Chefs Love What Mom Used to MakeWe asked a handful of chefs which childhood dishes they remember most fondly and which ones, if any, they’ve reinvented as their own.
In the Magazine
This Week, It’s the Little ThingsSavarona and Wildwood Barbecue open, Persephone and Elettaria get reviewed, and crayfish, wine, and butter all get their due.
Chef Counters on the Rise; Chefs Put in Their Time on the LineAs chefs and cooks take on more roles of service, they cut out more costs and create a more intimate dining experience, especially at restaurants with counters overlooking the food preparation. [NYT]
Related: Ringside Seats at the Chef’s Counter
Apparently, restaurants’ hanging of red velvet curtains in colder months signals metaphors of birth and womblike spaces for diners. Ew. [NYO]
Chefs like Akhtar Nawab of Elettaria and Josh Eden of Shorty’s.32 both spent years cooking on the line before being able to fly solo. [TONY]
House Mix
Elettaria Asks: Have You Ever Been Experienced?Elettaria’s space was formerly occupied by the 8th Wonder, where a young Jimi Hendrix performed. So is his ghost still setting guitars (or at least flambés) on fire? Since proprietors Akhtar Nawab and Noel Cruz are big into classic rock (Akhtar is a bass player who loves him some Rush), we figured it was a strong possibility that after the early-evening jazz and blues, it would be, “Move over Rover, let Jimi take over…”
In the Magazine
Platt Disses Daniel, and Other Holiday TalesPresidents’ Day is a holiday for Grub Street, but, thankfully, there’s enough in this week’s magazine to read till we return tomorrow. Daniel Boulud, whom Adam Platt respects as the Last Great French Chef, falls down in his new restaurant and gets only one star. In this week’s “Openings,” Rob and Robin introduce us to Olana (American with Italian influences) and marvel at Akhtar Nawab and Noel Cruz for putting a restaurant where Jimi Hendrix used to (reportedly) play. At Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Rob and Robin find the mind-bending “Frankensteak”: hanger steak that is literally glued to world-class rib-eye deckle. The Insatiable Critic falls for Fiore, a funky, rustic Italian place in Williamsburg; for those at risk of scurvy, pickled lemon is in “In Season” this week. But if you want a drink, you’ll find a guide to the city’s top boutique wineshops by the Gastropoda herself, Regina Schrambling.
