of course, I also love out meat dishes. The pork chop with pistachio pesto and roasted cauliflower is perfect

for the fall.After a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday morning, we opened our doors to the public. The next day, Thomas M. Menino, Boston’s mayor, came to dine. He seemed to enjoy his meal as much as everyone else. Many thanks to Carol Park, who owns this property. From the beginning, she supported my concept for this restaurant. The opening itself went smoothly, thanks to chef Chris Damskey and general manager Marcus Palmer. My Culinary Concepts team, led by Daniel Del Vecchio, also did a fantastic job.

Following this opening is a closing in New York City. After 18 wonderful years, Vong will be closing tomorrow, Saturday, November 7th. Our lease was up and we decided not to renew. Wolfgang's Steakhouse will be moving in. I wish him the best of luck and hope Wolfgang enjoys the space as much as I did. I love Vong, and I know many others do too. I’m looking for another space to reopen Vong in the future and will keep you posted when that happens.

On the Road Again: Vancouver, Shanghai, Maine, Boston

2009-10-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

The past few months have been a complete whirlwind. I’ve been to France to visit family, to Vancouver to cook for the Dalai Lama, and to Shanghai to update my restaurant menu. When I’m in New York, I run from restaurant to restaurant and then hurry home to help Chloe with her homework.
Needless to say, I love the excitement of it all. Vancouver was spectacular, as usual. It was wonderful cooking for those attending the Dalai Lama’s Peace Summit and teaching my chefs our new fall dishes.
Shanghai was great too. I landed Tuesday and held a cooking class first thing the following morning. My students suggested I start a cooking school in the city—a very interesting idea. For now, my Shanghai chef and his team don’t need more training. They’re running an incredibly tight kitchen, executing dishes perfectly and efficiently. As impressive is the local produce now available in China. A year ago, the figs were hard as a rock and tasted terrible. This year, they’re so sweet and perfect. Almost all of our produce comes from local farms and most of it is organic.
The same local, organic ethos is alive and well in Maine, where I cooked for a benefit for the Island Culinary and Ecological Center. The organization teaches regional and sustainable cooking. Along with Boston chef Michael Leviton and Maine chefs Lawrence Klang and Melissa Kelly, we put together a meal celebrating Maine’s seafood. I made lobster with a sea urchin and jalapeno butter. My friend and seafood supplier Ingrid Begis provided the lobsters. Here’s our catch:

Do you see how shiny and fresh the lobsters are? They’re so amazing up there. I should know—I sampled lots of lobster rolls while there.
I love New England cuisine and am putting my own spin on it this week. I opened the new Market restaurant in Boston’s W Hotel last night. More on that soon…

Local Liquors

2009-09-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

I’m always looking for ways to go green. In my restaurants, that means sourcing my ingredients locally. I’ve been “cooking local” since my first days in the kitchen in Strasbourg: vegetables, herbs, eggs, dairy, and meat from nearby farms; fish from the river Seine; from the woods, game from hunters and mushrooms from foragers. Since then, I’ve worked incredibly hard to find the best local farmers, fisherman, and foragers to provide the ingredients for my restaurants. Over the years, I’ve developed great friendships with them and owe them a debt of gratitude for making my food what it is.

When I considered what more I could do to support food producers in New York, I began noticing liquors made in the Hudson Valley. We often consider wines from Northeastern wineries, but this is the first time we’re stocking our bars with local liquors. We’re starting with four whiskeys from Tuthilltown Spirits, a distillery not far from my country home. My favorite is the baby bourbon. Made from New York corn and aged in American oak barrels, this smooth drink has vanilla and caramel overtones.

I’m so happy with these whiskeys that I’ve begun looking into other New York beverages too. We make our sodas in-house, but we’re thinking about beer options. We already carry Brooklyn Lager, but I saw some Coney Island beer in a store near my apartment. The colorful, slightly sinister labels immediately caught my eye. Now all we have to do is taste them.

Of course, I’m just as excited about the end of summer-early fall produce from local farmers. To capture the last of the warm weather harvest, I’ve created a dish with a glass of tomato water, a corn fritter, and a piece of madai sashimi topped with a slice of dinosaur pluot. And for the first days of fall, an earthy mushroom “tea,” spiked with a little chile.

I love offering my diners a taste of New York. I’ll let you know next time I add yet another local item to my restaurants.

New Perry St. Chef: Cedric Vongerichten

2009-08-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

I’m proud to say that my son Cedric is now the executive chef at Perry St., my downtown New York City restaurant. This is the first time he’s running his own kitchen, but he’s been working towards this for years. Like me, he began working in restaurant kitchens as a teenager. At 17, he helped open my restaurant in the Bahamas and has been cooking with me since. He insisted that he train like all of my other chefs, so he worked his way through the stations at Jean-Georges. For the past two years, he’s been sous chef. When the Perry St. position opened, I knew Cedric was ready for it.

I was much less sure about him pursuing this path when he was young. Because my father had tried to push me into the family coal business, I wanted to make sure Cedric did what he wanted. I love being a chef, but I never wanted to force my son into the hard life of restaurant kitchens. I constantly asked him, “Are you sure you don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer?” He always replied, “I want to be a chef.”

And he’s a great one. Cedric is different from me in a lot of ways: he’s mellow and talks a lot more slowly than I do—though he cooks as fast, if not faster. But we share the desire to please and pamper others, and that’s what matters in this business. Just as Cedric requested years ago, I’m treating him like my other chefs. I talk to him the way I talk to all of my executive chefs everyday. But I can’t deny the fact that I’m looking forward to seeing him at dinner on Sunday. My sister and her kids just flew in from France and Cedric and I will be cooking a huge meal for our family reunion.

And now, my guest blogger, Cedric:

I knew I wanted to be a chef when I was nine years old. We lived in the Hotel Lafayette in New York City, above the restaurant where my father worked. Everyday after school, I wanted to help out in the kitchen. I was hooked. My father tried to push me away from this career, but I was stubborn.

When I moved back to France with my mother and sister (who’s joining the front-of-the-house staff at Mercer Kitchen soon), I went to cooking school and worked with other chefs in France, like Alain Ducasse. But I’ve spent a lot of time at my father’s restaurants and I learn a lot from him. Some people have asked whether we have conflicts in the kitchen. We really don’t; it’s been great working together.

I’m settling into Perry St., with thanks to my sous chef Omar Gillego, tournant Matt Bollinger, and general manager Seth Gurka. They’ve been here for years and are all very good at what they do. They also have great attitudes: they’re friendly and have a lot of respect for each other. Unlike cooking, that’s something you can’t teach. I’m very lucky to be working with them.

Today, we’re changing a few dishes on the menu. We’re doing a chicken broth with dill and raw and cooked market vegetables and we’re reintroducing the black pepper crab dumplings with sautéed broccoli. Hope you can come in and enjoy.

J&G Steakhouse in Washington, D.C.

2009-08-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Just after I celebrated the fourth of July, I opened my newest restaurant, J&G Steakhouse, in Washington, D.C.’s W hotel. It was a fantastic opening and I’m returning again this week. (Compared to my places in Doha and Shanghai, it’s easy to check in regularly.) The Hotel Washington, the oldest hotel in DC, used to inhabit the space, but the W has since taken over. There’s great soul in the old building and the modern, sleek updates by architect Dianna Wong transition seamlessly from the beautiful façade. I love that blend of old world and new world.

That’s what I’m going for at my steakhouse too. My executive chef Philippe Reininger completely understands my vision. We share a culinary heritage: we both grew up in Strasbourg and trained under chef Louis Outhier. Like me, he moved to America to cook at Outhier’s Lafayette restaurant in Boston. Although we both value our French culinary training, we fully developed our cooking styles here in America. So the steaks at J&G are perfectly cooked, just the way we learned in France, and we’ve created our versions of classic American dishes too. We use just-caught Maryland crab—and a touch of Old Bay seasoning—to make crisp crab cakes.

We serve our favorite Spice Market and Vong appetizers, like chicken samosas and crab spring rolls, at the rooftop bar. There’s an amazing view of the Washington Monument in the distance, and the White House is so close you could probably throw your martini olives onto the lawn. (But don’t try it; security's everywhere.)

I was amazed by the crowds in our opening week and thrilled that we’re already a favorite destination for Washingtonians. (It’s great to see so many members of Congress -- and reporters -- in our dining room.)

The talented chefs and front-of-the-house staff worked tirelessly to deliver fantastic food and service. But my favorite part of this opening was working with my daughter Louise (on the left). She just graduated from American University in DC and worked as a hostess when I was in town. She did a fantastic job, and I can’t wait to see her again in a few days.

Spice Market

2009-06-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

By now, many of you have probably read Frank Bruni’s review of Spice Market in the New York Times. Even though I’m glad he enjoyed the restaurant’s ambience and some of its dishes, I’m disappointed by the review. Of course, Bruni offered some insightful comments about his visits, and the feedback is always appreciated. There are few things I dislike more than sloppiness, and I’ve already begun to work on improving every aspect of Spice Market. As with all of my restaurants, I want to offer great dining experiences and continually work to uphold the highest standards of food and service.

I’m sorry that Bruni and his guests didn’t have a better time, but I make no apologies for opening Spice Market or any of my other restaurants. Like each one, Spice Market was conceived of and built as a stand-alone restaurant. In fact, it was a deeply personal project: I spent years cooking in Asia and ate at the fantastic open-air markets every night after work. I simply wanted to share those delicious dishes with fellow New Yorkers. When the Starwood Hotel group approached me about opening Spice Markets in their hotels around the world, I was happy to have the opportunity to share those dishes with diners in other cities.

The food at Spice Market is excellent—and I intend to keep making it better and better. Besides, I can personally attest to the fact that there’s no better place to eat well and have a great time. After all, it’s where Marja and I got married!

Setting the Record Straight

2009-06-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

On Monday afternoon, I began receiving a flood of emails and phone calls: Wow! Cooking for four living presidents? That’s amazing!; How wonderful to cook for Obama! Will Michelle be there too?

I had no idea what my friends were talking about.

It turns out that Crain’s—and subsequently all of the food blogs—reported the following:

Award-winning chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has a big assignment tonight. He is cooking dinner at the United Nations for three past presidents, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as the current commander-in-chief, Barack Obama.
A source says security is so tight that only the famous chef and an assistant are allowed into the kitchen.
What’s on the menu? Halibut, which was flown into the city today.

For the record, I did not cook at the United Nations for President Obama or former presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. It would be an honor to do so and I’d be thrilled to prepare a meal for them anytime or to host them in any of my restaurants.

I did, however, have the privilege of cooking for former president Bill Clinton in the home of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a dinner party that included Mayor Bloomberg. As I understand it, Obama was invited, but couldn’t make it. (I imagine he was busy on Monday and Tuesday following Iran’s elections.) I went only with my corporate executive chef Greg Brainin because we were cooking for a small group.

The halibut was, in fact, flown into New York on Monday morning by my fantastic fish supplier, Ingrid Bengis. At 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, the halibut was line-caught off the coast of Maine. Ingrid picked it up from the fisherman, packed it in seaweed and ice, drove to Boston, hopped on a plane to New York, and took the E train to my restaurant. Thank you, Ingrid.

I wanted to prepare a fantastic meal for Clinton while ensuring that I met his dietary guidelines. We composed a passed appetizer of watermelon and goat cheese, and followed with my “27 vegetables” first course. I got the best vegetables I could find at the Greenmarket, blanched each in color order (fennel, favas, asparagus, artichokes, carrots, etc.), then dressed them all with the flavorful cooking liquid, basil oil, lemon juice, a dozen herbs, and beautiful edible flowers. It’s like eating a garden—delicious!

The unbelievably fresh halibut was served with honshimeiji mushrooms and shallots in a tomato-lemongrass broth and drizzled with mushroom “syrup.” Whole-grain couscous came on the side. For dessert, I composed a red berry soup with all the cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, and topped it with strawberry sorbet.

I still don’t know how that other story was reported, but these are the facts. Bon appetit!

The Bees Are Back In Town

2009-05-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

After spending a few weekends out of town, I had the chance to relax in the country last weekend. We hosted our annual Memorial Day barbecue, cooking whole fish over an open fire for family and friends. Last weekend also marked the return of my honeybees.A little over a year ago, I tasted a delicious honey at a restaurant near my upstate New York home. The restaurant owner referred me to the local beekeeper who made the honey (well, made by the bees, but collected by the apiarist D.J. Haverkamp). When I contacted D.J., he agreed to help me set up my own hives. I’d been wanting an apiary for years and, with the recent demise of millions of honeybees from the mysterious “colony collapse disorder,” it seemed like the right time to do my small part in reviving the population.
Before D.J. arrived with my hive, I read The Queen and I, Edward Weiss’s book about beekeeping, and learned everything I could about bees. It’s a fascinating book; I picked up the basics of beekeeping and developed a passion for it. Last year went quite smoothly, and this year promises to be even better. D.J. has kept bees for years, but I was his first client, a sort of experiment to see whether he enjoys keeping bees for other people. It turns out he does.
This year, he has many more clients in our community, and my own set-up has improved. Last year, my hive was set on the grass; this year, it’s on a sturdy platform. Last year, the top was weighted down with a big rock; this year, hook-and-latch cables secure it. I’m not a huge fan of the new sign affixed to the hive—I prefer the beauty of a simple white box—but I understand the need to have DJ’s number prominently displayed in case of an emergency. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the very beauty of the process. The bees still dart back and forth between the woods and the hive, the frames grow heavy with honey, and the box continually buzzes with an energy that reminds me of a great night in my restaurant kitchen.My queen, identified by the emerald green dot on her back, and her bees have already produced a lot of honey; D.J. anticipates at least ten pounds this season. Because I have a wide variety of plants on my property, the honey develops a very complex sweetness. I can’t wait to taste it again.

Dining Out

2009-05-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

I spend most of my time creating—and tasting—dishes for my restaurants, but I love dining out and seeing what other chefs are doing. For the past two weekends, I’ve had the opportunity to dine in our nation’s capitol. Last weekend, I attended my daughter Louise’s college graduation and I returned this weekend for the commencement ceremony of my wife Marja’s sister. The highlight of both weekends was celebrating these milestones with family, both at the universities and at great Washington, D.C. restaurants. The chef at at Komi, Johnny Monis, is amazing and dinner there was fantastic. For brunch, we sat in the Tabard Inn’s garden and enjoyed a fabulous meal. We also had a wonderful experience at CityZen in the Mandarin Oriental.

Just a few weeks earlier, I dined all over Paris. I spent nearly a week there teaching our chefs at Market our new spring dishes. With the first of the harvest, we worked on seasonal items like our asparagus salad and our prawns with sugar snap peas.

When I wasn’t in the kitchen, I was sampling other restaurants. La Maree Passy proved to be an excellent choice. Because chef Gregory Coutanceau gets his fish from his father, a fishmonger who sources his catch from small boats along the coast from Brittany to Belgium, he treats his impeccably fresh ingredients simply and beautifully. Gillardeau oysters, easily an ounce each, are as shiny as pearls and so delicious they need only a squeeze of lemon juice. These oysters reappeared in what I would consider on of the best appetizers I’ve eaten all year. They’re chopped and layered with a tartare of the belly of white salmon, caught in the Loire River, and their liquor is used to season the dish. A bit of horseradish adds a bright note, and toast and lemon wedges are served alongside. Delicious.

Another appetizer featured langoustines, which retained a firm texture while achieving a sea urchin-like richness. The main courses that followed highlighted the freshness of the ingredients: grilled whole fish (John Dory, turbot, Belgian sole) with citrus butter and a side of mashed potatoes. My favorite dessert looked deceptively simple—a thin waffle topped with whipped cream and fresh raspberries—but was deeply satisfying. Can you believe the size of those berries?

I returned to L’Ami Louis, an old favorite, for their roasted chicken. Nobody in the world does it better.

When I dine out, I’m reminded of what a pleasure it is to be a customer. I hope all of my restaurant guests feel the same way.

The James Beard Awards

2009-05-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Last Monday night, I was honored to win the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant award for Jean Georges. To be nominated, a restaurant has to be in business continuously for at least ten years and staying open for that long is a reward in itself. The other nominees, including Babbo here in New York, are excellent and I was honored to be counted among those guys. In fact, I didn’t expect to win (and didn’t even have a speech prepared).
It’s been ten years since I’ve walked down that red carpet. Despite the stress I felt all night awaiting the results, I was thrilled to go up there with my team. Many thanks again to Phil Suarez for believing in me and investing in the restaurant, my brother Philippe for upholding the highest standards of service since we opened, Greg Brainin and Mark Lapico for ensuring that each dish comes out perfectly, and Johnny Iuzzini for delicious desserts. And thanks to everyone who has been a part of Jean Georges over the past twelve years; I’m grateful for the contributions each person has brought.
Of course, I’m committed to keeping Jean Georges at the top. And now that we’ve been named the best restaurant in America, I’m just going to keep raising our standards higher and higher. I’m still here nearly every day, and ensure our customers feel welcome and satisfied. We’ve been working on our new spring dishes, and I think they may just be our best yet.
On Tuesday night, I shared my thoughts on the restaurant industry on the Fox Business Network, along with Eric Ripert and David Chang. I really believe business is only going to improve; the food and service certainly has. But you can be then judge of that…I look forward to
seeing you at Jean Georges soon!

My Shanghai Chefs

2009-04-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing time in Shanghai last week. I had a chance to visit the fantastic local food markets, host a cooking class, chefs’ dinner, champagne reception, and spring dinner party. As with all of my visits to my restaurants abroad, my primary purpose here is to teach my chefs my newest dishes and that has definitely been the highlight of my time here.
Of course, I’ve taught my chefs at Jean Georges Shanghai before, but this session has been particularly exciting. We recently promoted Lam Ming Kin to chef de cuisine and Louis Ye to pastry chef. They lead a team that is comprised of only Chinese chefs, and I’m thrilled to have local talent bringing my cuisine to this vibrant city.

Both Kin and Louis were on the opening team of Jean Georges Shanghai and worked at my eponymous New York restaurant as well. Kin also cooked at Vong in Hong Kong and spent time training in Paris; Louis has been creating pastries at top restaurants in Shanghai for years and trained in Lyon and Switzerland. They’ve contributed to making our Three on the Bund restaurant one of the best in Shanghai—and China—and I know that they’ll continue to do so.

One of my favorite things about being a chef is mentoring the next generation, and being able to do so around the world. Being a great chef is not restricted by geography, and I’m thrilled to staff my Shanghai restaurant with a hometown team. They execute my dishes perfectly, and understand the local ingredients, the city’s restaurant scene, and, of course, the local cuisine.
As they carry on a long and rich culinary tradition in this city, they’re contributing my global flavors to the cosmopolitan mix.

I’ve always loved Shanghainese cuisine, like the traditional soup dumplings and noodles, but I’ve also admired the international influences in this city. By introducing my dishes, such as bacon-wrapped shrimp with avocado and passion fruit-honey mustard, my chefs help shape the culinary landscape of this great city. It’s been a pleasure leading them and I can’t wait to return and work with them again. Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Avocado and Passion Fruit-Honey Mustard
Serves 4

Passion Fruit Syrup:
1 cup frozen passion fruit puree
½ red bird chile
3 Tbsp. hot mustard powder
3 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. salt

Cumin Honey:
½ cup honey
½ tsp. cumin seeds, toasted

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Avocado
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 slices smoked bacon, halved crosswise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. grape seed or other neutral oil
1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
8 cilantro leaves

To make the syrup: Heat the puree and chile in a small saucepan over medium heat, and reduce until very syrupy. Strain through a fine sieve, and let cool to room temperature. Mix together the mustard, water, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. When the passion fruit has cooled, stir it into the mustard mixture until smooth.

To make the honey: Heat honey and cumin in a small saucepan over medium heat, and reduce by half. Strain through a fine sieve, and let cool to room temperature.

To make the shrimp: Wrap each shrimp with a strip of bacon, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Press a few thyme leaves into each side. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in one layer, cooking in batches if necessary, and cook, turning once, until bacon is crisp and shrimp are cooked through.
Divide avocado slices among 4 serving plates, and season lightly with salt. Arrange shrimp on top of avocado, then drizzle equal amounts of the passion fruit syrup and the cumin honey around the plate. Garnish with cilantro leaves, and serve immediately.

My Vintage Dinner

2009-03-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

What a night! On Monday evening, I prepared an eight-course feast for the Zagat vintage dinner series. (Here I am with Tim Zagat.)

To create a uniquely personal menu that evoked France’s rich gastronomic history, I traced my culinary lineage. My mentor, chef Louis Outhier, with whom I worked after training with master chefs Paul Haeberlin and Paul Bocuse, was one of chef Fernand Point’s protégés. Many consider Point the father of nouvelle cuisine, and last night’s dishes were inspired by those he served at his temple of haute cuisine, La Pyramide. I was thrilled to be cooking dishes I haven’t done in years, the kind of buttery creations not found in many restaurants nowadays.

Although I’m often in the kitchen developing new dishes and teaching my chefs, I don’t run the dinner service anymore. For this dinner, it had to be me. My chefs are incredibly talented, but they’re young guys who’ve never done this stuff before. Cooking en croute? That belonged to my generation and those who came before me.

We started light, with caviar and crème fraiche over a Meyer lemon gelee. Outhier and I share a passion for caviar, a luxury that Point embraced. Point also loved truffles and foie gras, so I combined the two with a visual trick. Coating a round of foie gras terrine with a port glaze, this black truffle surprise looks like a truffle, but tastes like foie gras. As indulgent as caviar and foie gras was my first-of-the-season asparagus and morels.

Point was renowned for his loup de mer en croute, a whole fish baked in puff pastry, and I recreated it last night with sauce choron, a béarnaise blended with tomatoes.

From there, I moved into the heart of nouvelle cuisine, which is defined by simple, lighter preparations that bring out the full flavors of fresh ingredients. I served lobster a la nage with a champagne sauce, julinenned vegetables, and chervil.

Point’s truffled Bresse chicken firmly established him as culinary genius. I recreated that iconic dish, and paired it with classic creamed spinach.
Perhaps the best part of the night was our caravan of cakes.
My pastry chefs Johhny Iuzzini and

Eric Hubert returned to their classical French training and created tarte tatin, Paris brest praline, savarin au rhum, gateau opera café, charlotte Cecile, pastis noisette, and many, many more, including my favorite, mille feuille aux fruits rouge.

In this tribute to my mentor, I was able to pass on what I learned from Outhier to my chefs,

Mark L’apico, Greg Brainin, my son Cedric, and the rest of the team. Teaching and inspiring the next generation of chefs is the one thing in the kitchen that will never go out of style.

Opening Spice Market and Market in Qatar

2009-03-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

I was in in Doha, Qatar last week, opening both a Market and Spice Market in the city’s new W Hotel. It was thrilling to be in such a different part of the world. Despite its relative proximity to India, Asia, and Europe, it retains its own unique culture.Perhaps most surprising is the popularity of falcons. Throughout the city, guys with falcons perched on their arms (covered with laced metal gloves, of course) stroll casually down the street. Sometimes, there were so many of them, I felt like I was on the movie set of The Birds. It was fascinating to learn about the history of falconry in the Arab world, and just cool to see the birds everywhere.

On my last trip here, two and half years ago, the neighborhood surrounding the W was barren. Now, there are over a dozen high rises lining the street. Doha is growing so fast, it seems like a new building pops up every five minutes.

We’re in one of the many luxury hotels here, but I think we bring something new to the scene. The dining room at Spice Market is just one example of that.Although my dishes are quite modern, I keep the white tablecloth service old-school. Most of my cooks and waitstaff come from India, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia, and they offer a very natural, gracious style of service.

Of course, we also try to work with local ingredients as much as possible. At the fish market, I found great shrimp, rock lobster, and hamour, which closely resembles grouper.

To find the best source of meat, I went to few different markets to check out the lamb, goat, and chicken. (We’re using lamb in place of pork in our dishes, and it tastes great in Spice Market’s satay and vindaloo.)
In Qatar’s culinary culture, most restaurants offer many dishes, so we expanded our Spice Market menu to include a section of meze. Training my chefs to do all these new dishes meant I spent most of my time in the kitchen, but I did get out to see Doha’s beautiful Museum of Islamic Art.This was actually a quiet opening of the restaurants. Once we have everything running perfectly, we’ll throw a grand opening in May orJune. That being said, this was a pretty spectacular opening. On Sunday night, someone from the emir’s palace called and asked us to deliver thirty-five dishes from both restaurants. The next night, the emir himself, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, showed up in the dining room. In his long white robes, he was incredibly striking and elegant.

While I was there, four of the five wealthiest Qatarians dined with us as well. From my experience, that segment of our clientele usually requires extra hospitality on our part, but they were also amazingly hospitable, kind, and friendly to me and my staff. It was a joy cooking for them—and everyone else who came to our restaurants—and I can’t wait to return.

Wine Tasting

2009-02-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

I’ve just returned from the Bahamas, where I worked with my chef Frederic Demers at Café Martinique and chef Alex Powel at Dune. Along with my New York chefs Greg Brainin and Eric Hubert, we introduced them to our new spring dishes. On the island, we get the most amazing produce from Maria-Therese Kemp’s Holey Farm and phenomenal grouper, hog snapper, and spiny lobster from Alan, my spear fishing guy. Our new dishes showcase their ingredients beautifully.
This was the first of many trips this season to my restaurants around the world. I’m leaving for Qatar on Monday, where we’re opening both a Market and Spice Market in Doha’s W Hotel. As you can see, my team has already gone ahead of me.
With the change of seasons comes a change of menus, so I’m off to Shanghai after that to teach our new dishes to my chefs there.
Of course, I’ll be in New York between trips. Since my last post about my new $58 Jean Georges menu, I’ve been getting questions about the half-glass wines that I mentioned. Actually, we’ve been offering half glasses of wine since October, but I began thinking about it long before that. I noticed that people getting together at the bar would start with a glass of wine, and then be stuck in the awkward position of wanting to stay a little while longer, but not for another full glass. (Think first dates.) In the dining room, customers wanted to pair different wines with different courses, but didn’t want a full glass with each course. And colleagues who came in for lunch celebrations would want to order champagne, but a full glass is a bit much when you need to return to work. (In these times, it’s more important than ever to celebrate professional achievements.) Perhaps most importantly, I wanted diners who drove to my restaurants to drive home safely.
My beverage director, Bernard Sun, constantly changes the wine lists at all of my New York restaurants to feature the best wines of the times. And he chooses the most interesting and delicious ones for our wines by the glass and half glass. In addition to sourcing unique wines from top producers around the world, he also chooses wines appropriate to the seasons and our changing menus. That’s the real reason I like our half glasses—you can taste a lot of great wines without breaking the bank. (It’s a great deal because these half glasses are half the price of a full glass.)
I stopped by the restaurant between the airport and home this afternoon and saw that Bernie added a delicious 2004 Peter Lehmann shiraz to the wine list. I think I’ll have just a taste. Cheers!

My Select Menu at Jean Georges

2009-02-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

Times are tough, and I think a good meal is a cure-all when things are down. Nothing can lift spirits quite like delicious food, gracious service, and a gorgeous dining room. That’s why I’m introducing a $58 dinner menu at Jean Georges tonight. It’s a four course meal of three of my favorite dishes and your choice of a dessert flight. You can enjoy it Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30 to 6 pm and from 10 to 11 pm. Those are my favorite hours in the dining room, when you can see the sun setting over Central Park and when you can feel the night vibe of the city starting to heat up.
I chose warm, comforting dishes to celebrate the end of winter. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do:

To start, seared gulf shrimp are served on top of a silky pumpkin puree brightened by ginger and basil. A rich risotto follows. We make our version with Nishiki rice, the grain variety traditionally used to brew sake, and season it with an earthy porcini mushroom marmalade and fresh herbs. I give chicken an incredibly crisp “skin” of parmigiano reggiano and serve it over artichokes glazed with a lemon and basil butter sauce.

Our dessert menu changes every week, thanks to my pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini. This is just a sampling of what he’s cooking now, but when you come, you can choose whichever dessert flight you’re craving. Trust me, they’re all good.
And if you’re like me, you’ll want to sample more than one type of wine with dinner without actually drinking too much. In all of my restaurants, you can try “tastes” of our most interesting wines. I’ve started offering half-glasses and found everyone loves this option.
I sometimes think of my $58 chef’s selection menu as “The Obama Special.” No, it’s not a $787 billion stimulus package for the national economy, but it’s my way of bringing some cheer to this depression. Bon appetit!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

I’m in Atlanta right now and I wish my wife Marja was here so that we could celebrate Valentine’s Day together at Market, my restaurant in Buckhead’s W Hotel. Of course, I’ll be thrilled to see her back at home tomorrow, but I’d love to share this experience with her. Atlanta is beautiful and green, even in the winter, and everyone is so nice. Also, my menu at Market reads like a collection of my “greatest hits” from all of my New York restaurants, so my favorite dishes are available in one spot.

In fact, I’m here working with chef de cuisine Ian Winslade on new dishes for the menus both here and at Spice Market in the W Midtown. Spring comes early to the south—strawberries will be ripe in the next few weeks. Since Market’s dishes revolve around local, seasonal ingredients, I want to make sure we’re ready to use the great produce here as soon as it’s available. We also incorporate those ingredients into Spice Market’s dishes, and I’ve enjoyed working with Ian at both restaurants.

When I arrive home tomorrow, I’m going to have to switch gears. It’s definitely still winter in New York. We’re doing a family Valentine’s Day dinner with our daughter Chloe, my son Cedric, and my brother Philippe and his children. (I only wish my daughter Louise could’ve made it up from D.C. too.) I think I’m going to roast a rack of Berkshire pork chops with a maple syrup and soy sauce glaze and pair that with a quince puree. For dessert, I may forgo chocolate in favor of cheesecake. Better yet, maybe I’ll do both. Whatever I cook, I’ll just be happy to share the meal with family.

Marja and I enjoy spending this little holiday at home. Besides, we’re really looking forward to our trip to Egypt the last week of April. Neither of us has ever been and we can’t wait to go. Admiral Travel invited me to be a guest chef on an amazing land and cruise tour. With the other travelers, we’ll get private tours of Queen Nefertari’s tomb, the Karnak Temple, Kom Ombo, and the Temple of Philae.

What I’m most excited about, though, is the final dinner. I’ll be cooking under a Bedouin-style tent on the Giza Plateau, with a spectacular view of the pyramids. Needless to say, this is a first for me. I’m always up for a new cooking adventure, and I can’t imagine a better one. If you’re already planning on going or would like to sign up for this trip, I look forward to seeing you there.

Vong's New (Old) Menu

2009-02-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

Just before the holidays, I was craving Vong’s original dishes–I mean the ones from back when the restaurant first opened, in 1992–so I went to the restaurant and asked the kitchen to prepare them for me. I was overwhelmed by how new and fresh and delicious they tasted! I decided then and there that we had to bring the whole menu back. And even though we were already doing the $24 lunch and $35 four-course dinner, I decided to bring back 1992 prices on the a la carte menu too.

Of course, those dishes also brought back a flood of memories. I opened Vong in 1992, a year after opening JoJo, to fuse my French cuisine with the Thai dishes I came to love while cooking in Asia. (Hence its original proposed name: “Far East.”) Florence Fabricant, the New York Times food writer, was the one who suggested “Vong” instead. (Thanks, Florence.)

To create a space reminiscent of Bangkok’s gilded temples, I installed teak floors, painted the ceiling gold, and covered a wall with a collage of my maps, articles, and souvenirs from Thailand. More recently, we added Eames chairs tinted red, the color of good fortune.

One of my favorite “original” dishes actually debuted in 1993. During our first year, we realized that every table ordered a selection of appetizers, so we put together a tasting plate of our signature starters.

Here’s the order in which I like to eat them:
Start with the Peekytoe crab spring rolls. There’s so much crab in the thin wrapper, this is more like a crab cake. I love the contrast between the hot, crisp roll and the cool lettuce, mint, and cilantro that you wrap it in.

A thin coating of coconut mousse and panko crumbs keeps the shrimp in our crunchy shrimp “satay” super-moist. Our raw tuna and avocado summer rolls are so refreshing, as is the lobster wrapped in a paper-thin sheet of daikon radish. The accompanying rosemary ginger vinaigrette was one of my first fusion experiments, blending French herbs and Asian aromatics. I still love this combination today. The roasted quail, marinated in a sweet soy sauce and five-spice marinade, pairs well with the salad of watercress, sliced red cabbage, and slivers of crunchy fried leeks.

Of the entrees, the shrimp with Thai herbs remains one of my favorites. Be sure to enjoy each bite with the garnish on top and the creamy, spiced sauce below.

My interpretation of Vietnamese pho includes seared steak and a roasted marrow bone, both of which add a deep richness to the aromatic ginger broth. But my favorite dish is still the chicken and coconut soup. It was the first thing I ate when I arrived in Thailand years ago, and I continued to eat it after many long days of cooking. This soup was one of the reasons I decided to open a restaurant like Vong.
The desserts are why I like to linger over a meal here.
When you take a bite of the caramelized pineapple, you first get a hint of fruity tartness, then comes the cooling sweetness of vanilla coconut sorbet. Of course, we have our signature warm chocolate cake here, but we also have a bitter chocolate tart with oranges and candied ginger, which offset the molten chocolate richness perfectly. Finally, one of my favorite desserts is the coconut caramel custard with delicate lime cookies. The custard may look simple, but it’s amazingly silky and flavorful. The best part about returning to our 1992 menu and prices?

Vong’s original chefs will be preparing the dishes. Pierre Schutz, who started cooking for me in 1985 and opened Vong, is still running the kitchen. Eric Hubert, our pastry chef who opened Vong and recently returned, is as great as ever. (He always rolls his puff pastry by hand, something I truly admire.)
With their help, I’m making the old new again at Vong. I hope to see many old and new friends there.

Oh Canada! Opening Market in Vancouver

2009-01-30T20:07:00.000-08:00

I just returned to New York after a week in Vancouver opening my newest restaurant, Market, in the Shangri-La Hotel. I have to say, this was one of the smoothest openings I’ve ever experienced. Any chef can tell you that opening week is hectic, to put it mildly. But this time around, it went remarkably well, thanks to everyone involved. The hotel staff, led by general manager Stephen Darling and food and beverage director Frank Schuetzendorf, were a pleasure to work with, as was PR director Jill Killeen. All of the cooks and servers they hired for Market were simply excellent. And, of course, my Culinary Concepts team pulled the whole restaurant all together.
Our general manager Paul Grunberg and executive chef David Foot are both from Vancouver so they have a great understanding of the city’s culinary strengths but also fully embrace and understand my cuisine and style of service. It’s been a joy working with them on crafting just the right dishes and ambience.
Long before this opening week, Cynthia Penner of Box Interiors designed our gorgeous rooms and Herve Descottes, who’s done fabulous lights for me at so many restaurants, created the stunning lighting.
And my Culinary Concepts team, headed by Daniel Del Vecchio who’s been working with me for decades, did their best work yet. In fact, things went so smoothly, we even had time to go out together. Steve Ivans led this project and Greg Brainin upheld everything to my standards. Justin Bazdarich, John Martinez, and Greg Vernick did an amazing job training chefs in the kitchen, and Denis Bouron and Bruno Valentino did the same for the front of the house.
The bar is spectacular too, thanks to our beverage director Christy Canterbury and lead bartender Justin Tisdall. Jen Burgess and Imre Cupani both wear many hats and took care of just about everything and everyone. On Sunday, the day after opening, I decided to thank my staff by cooking them a family meal. Using some delicious sausage and pork from the Granville Island public market, I made traditional Alsatian choucroute, braising the meat on a bed of sauerkraut. We had a great time savoring it with beer.
Sunday wasn’t entirely a day of rest. We tweaked the menu to perfect it some more and ran through everything yet again. When we finished, someone (who must know how much I love skiing) told me that Cypress Mountain is only twenty minutes from the hotel and has night skiing. I hit the slopes; it was pretty amazing. I couldn’t believe that I got to ski the night after our first day of service. Only in Vancouver…
Opening day just went so well and it only got better as the week went on. Cheers to everyone at Market!

The Chef Is Back in Town

2009-01-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

As I said last week, I'm on a soba diet. (Although I can't say that I've been eating less pizza at Co.—it's just so good.) The reason I've been at Matsugen more is because chef Masa Matsushita is back in town. Of the three Matsushita brothers who founded the Matsugen restaurants, he's the only chef. He normally cooks at their Tokyo restaurant, but he came to New York to open our Matsugen, and now he's back for three months. (His chef de cuisine in New York, Choji Miyano, is fantastic; he's on paternity leave in Tokyo.)

Masa joins his brother Taka, who has settled in New York to run our restaurant. While he's cooking as he would in Tokyo, preparing authentic Japanese cuisine, Masa does so in a way that's uniquely American when he's here.

In Tokyo, soba and sushi aren't commonly served together. Here, we're offering both in a bento box lunch, along with black cod with miso, salad with a creamy carrot dressing, and vanilla caramel pudding for dessert. Also different from Tokyo? The $24 price tag for Restaurant Week (and, in fact, all of 2009).

When I'm craving my other Matsugen favorites, I'll get the $35 bento box. It includes yuba (homemade tofu), salad with a soy dressing, shrimp tempura, sushi, and soba. I love being able to have some of everything in one meal.Masa has also brought with him new dishes, which we're continually introducing. In addition to the crispy shrimp appetizer, this kampachi sashimi is great. It's topped with spicy oroshi and seasoned with ponzu. The subtle heat and crunch of the topping and sauce so perfectly offset the sweetness of the fish.

I realize this sounds like a lot of food, but it feels like the best"diet" possible. Everything at Matsugen tastes so refreshing and yet is so deeply satisfying. And those bento box lunches, as well as our $35 prix fixe dinner, do include a lot of dishes. It's just that true Japanese food has such clean, pure flavors, it leaves me feeling lighter than when I walked in.

2009-01-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

Co. (I call it “company”) opened three weeks ago, and it’s fabulous. Chef Jim Leahy has been baking the bread for my restaurants for years. When he asked me and my business partner Phil Suarez to back his pizza restaurant, of course we agreed. Jim’s brilliant in the kitchen, and we provide the front-of-the-house staff so that he can focus on cooking. Christophe, who opened Jean Georges and Vong with me, trains the staff and organizes the dining room. And whenever Jim wants advice, I’m available.

I love everything on the menu: the meat and cheese plates, the ribollita, the salads, toasts, and pizza. I’m not sure pizza’s the right name for it though. Jim’s dough is so flavorful, so perfectly textured, I think of it as a flatbread with delicious toppings. And the “popeye” is definitely one of my favorite pies.

A little pecorino, gruyere, and buffalo mozzarella are baked halfway onto the dough, then half a pound of fresh spinach is piled on, and wilted onto the crust. It’s amazing. So is the amalfi, with its green olives, anchovies, and chiles. Needless to say, the black truffle special is great too.
I’ve been at Co. every other night since it’s opening and I love having what the menu calls “toast” with a glass of wine. These garlic-rubbed slices of bread are topped with braised pinto beans, roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, or a smooth chicken liver pate. The chicken liver topping is so creamy and rich, and the flavors so well balanced. Not exactly surprising since Jim’s been perfecting the recipe for the past fifteen years.

Actually, Jim perfects everything, everyday. It’s why Co. is so good (and why I was excited about backing this restaurant). He makes sure each crust is evenly blistered, the amount of cheese just right, the slices cleanly cut. He adjusts his lemon and olive oil dressing to brighten his butter lettuce and roasted butternut squash salad and to balance his escarole and anchovy one. Every meal I’ve had there is so fabulous, so satisfying.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Co.’s been pretty crazy since it’s opened. We want to keep it a casual, walk-in place with no reservations, but we’ll gradually extend the hours. It’s just the sort place you want to eat at all the time. I should know. I think I’ve gained about 4 pounds these last few weeks. I need to go back on my soba diet…

Steak, Anyone?

2008-12-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, though it’s still pretty warm here in Scottsdale, Arizona. I’m in town to open my newest restaurant, J&G Steakhouse at the Phoenician Resort. Most assume the letters “J” and “G” represent my initials (and they do), but I like to think of this as the “Juicy and Good Steakhouse.” We’ve worked hard to source the best meat and cook it to perfection. With this restaurant, I’ve decided to expand the steakhouse theme to include a full menu of appetizers, other meat and fish entrees, and lots of vegetable choices. I love a good, old-fashioned steakhouse—Peter Luger is one of my favorite restaurants in New York—but I wanted to offer a more varied menu to diners at the Phoenician.

This is the third restaurant I’ve opened outside of New York this fall. After opening Spice Market in midtown Atlanta, I decided to return to that great city and open a Market restaurant in the Buckhead neighborhood. At Market, we transform seasonal ingredients into modern, global dishes. Right now, I think the glazed short ribs with carrot purée and honshimeji mushrooms is a great, comforting fall-to-winter dish.

This fall, we also opened a Market in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, at the One & Only Palmilla Resort. With the Market concept, I get to play around with the menus to reflect the local ingredients and cuisine. Here, I did a corn ravioli as well as a veal chop with a chipotle chili glaze. And rather than having a traditional bar, I created the Suviche bar, which serves both ceviche and sushi.
I’m taking a little break before opening more restaurants in the new year. I look forward to relaxing with Marja, Chloe, and Cedric, and refueling for a busy year ahead.

My Gift To You This Season

2008-12-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't written in so long, but the past three months have been incredibly busy. I don't need to tell you how crazy this fall has been, but I do want to help make the best of this crisis. Here in New York, you can feel the anxiety in the air. While a good meal isn't going to solve the current problems, it certainly makes you feel better. I sincerely believe that great food lifts your spirits, that a beautiful restaurant serves as an escape.
I've created my restaurants to be places that offer a gracious welcome, that pamper our guests with delicious food and friendly service. And now I want to extend more generosity to my fellow New Yorkers. I'm offering prix-fixe lunch for $24 and prix-fixe dinner for $35 at my restaurants in the city.
The best deal, by far, is at Matsugen. In this mini-omakase dinner menu, you get six courses, including the black cod with miso and the Kamoseiro duck soup with soba noodles. It's a deeply satisfying meal that gives you a true taste of Japan. I also love the bento box lunch because one of the four courses is the goma-dare soba, my favorite dish there.
Starting today, we're going to serve a $35 dinner at Nougatine too. It's a taste of Jean Georges for a fraction of the price. (And you can enjoy the view of the Christmas lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.) We serve our special three-course menu before 6:30 p.m. and after 10:00 p.m., making it the ideal stop before or after a show at Lincoln Center.
Perry St offers their $35 dinner menus during the same hours; JoJo has the same early dinner hours and begins its late-dinner seating at 9:30 p.m. If you go to JoJo on a Sunday, you can enjoy the special prix-fixe all evening. At Vong, the $35 dinner menu is available all the time.
For each of our restaurants, we've chosen the best dishes of the season, then it's up to you to choose an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. (Trust me—it's not easy. At Perry St, would you rather have the slowly cooked cod with aromatic black beans, sake, and ginger or the grilled hanger steak with smoked paprika butternut squash and caramelized Brussels sprouts?
At Mercer Kitchen, would you rather start with the Endive and Frisee Salad with Blue Cheese, Pears, and Pecans or the Chestnut and Celery Root Soup with Pancetta?)
While the restaurants serve the dishes unique to their styles, my signature warm molten chocolate cake is a dessert option on all of the menus. Because, as we all know, nothing can comfort you quite like chocolate.

Lost in Translation

2008-08-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was surprised by Adam Platt’s review of Matsugen in New York Magazine. On each of his five visits, he seemed to enjoy the meals he shared with his dining companions. (Yes, we did recognize him each time. He’s quite tall and hard to miss.)

It seems he may have misunderstood the concept behind Matsugen—it’s commitment to pure, authentic Japanese cooking. Even in warming up the 66 space, we adhered to minimalist Japanese restaurant design concepts. Because Matsugen is not like any other restaurant in New York City, it can’t be compared to other restaurants, including those in Koreatown. (I love Korean food and the hotpot dishes in Koreatown, but it’s a whole other cuisine.) It can’t even be categorized with other Japanese restaurants in the city. There are no jalapenos, no California rolls.

In this style of Japanese cooking, which the Matsushita brothers execute exceptionally well, the ingredients shine with clean flavors that come from expert preparations. Our wagyu beef is carefully sliced for cooking in simmering water, shabu shabu-style, at the table so that our diners can enjoy the meat just after it’s cooked. The housemade ponzu dipping sauce brings out the meat’s subtle richness. (It’s definitely not “steak” and shouldn’t be thought of as such.) As with the wagyu, we source (and pay a hefty price for) the very best ingredients, including the sea urchin we get daily from Japan, which has a more complex, funkier flavor than the California sea urchin most other Japanese restaurants serve.

Matsugen’s dishes are not spicy, not aggressively seasoned, and they’re not meant to be. Everything on the menu builds upon the very best of what the Matsushita brothers have served in Japan. I was taken by their cooking when I first ate at their Tokyo restaurant years ago and I still am today here in New York. I trust that other diners will be too.

Matsugen, Going Strong

2008-08-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled with how Matsugen has been so well received. We got a rave review today from Frank Bruni of the New York Times. More importantly, we've been getting rave reviews from our customers.

Perhaps the most satisfying compliments are those from Japanese natives. Expatriates and visitors alike say they feel like they're at home when eating at Matsugen. They love the clean, true flavors of the soba, the claypot rice, the shabu shabu. And if I can make my customers feel like they're at home, then I'm happy.

If you haven't yet had a chance to try Matsugen, the New York Times video will give you a good idea of what it's like. We want to accommodate all of our customers, but if you have trouble reserving a table at the time you want, I have a little secret: Walk in for a seat at the appetizer bar. It's my favorite place to sit and I hope it becomes yours too.

Matsugen Open

2008-06-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

My newest New York City restaurant, Matsugen, is open. I am thrilled to bring truly authentic, refined Japanese dishes to this great city in a warm, chic setting.

We have some of the best sushi and sashimi in the city, but Matsugen is ultimately a soba house. And what soba. These fresh noodles are the best I've ever had. Starting with whole buckwheat grains, we slowly grind them into fine, medium, and coarse flours each morning. Throughout the day, we prepare the doughs and cook the just-cut noodles to order. Here's Marja, my wife, enjoying a bowl of hot soba.

Of course, I love our other Japanese specialties too, like homemade tofu and shabu shabu. Here I am enjoying some tempura at the end of a long night.

All of these dishes come from the Matsushita brothers, who run restaurants in Japan and Hawaii. Masa, Taka, and Yoshi, who grew up in the restaurant business, are true artists in the kitchen. It’s been a pleasure partnering with them.

I’ve overseen the whole opening, from the décor to the kitchen’s pacing, but have left the cooking to Masa and Yoshi (Taka works the front of the house). This hasn’t been easy for me—cooking is my passion—but I wanted pure, clean Japanese flavors, without my French and fusion tendencies. (I’ve already learned so much from them and look forward to incorporating their ingredients and techniques into my own cooking.) The dishes of the Matsushita brothers are simply amazing; here are a few of my favorites.

Tokyo Clam Chowder with Soy Milk: This has neither the creamy richness of New England chowder nor the tomato-tartness of Manhattan’s. Rather, the homemade soy milk soup is nutty and mellow, perfect with the briny fat clams.

Yuba Sashimi: Another eye-opening incarnation of soy beans. Slices of homemade tofu are as smooth and unctuous as a French triple-cream cheese. Each bite should be taken with some seaweed salad, which has a snappy crunch. Maine Lobster Salad, Carrot Dressing: Of course, the chunks of lobster are a luxurious treat, but the dressing makes the salad. It’s nothing like the orange gloop on standard-issue sushi combo salads; it’s a smooth, tart and sweet puree with a pure carrot flavor.
Kurobuta Pork Loin Shabu Shabu: Simplicity reigns. Paper-thin slices of pork (just past rare please) need little more than a dip in ponzu or sesame sauce. Vegetables, cooked until just tender, take on the rich flavor of the pork in the simmering water.
Last, but certainly not least...Inaka Soba with Goma-Dare Sesame Sauce: The best noodles ever. Though all of the accompaniment options are delicious, I prefer the simple sesame sauce and a sprinkling of scallions, shiso, shallots, and ginger. To make the flour for Inaka soba, we grind the grains with their husks. The husks add an earthy, almost chestnut flavor, and satisfying chewiness to the fresh noodles. Here's the grinding machine the Matsuhita brothers shipped from Japan.

The restaurant’s ambience is as warm and inviting as the food. Matsugen is in the Tribeca space that once housed 66. I’ve kept the fish tank (more fish coming soon) and sectioned dining areas. To the lounge, I’ve added a sleek appetizer bar, sunken sushi bar, and cocktail bar.
I love this restaurant and hope you will too. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

In Memoriam

2008-05-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

Chef Paul Haeberlin, my dear friend and mentor, passed away this past Saturday at the age of 84. He took the helm at his family’s restaurant after the second World War, renamed it Auberge de l’Ill, and transformed it into a dining destination that has held three Michelin stars for over forty years. A true artist in the kitchen, Chef Haeberlin changed my life with his cooking, teaching, and commitment to both.

Knowing my passion for food, my parents took me to my first haute cuisine dinner at Auberge de l’Ill for my sixteenth birthday. That meal confirmed my calling to become a chef. I had never tasted flavors so refined or experienced a meal so perfect. I wanted to be the chef who created that most luxurious dish – a whole Périgord truffle wrapped in foie gras and buttery pastry.

So, I did the next best thing and began an apprenticeship under Chef Haeberlin. Every day, he taught me the importance of choosing the best ingredients, bringing out the best in their natural flavors, and presenting them beautifully. Chef Haeberlin had developed strong friendships with local hunters and they returned his loyalty by bringing him their first and finest catches. Throughout the hunting season, we got a steady supply of plump pheasants, partridges, woodcocks, and quail. As a junior apprentice, I was assigned the tedious task of plucking them. For up to sixteen hours a day, I would inhale their pungent (to put it mildly) smell while yanking off their feathers and throwing them into giant bags at my feet.

Anyone who has ever plucked a bird, still warm from the hunt, knows just how hard it is to pull the feathers cleanly from the skin. I wasn’t allowed to wet the birds first, which causes the feathers to release more easily, because Chef Haeberlin wanted the skins dry to enhance their texture and flavor. To remove any remaining bits of fuzz, I had to carefully flambé the skin to keep it whole and further dry it. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but by the end I came to understand the value of the technique. Any frustrations I had with the process disappeared with a bite of his exquisitely-prepared pheasant; it was clear that each step had made a huge difference in the final dish. Hunting is no longer permitted in the region, and game birds are now plucked by giant machines, but I’ve not forgotten the value in personally sourcing and meticulously preparing the best ingredients, no matter how laborious the process.

That was just one of many cooking lessons, but the daily life lesson Chef Haeberlin taugh me was the importance of family, including the restaurant staff. His brother ran the front of the house in my time, and now his daughter does, with his son heading the kitchen. But he considered all of the restaurant staff as family. He treated us with warmth and respect, encouraging us in our careers and leading by example, focused on the stove and not the publicity that his Michelin stars generated.

This past September, I was privileged to be at a Michelin party given in his honor. To celebrate his more than four decades as a three-star chef, all of his former apprentices gathered to toast him at Auberge de l’Ill. Scanning the room of stellar chefs, I realized that he had shaped generations of us and altered the way the world enjoys food from his quiet corner of France.

I certainly wasn’t the only one whose life he changed, but it’s no exaggeration to say that I simply wouldn’t be who I am and where I am without my great mentor and friend.

In Pursuit of the Work-Life Balance

2008-05-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

What does it take to devote quality time to work and family? In my case, a lot of energy and well-planned flight itineraries. Thankfully, I have both.

Last Friday, I left for Dubai to look at potential new projects. Already well-established as a buzzing metropolis, Dubai continues to grow its luxury market. That's where I come in. Given the city's appeal, I may open even more than one spot.

After two days there, I flew to Istanbul for my newest restaurant's official grand opening. Spice Market already has been extremely well-received, but last night, we welcomed the whole town. The city closed off the street in front of the hotel and issued a big opening night announcement. Nearly 800 people, from Turkish dignataries to Starwood executives, descended upon the restaurant and celebrated with rounds of cocktails and appetizers. Chef Hakki and the New York-based team, chefs Justin, Joey, and Lia, did an amazing job turning out a parade of dishes.

The party didn't start until 9:30 in the evening, but I still got on the first flight back to New York the next morning. I wanted to come home and kiss Marja and Chloe hello and good-bye. I left for Las Vegas this morning to participate in Bon Appetit's Vegas Uncork'd event.

I can't believe it's been ten years since I opened Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio, and I'm thrilled that it's the hotel's most successful restaurant. I feel privileged to be a part of Vegas's high-end dining revolution and to be honored for it at the Saturday night gala. To mark this milestone, I'm going to introduce a new dish at the dinner--charred steak with miso-mustard butter and a foie gras wonton. As soon as my course is served, I'm going to race to the airport and catch the red-eye home. I'll arrive just in time for Mother's Day.

Maybe I'll make Marja a steak dinner too. During our last weekend home, we had some great grass-fed rib-eyes from Four Story Hill Farm, where they naturally age their beef for 28 days. I stuffed my fireplace with sticks and branches and built a roaring fire. (It felt like medieval cooking.) Once the huge flames dwindled into embers, I cooked the steaks in my fireplace grill box. Caramelized on the bone, the juicy steaks needed nothing more than a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

Maybe I won't even be the one doing the cooking this Sunday. Three of Marja's cousins are visiting from Korea and one of them is an amazing cook. I'm sure they've been having fun together while I've been gone. I'm looking forward to joining them, and learning a thing or two about Korean cooking. In the meantime, I'll try to squeeze in some shopping while in Vegas. Being a last-minute sort of guy, I still need to get something for Marja and for my mother in Alsace.

A very happy mother's day to all the moms out there.

Home Cooking

2008-05-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's the spring recipe I was telling you about. It'sthe sort of one-dish meal I love preparing on weekends. Though far easier than my restaurant creations, it's just as delicious. I start with a bed of shaved fennel in my roasting pan, the one I use for Thanksgiving turkey, and lay a whole black bass on top. I then blanket the fish with lemon slices, cherry tomatoes, and parsley. After half an hour in the oven, dinner's ready.

Of course, I employ a few tricks that make this sounds-too-simple-to-be-great recipe really amazing. The first is obvious: use the freshest ingredients you can find. Go fishing and catch a bass. If you can't do that, go to a reliable fishmonger. Whether at a farmers' market or neighborhood grocery, choose fennel bulbs that are firm and smell strongly of licorice, cherry tomatoes that look like they're ready to burst through their taut skins, Meyer lemons that are heavy for their size and emanate a heady citrus perfume. To make prep a breeze, use a mandoline or a Japanese-style hand-held slicer. Unless you're a chef with impeccable knife skills, you can't get paper-thin slices of fennel and lemon otherwise.

Throw in a few secret ingredients. I sprinkle fennel seeds over the fresh fennel slivers for a layer of anise-scented complexity. A glass of really good dry white wine poured into the pan mingles with all of the natural juices to become an amazing sauce. The key to roasting a whole fish and keeping it moist is making sure the flesh is cooked through, but not overcooked. The best test is poking the fish with a paring knife; the blade should slip easilythrough the flesh. When the tip of the blade hits the bone, pull it out and feel it—it should be warm to the touch. Take the pan out ofthe oven and set it aside for 20 minutes. Whenever you're cooking fish on the bone, let it rest so that the juices disperse evenly through the flesh. That's all it takes for a really good fish dish. You can serve it on its own, but I ate mine with steamed white rice and caramelized artichokes with ramps and spring garlic.

The simplicity of this fish recipe is quite different from the complexity of some of my restaurant dishes, like the vanilla-rhubarb "noodles" Johnny Iuzzini makes for his spring rhubarb tasting menu.

The concentration of pure rhubarb juice in slick pink strands is really delicious, but this dessert is impossible to recreate unless you have this machine at home.

For another pure taste of spring, just try this recipe:

Roasted Whole Sea Bass With Fennel, Meyer Lemons, and Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 4 to 6

Any fish on the bone works here; whole red snapper and salmon steaks are good choices.

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 fennel bulbs, cored and shaved into paper-thin slices

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 whole black sea bass (about 4 pounds), gutted and scaled

2 Meyer or regular lemons, sliced paper-thin

1 box (1 pint) cherry tomatoes

A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 glass dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with the oil. Arrange the fennel in an even layer that covers the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the fennel seeds, salt, and pepper over the fennel, and place the fish on top. Cover the fish with the lemon slices, tomatoes, and parsley. Pour the wine around the fish, and season everything with salt and pepper.

Roast until a knife pierces through the flesh with no resistance,about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let rest for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Open in Istanbul

2008-04-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

We're open for service in Istanbul! Our newest Spice Market, in the W Hotel here, reflects the eclectic mix of modern and ancient in this beautiful city.

I was so excited when we first signed on for this project and am thrilled that it's completed. The grand opening went well despite a host of challenges. (Opening Spice Market in Atlanta a few weeks ago was a breeze compared to this.)
Aside from the language barrier, it was difficult to track down ingredients.
It's ironic because Istanbul has so many amazing "spice markets," filled with aromatic produce. The markets just don't carry many of the Asian ingredients used in my dishes.

My Istanbul chefs Lia and Hakki (pictured here) and Justin and Joey and I have enjoyed experimenting with native spices and herbs to come up with substitutes for the galangal and young coconut in our signature dishes. This minor hurdle, among others, was easily overcome by our Culinary Concepts team.

They are led by Daniel Del Vecchio, my VP of Operations and photographer extraordinaire, as you can see from the photos posted here. Having worked with me for years, he knows what I expect and ensures that my Spice Market restaurants uphold my standards in food, service, and decor.

While I strive to maintain the same high quality in my restaurants around the world, I want each to be distinct and to reflect the local surroundings. Anytime I cook in a different country, I strive first to understand the local cuisine through street markets and neighborhood restaurants. Soaking up the flavors around me and incorporating them into my dishes has transformed my understanding of food and cooking.

Istanbul has certainly done that, as has Paris, where I'm now teaching my chefs spring and early summer dishes.

When I get home, I'll pass along the spring recipe I promised last week.

A Taste of Spring

2008-04-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

It finally feels like spring in New York City, and we've rolled out new spring menus at all of our restaurants worldwide. Here are some of my favorite dishes this season:

Egg Toast, Caviar, Dill: I arrange two soft-cooked egg yolks between thin brioche toasts and top each sandwich with caviar and dill. The brioche slices stay crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside,as toast should, and the yolks are cooked just past the runny stage.The soft orange yolks are incredibly creamy and are the perfect match for caviar.

Best with Sato no Homare Sake

Japanese Red Snapper Sashimi, Muscat Gelee, Herb-Buttermilk Emulsion: The clean flavors here come fast and go fast. After an initial sharp tang, a mellow sweetness quickly follows. The combination of fresh fish, silken gelee, and crunchy fleur de sel is so good, I could eat this dish all night and not get tired of it.

Best with 2006 AOC Saint Joseph Domaine Courbis

Spring Pea Soup, Parmesan Foam, Rye Croutons: Poured tableside into a cup of parmesan foam, the bright green soup disappears into the white froth but reappears in each surprising spoonful that fills your mouth with the taste of spring peas, more savory than sweet. We've managed to keep the croutons crispy until you've finished the last drop of this springtime soup.

Best with 2006 Fritz Haag Riesling

Coach Farms Goat Cheese Gnocchi, Artichokes, Crispy Herbs: I top soft and creamy rounds of gnocchi with a fan of artichokes and crisp sprigs of aromatic herbs. Though the goat cheese gives the gnocchi a tangy richness, the whole dish feels incredibly light.

Best with 2006 Kellerts Gray Ghost Seyval Blanc

Warm Asparagus, Morel Cream Sauce: This is one of my classic dishes, where I serve perfectly cooked asparagus with morels simmered with aged yellow wine and cream. When the server uncovers the sauce dish at the table, it releases a luxurious, heady mushroom aroma that stays with you until you polish off the plate.

Best with 2005 Naia Naiades

Poached Lobster, Ramp Ravioli, Crisped Pancetta, Bacon and Reisling Vinaigrette: Here, the flavor and texture of a perfectly cooked sea-sweet lobster tail (which would taste great on its own) is enhanced by the pleasant sourness of the vinaigrette, the fresh earthiness of the ramp ravioli, and the salty, paper-thin slice of crisped pancetta.
Best with 2006 Clonakilla Ballinderry Canberra District

Lamb Loin Chop, Minted Panko Crumbs, Spring Pea Puree, Snap Peas, Roasted Almonds:

I C-Vap the lamb (see previous post) to achieve a buttery texture and to make the meat perfectly medium-rare throughout. The lamb takes on a subtle sweetness that's unlike the gaminess you typically associate with this type of dish. The panko, peas, and almonds add a fresh, sweet crunch to the tender meat.

Best with 2006 Three Creek Syrah

Desserts to come. Johnny Iuzzini, my pastry chef, is working on the rhubarb tasting menu. As a preview, here's some rhubarb pickling with star anise and a rhubarb meringue. The desserts should be ready this week or next.

I hope you can make it to one of my restaurants this spring and enjoy a dish or two. If not, I'll post a recipe soon with one of my home-cooked spring meals. Just as delicious as the dishes above, but easier to prepare.

I'm in Istanbul for a new Spice Market opening. More on that after the first day of service.

My Favorite Favas

2008-03-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

When the greenmarkets overflow with fresh produce, I'm in heaven. Unfortunately, in New York, this doesn't happen until May. I try tocook as seasonally as possible, but in early spring, I crave the vegetables that aren't yet growing around here. My customers do too—they started asking for the pea soup at JoJo the first week of March.

For our family birthday dinner a few weeks ago, I couldn't resistpreparing spring dishes. In addition to white asparagus with white asparagus hollandaise, we had fava beans to go with chili-glazed lamb chops. I cooked both with an amazing contraption my neighbor Serge gave me for my birthday. It's a two-tiered metal box that fits into the fireplace and functions as an indoor grill. Though the lamb chops were the entrée, the charred fava beans, one of my springtime specialties, were the hit of the party. Dry roasted until just blackened, they tasted delicious—a little like rich, toasted cocoa.

This has become my favorite preparation for favas, which are usually blanched and then puréed, steamed, or sautéed. While those conventional methods work just fine, mine brings out a super spring flavor. But I can't take all the credit—my technique was inspired by a trip to Japan. While at a sake bar, I was intrigued by the fire pitin the center of the room, which turned out to be a giant grill. I got to choose bar snacks from small baskets with fresh vegetables, dried sardines, squid, sea urchin, and nori and have my selection fire-roasted to order. Needless to say, I tried everything. The fava beans, grilled in their broad pods, were definitely my favorite. The flavor was spectacular. I peeled off the charred pods and blistered husks and popped bean after delicious bean into my mouth.

When I got home, I tried to replicate the dish with husked beans, knowing that neither my family nor customers would want to peel their own beans at the table. By tossing blanched and peeled beans in a dry skillet until they were speckled with burnt spots, I came pretty close to the original. Because fava beans have both pods and individual thin husks that need to be removed, they're a lot of work to prepare. (Just ask my brother Philippe—he shucked and husked all the beans last weekend.) But they're well worth the effort. When you spot pale green fuzzy fava beans at the greenmarket, grab a bunch. They may not show up until May, but whenever they arrive, try the recipe below and savor spring.

Charred Fava Beans

Fresh fava beans in pods
Good extra-virgin olive oil
Good salt

Blanch and shock favas. Shuck beans, and peel off thin husks. Cook beans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until charred with little black spots. Toss with a little oil and salt. Serve right away.

I'm Back

2008-03-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry I’ve been out of touch for a while. The past month-and-a-half has been busy, and I finally have a break. Since my last entry, five of my restaurants participated in New York City’s Restaurant Week, and all were booked to 100 to 150% of our regular capacity with extended hours. I also had the privilege of being honored at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival’s tribute dinner, where my dear friends Wylie Dufresne, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Michel Richard, among other talented chefs, cooked a phenomenal dinner.

Last week, both Marja and I celebrated our birthdays with a weekend-long celebration. On Friday, I took her to Masa, where Chef Takayama recently began serving his amazing spring menu. My favorite dish was a spectacular piece of Japanese red snapper with a slice of foie gras in the center. When we dipped the snapper into simmering broth, the foie practically melted into the fish. Dipped in ponzu, each bite was just perfect.

On Saturday, we went to a restaurant near our home in the country, before celebrating at home with family and friends on Sunday. Cedric, my son, and I did most of the cooking, although Marja made her wonderful mac and cheese for the kids. To welcome spring, I served tender white asparagus dressed with a hollandaise sauce made using a stock based on the peelings of the asparagus themselves. I’ll tell you more about the meal next week, along with sharing the amazing birthday gift that Marja and Cedric got for me.

For now, though, I’m enjoying even more family time. Marja, Chloe, and I are here in Jackson Hole enjoying a little ski vacation. Since this is Chloe’s first time skiing, I’m brushing up on my teaching skills. (I was a ski instructor in high school, earning three snowflakes on the competitive four-snowflake scale.) After our lessons and a few runs with Marja, I like to go solo. One of my favorite sensations is standing at the top of a mountain and then skiing my own trials on the way down.

I’m heading back to the slopes now, but will check back in next week from a very different place—Atlanta, where we’re opening a new restaurant. I’ll fill you in on the details of our spring birthday dinner then.

Happy Easter!

Tasting

2008-01-28T06:26:00.000-08:00

Apologies for not posting last week. I was out with a terrible cold. Since I rarely get sick for a whole week, I was amazed at how it altered my life so drastically. Unlike my usual midnight departure, I left work by 8:30 p.m. At that point, my body just shut down and I either had to climb into bed or sit in front of the television—something I almost never do.

Being sick is not all bad. Marja, my amazing wife, pampered me all week and cooked for me all weekend. Aside from her excellent mac and cheese, she also makes wonderful Korean food according to her mom’s recipes. To help me feel better, she made a Korean beef dish in which beef bones are boiled hard and fast to create a creamy, warming soup. Next time she’s not feeling well, I’ll make her my version—Beef Brisket with Onions and Chile.

Our menu this past weekend also included miyouk guk (seaweed soup), pa jun (a scallion pancake), and, of course, kim chi (pickled napa cabbage). Each was delicious and reinvigorating. Chloe, who was also feeling a little sick, enjoyed her mom’s cooking all weekend. She was especially happy because she now eats kim chi plain. Traditionally, Korean parents rinse kim chi with water for their young children because it can be quite spicy and intense. We did the same for Chloe until recently and she’s now relishing every spicy, sour, salty bite.

I’m glad Chloe loves the assertive and aromatic flavors of Korean food because she’s actually a very picky eater. Most people assume she’s not because she’s my daughter (and because she likes kim chi). But she’s still a kid. I can’t force her to eat anything, and I don’t want to. I’m happy to incorporate new foods little by little. We’ve recently added pears and fish to her limited repertoire.

Even though she won’t yet try French food, she’s very interested in my cooking, saying, “Daddy, teach me.” She often helps Marja in the kitchen at home and loves playing a computer game in which she chops vegetables. I look forward to teaching her how important it is to taste while cooking. Just this week, I’m tasting at my friend Alain Ducasse’s restaurant Adour, which is set to open in New York’s St. Regis on Monday. (Within the industry, we often taste each other’s dishes before a restaurant opening to offer our thoughts.) I love trying the new flavors other chefs have to offer. I know someday Chloe will share in the joy of the experience.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

The holidays are officially over. When we returned from our vacation, New York still felt festive. Decorations were up, and my restaurants were still full of out-of-town visitors. Now, I can be thankful for the end of a very busy season. From the catered parties to the extra customers (we seated as early as 5:30 and as late as 11:30 each night!), we’ve all been working incredibly hard. I applaud my staff for their good work. (To really show my gratitude, I thanked them with holiday gifts of my latest cookbook and their year-end bonuses.)

We’re ringing in the New Year with spring-like weather here in New York. As a chef, it’s always hard to know what to serve when the weather doesn’t match the season. Right now, winter salads hit the spot. (And they’re guilt-free for newly-made resolutions.)

I’ve experimented with countless Asian-style coleslaws over the years, and my Shredded Vegetable Salad is one of my favorites. I love the subtle contrast between the crunchiness of the different vegetables, and how fresh this tastes, even in winter. With only four ingredients, the dressing may seem simple, but the combination of ponzu and mayonnaise tastes complex. The tangy, creamy dressing not only binds the vegetables together, it also makes this salad the perfect accompaniment to almost any dish.

Looks like real winter weather may not come for another few days. When that time comes, I look forward to sharing recipes and ideas for staying warm. In the meantime, enjoy the salad!

Happy Holidays

2007-12-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Only one day until vacation! I’m going on my annual trip to St. Barth’s for two weeks over Christmas and New Year’s. Since it’s the only time I ever take more than a day or two off, I look forward to this holiday each year. This isn’t to say that I just lie on the beach for fourteen days straight. (Not doing anything is not my thing—I like action.) On St. Barths, I can relax, but also see friends, cook, eat, and play with Chloe.

From the time I arrive, I kick off my shoes and don’t put them back on until it’s time to go home. Since the island is French, I feel very much at home. It’s like casual France. Basically, my dream vacation spot. We’ve been staying in the same house for the past few years, so it feels like our “home” for the holidays. (Marja decorates with Christmas lights.) For our Christmas dinner, we always eat at Maya’s, our go-to restaurant on the island. I love the tomato mango salad and the raw fish salad of mahi mahi, tuna, and local snapper. Years ago, Maya taught me about Creole food and I’ve been fascinated since. The Jamaican flavors with a French touch are really fantastic. Her fragrant curries, sometimes stewed with goat, are so different from the Southeast Asian versions, like my Red Curry Duck.

As much as I love Maya’s, I spend time cooking on vacation too. In the mornings, I shop at a little local market that carries food from Martinique. Since my friend Phil Suarez has a home next door to a lobster fisherman, I often feast on freshly caught spiny lobsters. They’re amazing when grilled simply with lemongrass and garlic.

The rest of the time, I’ll be in the water. (I’m a true Pisces.) Marja and I try to go SCUBA diving at least four or five times with a friend of ours who is an expert diver. He always manages to help us spot huge turtles and octopuses. Though Chloe is too small to dive, she enjoys snorkeling with us and feeding the fish. “Washing machine beach,” where the waves roll in and form natural pools, is absolutely gorgeous and one of our favorite spots.

Whether I’m at a party or on the beach, the best part about this trip is simply time with family. My son Cedric and elder daughter Louise will join us for a while, as will Marja’s mother. We’ll play hard, eat well, and be refreshed and ready for the year ahead.

Wherever you are this holiday season, have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year.

Christmas Shopping Made Easy

2007-12-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

Last night, I went to the annual holiday party of my good friend and business partner, Phil Suarez. As in years past, he served food from all the restaurants in which he's a partner. (Needless to say, the spread was impressive.) This year, Phil also gave each of his guests a copy of my latest book as a gift.

They appreciated Phil's generosity—and I appreciated his brilliant idea. I realized last night that I don't need to run around shopping this year. I can give copies of my book as a gift. That's just what I'm going to do for all my chefs.

Apparently, others had the same idea. I'm flying out to Minneapolis tomorrow for a book signing and cooking demonstration at Chambers Kitchen, my restaurant there. Ralph Burnet, the Chambers Hotel owner, convinced me to come out in December because he knew people would want to buy the book as a Christmas gift. (His wife owns a bookstore in town.) I'm looking forward to the kindness and hospitality that I always find in Minnesota.

That was one of the reasons I decided to open a restaurant in the Twin Cities. The other was because—surprise—Minneapolis has several excellent Asian markets to serve its large Southeast Asian population. My Asian-influenced cooking depends on the highest-quality ingredients, and the markets there carry fresh lemongrass, galangal, and other important but sometimes hard-to-find specialties. One of these is crystallized tamarind, which will be featured in one of the dishes on the restaurant's tasting menu this Thursday—Duck a L'Orange Asian Pear and Crystallized Tamarind. (You can try this dish at home with squab in my recipe for Squab a l'Orange. Here, the sweet tang of the tamarind cuts through the richness of the meat for a playful twist on holiday tradition.

As for me, I'm sticking to tradition this Christmas. We always had goose growing up in Alsace. (Duck is more common in southwestern France, around Gascony.) Each year, my grandmother made civet d'oie, a lovely goose stew, on Christmas Eve. Because she would skin the goose before cooking it, the stew itself was never very rich, but the foie gras terrine she made from the goose liver more than made up for that. I'll be serving both this year. On the side, I'll make my grandmother's spaetzle, which she always tops with buttered breadcrumbs to serve with the goose stew.

Glu wine always accompanied the meal. You may never have heard of it, but glu wine is an Alsatian specialty—a light red wine, like Pinot Noir, warmed with spice like cinnamon, clove, star anise, all spice, nutmeg, and mace. It pairs perfectly with goose. After dinner, we usually had traditional anise cookies for dessert. This year, I may make stollen as well.

I'm looking forward to making my grandmother's whole Christmas meal this weekend, since we're going out of town for the holidays. I know that my brother Philippe is already looking forward to it, too. It'll be fun having a taste of our childhood together on the other side of the Atlantic and sharing our personal culinary heritage with our wives and children and friends.

Steak and Pancakes – A Winning Combination

2007-12-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Las Vegas today. This trip is all about steak—I’m catching up with my staff at Prime Steakhouse, but also looking at plans for a new restaurant in the MGM in City Center. Slated to open in 2009, this place will also be a steakhouse, but completely different from Prime.

Well, not completely different—the quality of the meat and cooking will be just as high. But the feel of the place will be young and funky, and the look of the modern dining room will be muted and sleek. Also, the sides and the sauces for the steaks will be far from traditional, like the Charred Sirloin with Soy, Garlic, and Coriander that I created for Spice Market. While a garlic-soy marinade may seem unusual for a steak, it actually cuts through the meat’s richness while accentuating its sweetness. Topped with a brilliant green coriander sauce and nutty sesame seeds, this dish combines bright and mellow flavors amid different textures.

This isn't a steak you would find in a traditional steakhouse, but one that I hope Vegas revelers will enjoy. Each time I come here, I'm amazed at the quantity—and quality—of the restaurants. Given its fine dining scene, Las Vegas may be the best place to experiment with something as traditional and simple as steak. But as much as I'm enjoying this city, I can't wait to go home tomorrow.

This Friday, like I do once or twice a year, I'm going to Chloe's school to give her class “cooking lessons.” This time I plan to teach the kids how to make pancakes. Pancakes are Chloe's favorite breakfast treat, and it's the perfect dish for kids to make themselves. My pancake recipe (the same one I use for brunch at JoJo) is actually based on the simple and delicious recipe from Marion Cunningham’s breakfast cookbook. Over the years, I’ve tweaked it to my taste.

I always top the pancakes with fresh fruit; given that bananas are a perennial kid favorite, that’s what I’ll be doing this week. While I caramelize the bananas, the kids will stir together the wet and dry ingredients. Then we’ll cook, top, and enjoy them.

With the help of Marja and the dedicated teachers, we all have fun cooking together. I have to say that of all the kids, Chloe seems to have the most fun. She sticks by my side, beaming—she's so proud that her dad can make pancakes. I'll be beaming too. I'm just proud to be her dad.

2007-11-28T04:54:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As promised, a few words about my recent trip to Asia...

After an 18-hour flight, I went to Jean Georges Shanghai to teach the chefs new recipes. The cooking sessions went well, but the highlight of my trip was the book party for The Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges. The guests seemed to enjoy my cooking demonstration, and I enjoyed chatting with fellow food lovers on the other side of the world. I spent the rest of my time in Shanghai venturing to local markets and restaurants, reacquainting myself with the rich and vibrant flavors of that city.

From there, I flew to Tokyo for the Michelin guide launch. Eric Ripert, Thomas Keller, and many European 3-star chefs also made the trip. Eric Johnson, my chef de cuisine from Jean Georges Shanghai, came along as well. We all were there to celebrate the city’s cuisine, but we also were curious about the rumor that Tokyo had received more stars than any other city. I have long admired the quality of Tokyo’s restaurants, many of which are intimate chef-driven spots much like my idea of a dream restaurant, so I wasn’t surprised when the rumor turned out to be true. The Michelin staff revealed that Tokyo received 191 stars, far more than the 65 stars Paris (the former leader) received. Tokyo is also the only city in which every restaurant listed has at least one star. Of the eight 3-star restaurants, five are Japanese and three French. (Paris still has the most 3-star restaurants, with ten.)

The other rumor floating around Tokyo was that Michelin may soon launch a guide for Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, or elsewhere in Asia. I hope they do—I want the West to know that the quality of cooking in Asia is at least as good as that of the finest restaurants around the world.

In that spirit, here’s one of my Asian recipes that I hope you’ll try at home. As always, I think the key to creating great Asian flavors is using the highest quality seasonal ingredients in the simplest preparations. In my Steamed Mushrooms with Ginger and Sticky Rice, you can have a taste of autumn and of Asia.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

I'm back from a great trip to Shanghai and Tokyo. I was going to tell you about my cooking and eating adventures there, but I have Thanksgiving on my mind. (Full details on my trip next week.) If you want a taste of Asia now, you can try my recipe for Shanghai Noodles with Golden Garlic and Soft Tofu.

Thanksgiving is the one day each year when about half of the customers at Jean Georges are kids. Families come to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which passes right by our windows. Our customers wander between the outdoor patio and the restaurant, marveling at the giant balloons between bites of buttermilk pancakes.

Our Thanksgiving breakfast customers are often too preoccupied to order, so we offer everyone an array of dishes. Rather than having a breakfast buffet where the food gets soggy, I have my servers continuously circle the restaurant with trays of dishes like French toast, smoked salmon and bagels, and caviar on toast. This way, customers can choose small plates of fresh, hot dishes throughout the morning.

Our Thanksgiving breakfast books quickly-mostly by our regulars. It's nice to have the same families year after year and to see how much their kids have grown. Even though both dining rooms are packed with nearly 250 people, it still feels like family.

After breakfast, the restaurant returns to its normal lunch and dinner service, but with a special Thanksgiving menu. We serve an incredibly moist turkey breast and a pressed turkey leg confit with crisped skin. Our stuffing is made with sourdough bread softened in milk and sautéed shallots and garlic, chestnuts, black truffles, chervil, parsley, tarragon, and foie gras. I form the mixture into little patties and when they cook, the foie gras melts into the chunky bread cubes.

The stuffing is as good as it sounds, so I'm bringing some home for my own Thanksgiving dinner. This year, I'm thrilled to have a lot of family in our home. My son, my brother and his family, Marja's mother, and my oldest daughter, who attends college in Washington, D.C. I'm doing a whole turkey, using a recipe from my V.P. of Operations, Daniel Del Vecchio. He brines the turkey for 6 hours, then dries and refrigerates it for another 24. Onions, carrots, celery, and thyme go inside the bird and around the pan with some water. He brushes the bird liberally with melted butter, then bakes it at 400ºF breast side up for 45 minutes. He then bastes it, turns it on one wing side for 15 minutes, and then repeats the process on the other side. The bird finishes baking breast side up for 35 minutes after another basting. A 30 minute rest under tented foil prepares the turkey for carving.

I'm responsible for only the turkey and desserts because Marja makes fantastic sides. Her mac and cheese is so good, it's the most requested recipe from friends who dine in our home. She uses four types of cheddar (varying in sharpness), cream cheese, and a custard base seasoned with nutmeg. Her sweet potatoes with brown sugar and ginger are also delicious. There is one thing that worries me: Marja's told me that this year she wants to share a Thanksgiving tradition from her upbringing in suburban Virginia and pop open a can of gelatinous cranberry sauce. I'm sure she's just teasing me, but I'm not taking any risks. There's no way I'm serving canned cranberry sauce—I just can't do it. So I guess I'm making the cranberry sauce too.

I'm looking forward to watching the parade with Chloe, cooking with Marja, and enjoying good food with my family.

I hope you too have a wonderful Thanksgiving feast!

Travelling and Teaching

2007-11-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

People often ask me how I maintain the quality and consistency of the cooking at my restaurants around the world. The answer is simple: I teach my chefs how to cook. That is what I was doing last week in the Bahamas and what I’ll be doing this week in Shanghai.

Many of my chefs have trained elsewhere or attended culinary school, but they learn the techniques and flavor combinations distinctive to my cooking style when they work in one of my restaurants. We have a great system of teaching our cooks on all levels and promoting those who show talent and work hard. In an industry where turnover is high, we manage to keep a lot of our cooks for years. (At Jean Georges, Mark L’apico started as a line cook six years ago and is now the chef de cuisine.) With solid teams in place, I can trust that the cooking will be consistently excellent.

We also have established a system to create and then introduce new dishes to all our restaurants. I spend time at the end of each day developing new recipes. With my chefs, I perfect the dishes, write the recipes, and design diagrams of the finished dishes. I send the recipes to the appropriate restaurants and follow that with a teaching visit.

Last week, I e-mailed the chefs at Dune and Café Martinique 15 recipes each. By the time Greg Brainin, my culinary director, and I arrived at Café Martinique, all of the ingredients for the recipes were prepped by the cooks. Greg and I then made each dish, from start to finish, for the chef de cuisine and the two sous chefs. As soon as we were done cooking, Café Martinique’s chefs prepared the same dishes for us. I watched every step—making sure flavor, technique, and presentation were right. After we left to repeat the process at Dune, Café Martinique’s chef de cuisine and sous chefs did the same with their cooks.

With this system, I want my chefs and cooks to own the recipes. When my chefs taste a dish I’ve cooked, they should know exactly how it should be prepared. But tasting alone doesn’t mean that they can replicate it. When my chefs prepare a dish, they then own the recipe. Not only does this ensure that they make that dishes the same way I do, it also gives them the ability to teach that recipe to others.

Of course, you can do the same thing at home with my books, even if I’m not cooking alongside you. You have the advantage of tweaking the recipes to your taste. My chefs have to cook the way I do. For example, I think my version of Hot-and-Sour Soup has just the right balance of hot, sour, salty, and sweet. If you have a chance to make it, let me know what you think.

I’m off to Shanghai tomorrow morning and am spending next weekend in Tokyo. I look forward to telling you about my travels when I return.

My Life's Work: A Family Affair

2007-11-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

There is never a dull moment here. On Monday night, we hosted a huge party to celebrate Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year Awards and cooked for New York Magazine’s Taste of New York event. Yesterday morning, I got on an 8 a.m. flight to the Bahamas. No, I’m not relaxing on the beach. I’m here to teach the chefs of our restaurants Café Martinique and Dune some new dishes.

We almost never do an event on the scale of Monday night’s party. When the staff of Glamour Magazine asked if we could host the dinner following the awards presentation at Lincoln Center, I was honored. The women who won the award—ranging from actresses Jennifer Garner and Abigail Breslin to Nobel laureate and author Toni Morrison—are so accomplished. Of course, I was most excited by honoree Alice Waters. She has been, and continues to be, an inspiration. I would not—could not—cook the way I do now were it not for her vision for local and seasonal organic food. Thanks to her, I can choose from a fantastic array of local organic ingredients for all my restaurants.

Preparing for the party was exciting, but by no means easy. We closed the whole flagship restaurant for the event—again, something we almost never do—and rearranged all the tables and seats to accommodate 220 guests. Thankfully, my brother Philippe, also my General Manager, did the heavy lifting, as you can see. Not only did he reposition all the furniture, he also ensured that all the linens were the right shade of white, pressed, and artfully folded. The silver was polished and the settings straightened. I’m so glad he loves everything to be as perfect as I do and that he has instilled that same standard in his staff.

I worked closely with Mark L’apico, my chef de cuisine, to create the perfect menu. Since everyone didn’t arrive until about 9 p.m., we figured they’d be starving. We started with lots of bread and butter and, of course, champagne. Once everyone was seated, we served a warming butternut squash soup. Then came the appetizer, Ribbons of Tuna with Ginger Marinade, and the entrée, soy-braised short ribs with a celeriac puree and green apple and celery salad. We also offered about ten vegetable courses as accompaniments, from Jerusalem artichokes to pumpkin roasted with garlic.

Before the party started, I went to New York Magazine’s Taste of New York event, where my son Cedric manned our station with six of our chefs. He prepared our goat cheese royale—a goat cheese flan and emulsion with roasted beets. (Normally, he’s Chef de Partie at the flagship’s fish station.) Last night, he did an amazing job feeding about 1,000 people in a few hours.

Thankfully, this busy week was preceded by a relaxing weekend at home. My daughter was in her first horse show and had a lot of fun. She’s always loved animals, but she just started riding lessons recently. I was so proud of her—she overcame her butterflies and won two ribbons. More than that, I was happy to see her having a good time. I can’t wait to get back from the Bahamas to spend time with her and my wife this coming weekend.

Every Bite Counts

2007-10-31T05:14:00.000-07:00

I’ve been busier than usual this past week, but I’m energized by the change in routine. Since my book release, I’ve been making appearances on television and at book signings. I love these events because they give me a chance to show and tell my love of cooking.

On Wednesday, I made my Crunchy Baked Chicken with Glazed Baby Carrots on the Today Show. Ann Curry and her crew loved that dish and the others I brought to share, like the Ribbons of Tuna with Ginger Marinade and the Chile-Garlic Egg Noodles. When I did my book signing at Conran’s furniture store, I didn’t have a chance to cook. (The crowd was standing-room only!) Instead, my chefs Daniel Del Vecchio and Gregory Brainin joined me in talking about our travel adventures. Many of the dishes in my new book were inspired by our meals at street markets and restaurants throughout Asia.

On November 5, you can watch me cook for my dear friend, Martha Stewart, on her show. I love these venues where I can prepare food for just a few people. My vision as a chef and restauranteur always has been to continually pursue new and different projects. But my first love has always been, and still is, cooking.

I learned early in my career that running a restaurant is as much about directing as it is about cooking. As much as I wanted to do everything myself, I recognized that instead I had to play the role of choreographer for both the kitchen and the front of the house. I have to watch the general manager while ensuring that every plate comes out as it should.

The hardest part of turning responsibility over to others is not being able to show my diners how to eat each dish. I know that sounds crazy, but I want every customer to enjoy every bite. All the components of each dish are meant to be eaten together. Last week, at the book release party, I served Chicken Samosas with Cilantro-Yogurt Dip. While the samosas are good on their own, the sauce really makes the dish. As I watched the servers circulate with their trays of food, I was desperately hoping that each person picking up a piece would remember to dip before taking a bite.

My dream restaurant would be an 8-seat counter where I did all the cooking and presented each person with each bite. I would handle everything from prep to clean-up (I love keeping my kitchen very clean). Again, crazy, I know. But maybe, someday, in a little town, it’ll happen. In the meantime, I’m living my other dream—to be both a chef and a restauranteur—and I’m very happy with it.

My New Book Released Today

2007-10-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

My new book is out! The Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges was released today and I’m so excited. For years, I’ve been compiling and refining my Asian-influenced recipes. I’m thrilled to finally share them in this volume.

Last night, I hosted the book party at Spice Market and had a great time celebrating with friends and colleagues. Fellow chefs Eric Ripert and Wylie Dufresne were on hand, as were Tim and Nina Zagat. It seemed everyone enjoyed the featured dishes from the book. Every time a server emerged from the kitchen with the Crab Fritters or Lobster Summer Rolls, they disappeared in a second. The same certainly was true of the ginger margaritas.

Of course, I was very happy to have my family there—my wife and her mother, my son, and my brother, but also my restaurant family. I’m very lucky to have chefs who’ve been with me for so many years. To name just two of many, Pierre Schutz opened Vong with me in 1992 and is still there, while Daniel Del Vecchio started as a chef at Vong in London and now opens and runs my restaurants around the world. They and my many other chefs make up a fantastic extended family, and I’m privileged to put on paper many of the delicious dishes they make everyday. It was great to celebrate together last night, and I think a good time was had by all.

The book just came out today, but my love of Asian flavors began long ago. I was only 23 when I first experimented with Asian flavors and techniques. Louis Outhier, a phenomenal chef and wonderful mentor, sent me to cook at his restaurant at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. From there, I opened his restaurants in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. In each place, I fell in love with the local cuisine. The unique vegetables, herbs, and seasonings were a revelation. I began cooking with those ingredients then and I haven’t stopped since.

What I love most about these fresh flavors is that they are easily transformed into delicious and impressive dishes. Recently, Ingrid, my fish and seafood supplier whom I told you about a few weeks ago, has been sending me amazing mussels. I’ve been enjoying them in Mussels Steamed with Lemongrass, Thai Basil, Dried Chile, and Coconut Juice. This tasty dish smells, tastes, and looks much more complicated than it actually is. If you don’t believe me, just watch me make it!

The Asian flavors in this book have become as familiar and comforting to me as my native Alsatian cuisine. I cook from this book all the time and hope you will too.

My Thoughts on Stars and Service

2007-10-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those of you who’ve offered congratulations on the Michelin stars I received last week. Some people have asked me whether I care about the stars. The answer is yes—I absolutely do. It’s not just about the prestige or the business they generate, it’s that they reflect the standards to which I hold my restaurants. I want to pamper and please everyone that walks into one of my restaurants, and the stars are just one way of letting me know that I am—or am not—doing that.

To dispel any rumors, I can tell you right now that I don’t know the identities of the six Michelin reviewers. (And yes, I’ve tried to figure out who they are.) Like any other chef, though, I can discuss the ratings with Michelin, and I have. When JoJo lost its star last year, I asked them why. They said the reviewers reported inconsistency with the food—in particular, improper seasoning and overcooked fish—and a crowded entryway to the dining area. I worked with the chefs and managers to find solutions to these problems and to implement them swiftly and consistently. We fought hard to win our star back, and I’m so glad we did.

That’s probably my favorite aspect of the Michelin star system and other annual reviews like the Zagat guide. They give me a chance to try harder if a restaurant has faltered in a given year. If I get a bad restaurant review from a critic, I’m stuck with it forever. (The same is true of reviews from online sites and food bloggers.) Needless to say, the countless critics out there make my job very difficult, but I really appreciate the work they do. It keeps me on my toes.

I’m in this business because I love cooking (more on that next week) and making people happy. I’m very lucky to have front-of-the-house staff who share the same standards of hospitality. Just in my New York restaurants, I have over 1,000 employees, and each of them represents me to some degree. Obviously I can’t be at every restaurant all the time, so to ensure quality, I focus on hiring, training, and retaining the very best staff.

I will always hire a nice person with no experience over a not-so-nice person with lots of four-star experience. I can teach anyone how to serve properly, but I can’t teach someone how to smile. My managers make sure the servers have mastered both explaining the dishes and a friendly, professional style of service so that they can keep smiling even if they are in bad moods or have difficult customers.

Obviously, running a restaurant dining room is a lot more complicated than my brief description above. But the most important thing to me is true hospitality. Even though my restaurants are all different, each should make diners feel valued and welcome. We are all there to please and serve, from the person who answers the phone to the to the one who clears the table.

I feel the same way about entertaining at home, where I always want my guests to feel comfortable and happy. One way to be both a good host and a good home cook is to prepare dishes that can be made ahead of time. My latest cookbook, which is coming out next week, has recipes for many such dishes. One of my favorites is Soy-Cured Salmon, Asian Pear, and Cilantro Crème Fraîche.

Since a lot more people dine in my restaurants than in my home, I’m curious to know what you’ve liked and not liked. How can I make your next experience at one of my restaurants even better than your last?

Fresh From the Sea

2007-10-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Last week, I got to see my dear friend Ingrid Bengis at the City Meals on Wheels benefit at Spago. She was there, of course, to support the organization. But she was also there to bring me my lobsters. She is a friend and seafood supplier of the highest order.

Since the benefit fell on a Sunday, she worried that overnight shipping would be unreliable. So she took matters into her own hands and brought the lobsters with her on her flight! To keep them from fighting and feeling distressed on the flight, she packed them in crates compartmentalized like wine boxes, slipping a lobster into each space with its tail down and claws up. She talked to them to keep them calm, mumbling, “Quiet down kids. It’s okay kids.”

They arrived happy and healthy and were enjoyed by all.

Ingrid has been my seafood supplier for over 20 years. I first met her in 1985 when I was cooking at Lafayette and she visited the restaurant for dinner. After tasting the halibut, she instructed the server to tell me, “This dish is great, but the halibut is old. It’s been on ice for four days.” That was news to me, so I went to the dining room to meet her. Again, she praised my cooking, but said, “You have no idea what fresh fish is.”

Two days later, a FedEx package arrived for me in the kitchen. When I opened it, a burst of sea air hit me. The only other time I had encountered that amazing scent was by the ocean. Under the ice packs and seaweed was a whole fish, so fresh it was still curved like a half-moon. After a fish has been dead for about 16 hours, rigor mortis sets in and the fish flattens. Icing it speeds that process and stiffens the flesh. The fish Ingrid had sent me was so fresh, I couldn’t even flatten it to properly fillet it. Once I had and once I cooked it, I realized she was right. I had never tasted fish like this before.

At that point, I had been cooking for twelve years with the best French chefs. But Ingrid is the one who taught me about fresh seafood. She’s a terrific teacher and she knows quality, even though she’s neither a chef nor a fisherwoman. Rather, she’s a writer who’s authored a book nominated for the National Book Award and an opera singer who’s sung in several companies. (When I call and get her machine, I’m treated to five minutes of her singing.) She lives in Stonington, Maine, where she’s befriended the fishermen who know—and catch—the quality of seafood she demands.

I appreciate and support local food, but the fish and shellfish in New York simply can’t compare to Maine’s. The bracingly cold water up there makes the lobster, crab, scallops, and fish so sweet. And Ingrid has developed a system that works perfectly for me. She works with fishermen who leave at about 5 in the morning and return by noon. As soon as they get back, they offer her the very best of their catch, knowing what she wants and what chefs like me are willing to pay. (A lot.) She immediately ships the fish and shellfish to me with ice packs that keep the fish cold, but not wet. (Packing fish directly in ice leaches and muddies their flavor and compromises their texture.)

Of course, even without access to Ingrid, home cooks can get high-quality fish and shellfish too. Find a good fishmonger and ask for the best that has just come in. If it’s labeled “dayboat,” that means it was caught on a boat that goes out daily. However, the catch you’re eyeing may have been caught a few days ago. If you can’t tell what’s arrived most recently, the rule of thumb is that anything fresh from the sea smells sweet, not “fishy.” If you’re able to find fresh halibut, try my Slow-Baked Halibut with Apples, Onions, and Coconut. It’s almost like a warm salad and is perfect for the last days of summer we’ve been enjoying here in New York.

A Happy Anniversary

2007-10-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention it in my last entry, but last week was our wedding anniversary. (Don’t worry—I didn’t forget the anniversary itself.) Usually, Marja and I go out to a nice dinner in the city to celebrate. This year we tried something different. Having returned from France Friday night, I took Marja and Chloe to our country house the next morning. Just as we were leaving for a local restaurant, we were both surprised by our neighbors, who had cooked us a homemade meal.

I first met our neighbor, Serge Dore, twelve years ago, when he worked in New York as a wine importer, but I had lost touch with him until recently. It’s been great reconnecting, especially since his daughter and Chloe are about the same age and love playing together. For our anniversary, Serge and his wife, who’s Italian, prepared a wonderful duck dish and amazing super-light gnocchi. Serge toasted us with lots of beautiful old wine.

And the party didn’t end there. On Sunday, Serge’s family, my brother Philippe, and my friend Colin Cowie came over. I prepared choucroute, a homestyle one-pot Alsatian dish, with the help of my mother. Before I left Alsace, she cryovacked five pounds of sauerkraut, three pig knuckles, and a bunch of knack sausages (pronounced kah-NAK, for the sound the natural casing makes when you bite into it) and packed them in my suitcase. At this time of year, just after the cabbage harvest, the sauerkraut is much more crunchy, less acidic, and still slightly green—I love it.

For dessert, I threw together a simple pear tart. It was the best tart ever, if I do say so myself. It had a clafouti-like filling with pears caramelized in honey and baked on pate brisee. I’ve asked Joe Murphy, my wonderful pastry chef at Vong and Perry Street, to test the recipe for the restaurants. If I had my way, I’d serve only tarts for dessert at my restaurants. They’re beautiful, tasty, and perfect any season.

I didn’t cook at home this past weekend, but I did cook. I was in Los Angeles for the City Meals on Wheels benefit at Spago. Wolfgang told me to “Do your best lobster.” So I made 300 dishes of butter-poached lobster in a lemongrass infusion with saffron tapioca, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, and passion fruit syrup. I foam the infusion so that the lobster looks like it’s coming in on a sea tide. When the bubbles pop, they release the perfume of the lemongrass. Greg Brainin came with me to cook and Mark Lapico and his cooks prepped everything for our trip. The dish came out perfectly, and I hope it inspired the guests to donate more.

You probably won’t be making this dish at home. (I wouldn’t either unless my staff came home with me.) But with a great lobster, you really just need butter and fresh aromatics. I love making Steamed Lobster with Garlic-Ginger-Basil Sauce for a simple and elegant meal. Next time, I’ll tell you how to find a good lobster and you can get started.

Consider the Scallop

2007-09-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

I’m back in New York now, but I’m still thinking about France. Needless to say, the party at L’Auberge de L’ill was amazing. The food was phenomenal, of course, but it was the company really left an impression. Not only are the Haeberlins gifted chefs, they’re also gifted teachers. Their former apprentices who gathered there, including my friend Paul Bocuse, are all acclaimed chefs, and it was great hearing about what they’re cooking now.

That experience, plus my time at home and at Market, my Paris restaurant, made me think again about how I cook. I’m inspired by global flavors, but I always start with the local vegetables and herbs of each season. Those are the ingredients that can transform a dish. Meat, poultry, game, fish—those don’t really change over time. (And they shouldn’t, unless it’s to return to raising them more naturally.) Yes, you can now find Berkshire pork and Wagyu beef and Coho salmon, but there’s a limit to the diversity of protein. There are, however, countless varieties or vegetables and herbs.

Every summer, there are about four new types of heirloom tomatoes at the Union Square Farmers’ Market. Just ten years ago, I could find only red beets there. Now, I can choose among five different kinds of beets. I love discovering—or rediscovering—delicious heirloom vegetables and herbs. I see my role as a chef as using these ingredients to reinvent the flavors of meat and fish.

Take the scallop, for instance. I cannot change the nature of the scallop, its sweetness or its juicy flesh. But I can make a “new” scallop with original and unique flavor combinations. One dish that has been on the menu at Jean-Georges since its opening is Scallops and Cauliflower with Caper-Raisin Sauce. (It still receives rave reviews, and I know regulars who would protest if I stopped making it.) I love watching diners take that first bite of browned cauliflower and seared scallop, tasting their sweetness complemented by the mustardy flavor of the sauce. More recently, I’ve been putting barely-cooked scallops in a broth of oyster mushrooms, leeks, ginger, and Thai chile. This dish—Mushroom-Ginger Broth with Sea Scallops—couldn’t be easier, but it tastes really complex and luxurious.

I’m not sure what I’ll do next with this tasty shellfish. I’ll just wait and see what the harvest brings.

Home Again, Home Again

2007-09-17T13:53:00.001-07:00

It’s good to be home. I’m back in my parents’ house right now, outside of Strasbourg. Of course, I’m here to see them. (My mother’s been reminding me that I haven’t visited in two years.) But I’m really in town for the 40th anniversary of L’Auberge de L’ill’s three Michelin stars. All of the apprentices from the past 40 years are reuniting with the Haeberlin family to celebrate.

Maintaining three Michelin stars from year to year is not easy. (It’s definitely on my mind everyday in the kitchen.) Imagine 40 years! The Haeberlin’s are a wonderful family—they’re all phenomenally talented and gracious. And they changed my life. Well, my parents changed my life when they took me there for my 16th birthday dinner. That meal confirmed my calling to be a chef. I started my apprenticeship under Paul and Jean-Pierre Haeberlin a few months later. For three years, I learned a lot about cooking and running a restaurant, but most importantly, I came to understand the importance of fresh ingredients.

In the countryside of Illhaeusern, L’Auberge de L’ill cooked “locally” long before it was fashionable. One of my duties was to pick up fresh milk from a local farm each morning. Some of the meat “suppliers” were hunters who would bring in their game. When you cook with ingredients picked (or caught) that very day, you definitely can taste the difference. I guess that’s why, despite technological advances and food trends, I still prefer live cooking.

All I mean by that is that I like cooking with ingredients the day I get them. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately with the growing popularity of sous vide cooking. Sous vide is essentially cooking something in a plastic bag with very low heat for a very long time in a special sous vide machine. Originally developed for school cafeterias and airlines as a way to keep food cooked and warm for long periods of time before serving, sous vide is now popular among chefs. I’ll admit that the flavors do come together in a unique way with this technique, but I’m just not a fan of putting together a dish, sticking it in a bag, and serving it two days later.

I’ve started using another technique—or, more accurately, another machine—to cook with low heat. The C-Vap, which stands for “Controlled Vapor,” was developed for Kentucky Fried Chicken by the same company that invented its fryers. It’s basically a food warmer that uses warm water vapor—much cooler than steam—to keep KFC’s chicken crispy on the outside but warm and moist on the inside. (Or at least that’s the idea.) But I don’t use it to hold cooked foods, I cook with it.

My technique is a lot like sous vide, but without the bag—I can put the ingredients in a skillet or saucepan and stick it right into the machine. Right now in the restaurant, I’m using the C-Vap to cook a sea bass fillet topped with honshimeji mushrooms. The fish stays firm, while the mushroom flavor seeps into the flesh. And it’s ready to serve within 15 minutes or so.

Since you’re not going to find a C-Vap at your local kitchen supply store, I’ve come up with a simple and foolproof technique that gives you similar results. Check it out in my recipe for Steamed Salmon in Ginger Broth, an easy and delicious dish I love making at home.

I have to rest now, even though I won’t be cooking much on this trip. (But I know I’ll be well-fed!) Next time, I’ll tell you how the party went. I can’t wait to catch up with old friends, and to share the Haeberlins’ amazing food and friendship with them.

On Family and Food

2007-09-12T14:10:00.001-07:00

People often ask me what I cook at home for my family. Until last year, the answer always was “nothing.” I’ve cooked at restaurants six days and nights a week since I started my apprenticeship in 1973. As much as I wanted to cook at home, I needed to rest on that one day off. Last year, I finally decided to take a break each week from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. What a difference a day makes!

I’m cooking at home again, and I love it. While I’m still in my restaurants during the week, I meet my wife Marja and my daughter Chloe at our country house each weekend. Like most chefs, I usually keep things simple at home. A lot of grilling in the summer, one-pot braises in the winter. This past weekend, though, I did a full cookout for Chloe’s seventh birthday party.

It was surprisingly hard to come up with a menu for thirty school friends and neighbors. As a chef, I assume my guests don’t just want—or expect—hot dogs. And I enjoy making dishes that wow. As a father, I want my daughter to be happy. For her birthday party, that means making things she and her friends will like. For example, I really wanted to serve my homemade sodas, like my herbal root beer, which is not only green but also has a strong anise flavor (it’s the tarragon). But . . . I bought sodas and juice boxes instead.

As for the food, I made mini burgers for the kids. No foie gras in the mix, but I did use Niman Ranch beef. Really good beef is pretty much all you need for a delicious burger. I topped them with Monterey Jack and let the kids choose among the usual fixings—ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles. They loved building their own little burgers.

I think the adults would’ve been happy with the mini burgers too, but I was excited about preparing my Baby Back Ribs with Barbeque Sauce . Even though I’ve done this dish endless times for my restaurants, I’ve been experimenting with a new technique. Instead of boiling the ribs with ginger, soy sauce, and chile, I rub them with those ingredients and low-steam them for four hours in the C-Vap, my new favorite machine. (I’ll tell you much more about this amazing steamer next time.) They become just as tender but need only a little water to cook, keeping them much more flavorful. While finishing the ribs on the grill, I brushed them with my sweet, sour, and spicy Asian barbeque sauce. Everyone was licking their fingers and lining up for more.

To complement the ribs, I kept the side dishes light. With vegetables from nearby farms, I made an heirloom tomato salad, a pink bean salad, and corn pudding. (And yes, there were plenty of chips for the kids.)

Of course, the key to any successful birthday party is a good cake. I had wanted my pastry chef, Johnny Iuzzini, to make Chloe’s cake, as he has in years past. Chloe is really into horses now and I’m sure Johnny would’ve made a fabulous edible equine. But he was out of town on vacation, so we ended up getting a bakery cake instead.

Honestly, I think Johnny would’ve made a better tasting cake. But the look on Chloe’s face when she blew out the candles made me forget about the cake itself. She was turning seven and having a pool party with her best friends. She was having fun, and that’s all that matters to me. After all, it isn’t always all about the food.

Note: Daniel Del Vecchio, my close friend and colleague, brought his family to celebrate with us and took these great photos.

About This Blog

2007-09-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

I’ve always loved talking about food. In the past, it’s been with fellow chefs, food-loving customers, and reporters. The only opportunity I’ve had to write about cooking in my own voice is in my cookbooks, but those can’t capture my all of my thoughts. I think about food and cooking as a chef—that is, my ideas come day to day, depending on what I see at the market, what my fish supplier brings me, what new gadget seems intriguing. Though I only travel out of New York about one week each month, each trip brings fresh perspectives on techniques and introduces me to new spices, herbs, and other fascinating ingredients. And, of course, I love eating in New York. From the tacos and margaritas at Los Dados (where I often stop after a night of cooking at Spice Market) to the sublime sea urchin at Sushi Seki, New York cuisine never fails to inspire.

Thanks to my invaluable staff, I’ve been able to keep to a schedule that gives me time to cook, to manage my restaurants, and, now, to share with you my culinary thoughts. So, every day, I spend my mornings in the office, my afternoons and evenings in the restaurants, and my weekends with my family. In my spare time, I’ll tell you a bit about what I’ve been cooking, where I’ve been traveling, and what I’ve been thinking. As you’ll soon see, I always enjoy keeping things exciting and new.

About Me

2007-09-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

The first thing you should know about me is that I’m a country boy at heart. I grew up on a farm in Alsace where my mother and grandmother taught me to eat and cook according to the seasons. It was there I fell in love with food—fresh herbs and vegetables and the warmth of our local Franco-German flavors. Though I’ve been living an urban life since 1973, I’m still most at home in the country.

Since my departure from Alsace, I’ve lived, trained, and cooked all over France, in Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Boston, and New York. Now, I’m rooted in New York, in my little Perry Street neighborhood and in the hills of Westchester County. But I also feel at home in my other restaurants around the world.

Wherever I go, I always want to cook both globally and locally. If you’ve been to my restaurants, you’ve probably guessed that I love Asian flavors. My first trip to the open-air market in Bangkok remains one of my most influential culinary experiences, and I’ve since adopted those herbs and spices as my own. Everything I cook has to have a little heat. (Even at home, my wife, who’s Korean-American, keeps our fridge stocked with kimchi.)

As for life outside the kitchen, I enjoy relaxing with my family. In the country, I often go fishing in my little pond and, while the weather’s still nice, chop wood for the fireplace. In the city, I take my chefs out to eat after work and catch up with friends when we’re cooking together for charity events. The greenmarket is one of my favorite places to stroll. I guess you can see that I love food. It’s my passion. It’s my life.

If you want to know more about my restaurants, you can go here.

If you want to know more about my life and career, you can go here.