Chef Michael Anthony

[tommy]

the incredibly handsome michael anthony says in the july 2002 food & wine magazine:

Current Obsession:  egullet.com "it's a web site for food fanatics."

right on brutha.

[stefanyb]

Of course, he's referring to Plotz, Cabby, Willy and ahr so what does he know.

[Wilfrid]

He was handsome?   :confused:

[tommy]

He was handsome?   :confused:

wilfrid, perhaps you are getting the chef confused with the incredibly not handsome mullet-wearing bassist from van halen.

or maybe you're getting him confused with the other chef, as apparently there are 2 at blue hill.  that's not to say the other fellow is an ugly guy, but i'm just sayin that maybe you're confused.  :confused:

[Steve Plotnicki]

Wilfrid - Don't you remember that I said so to Cabrales after he left our table. I know who my wife would find cute. And I won't tease Yvonne with the story of Rocco DiSpirito coming to talk to us last week at Union Pacific either.

[Fat Guy]

For those of you who don't know and are interested in reading his posts, that's Michael "Lord Michael Lewis" Anthony we're talking about.

[robert brown]

FG, that one went over my head for extra bases.

[Steve Plotnicki]

What does Lord Michael Lewis have to do  with Blue Hill?

[cabrales]

Steven S's unusual comment led me to review the Blue Hill website. Here's a link to M Anthony's bio:

http://www.bluehillnyc.com/bluehillis_michael.html

LML is based out of London, no?

[Fat Guy]

I was just thinking, hey, if the guy is so obsessed, let him post, contribute, and participate for crying out loud. So I said, well, he must be posting. And then it became clear to me that he could only be one user. Though he's welcome to refute that.

[cabrales]

Steve P -- If Mark Anthony was obsessed with eGullet, why wouldn't he have mentioned it when we spoke to him on Thursday?  Note the only way he would have identified our dining party's affiliation, though, was through your name.

Did you introduce yourself as Steve Plotnicki or as Steve last week? Had you spoken with Mark on prior visits?  

[Fat Guy]

Perhaps it is a secret obsession.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Fat Guy - Though they might share a similar/same name, the chef at Blue Hill couldn't possibly be the guy who posts here. The Blue Hill Guy was one of the sweetest and nicest guys I have met. And the guy who posts here, despite his knowledge is......well. Unless it's the same guy and he changes his name to Michael Hyde when he gets home.

[cabrales]

Steve P -- Now that's a sign you liked your Blue Hill meals and hope to return for preferential treatment.   (Note I agree Mark is very nice.)

[cabrales]

A note for members without ready access to Food & Wine magazine: Michael Anthony's mention of eGullet is in a piece on the best new chefs in the US (there are a number mentioned). Each chef generally has description in a column the width of 1/3 of a page.

There is a picture of the summer lettuce soup with pickled eggplant that Anthony created with co-chef Dan Barber, also named one of the best new chefs. Barber describes his favorite childhood food: "My aunt made scrambled eggs for me when I had tonsillitis. I still remember the wonderful taste of the eggs."  

[Steve Klc]

Does anyone know if there is precedent for this--"co-chefs" each nominated for the same award or achieving comparable recognition at the same time?

I don't know why, but I find this aspect more appealing and intriguing than anything else.

[cabrales]

Steve Klc -- I agree the topic is fascinating. When our dining party was at the restaurant, the two co-chefs (I thought at the time Mark Anthony was the sous-chef for some reason  ) came to greet our table together. Dan was very nice too, and gladly provided a tour of the restaurant's kitchen when I requested it.

On co-chefs receiving comparable recognition, it is likely the twins Jacques and Laurent Pourcel at Montpellier's Jardin des Sens have received the same award. Of course, they were equally honored when Michelin conferred the third star, although it could be said the star was given to the restaurant (?).  Similarly, there are many father-son combinations that have likely won the same award. Jacques Lameloise and his father were both cooking when Lameloise won its third star. Same for Jean-Michel Lorain and his father, with Michelin specifically mentioning the contributions of both. It is likely Jean and Pierre Troisgros have won the same award, as another example. There are likely many morel. However, I cannot think of a situation where two unrelated-by-blood chefs have won the same award as co-chefs.  

[tommy]

When our dining party was at the restaurant, the two co-chefs (I thought at the time Mark Anthony was the sous-chef for some reason  ) came to greet our table together. Dan was very nice too, and gladly provided a tour of the restaurant's kitchen when I requested it.

cabby, although i'm sure they are both nice guys, i'm thinking that your particular dining experience was exceptional in some way.  i'm guessing that i wouldn't get the same treatment.  just to be clear.

[cabrales]

tommy -- I think it helped that Steve P and ahr had visited the restaurant before. It also helped that, once the co-chefs arrived at the table, our dining party was curious about the baby beef and otherwise exhibited intrest in the cuisine sampled there and at other restaurants.

[tommy]

It also helped that, once the co-chefs arrived at the table, our dining party was curious about the baby beef and otherwise exhibited intrest in the cuisine sampled there and at other restaurants.

i'm assuming that you don't really think i'm buying that load of crap, yes?  

[cabrales]

tommy --- There was serious discussion about other restaurants, including Westermann's Buerehiesel and the specific contents of several dishes offered there. There was also some discussion about the Aspen festival, at which Anthony and co-chef will cook.  

If it was not the discussion, what do you think it was?  

[tommy]

If it was not the discussion, what do you think it was?  

i think there's a cause-and-effect issue that needs addressing.  i would talk to the chef all night about food and events and wine, but i don't get the chance because they AREN'T WALKING UP TO MY TABLE TO BEGIN WITH!??!!

silly.

[Wilfrid]

I woz confused.  I thought the thread here was referring to the guy I now know to be Dan.  The other guy was indeed a hottie.  Which is not to be ungallant to Dan.

[Steve Klc]

Thank you cabrales for weighing in on the "co-chef" issue--and like you, I'd assign little significance to a father-son-daughter arrangement, though I'm sure it has some other interest.

No, in the very competitive world of higher-end cooking--and it doesn't get more competitive than in NY--it seems rare, if ever, that experience, age, egos and the media allow something like this to occur.  Usually it is clearly a paternalistic executive chef/chef-de-cuisine setup or the cute husband/wife chef and pastry/baker type. There seems to be talent and generosity co-existing in this little restaurant, though, and it does my heart good to see both recognized.  I plan to visit soon as well.

In my experience, at the elite level the truly talented chefs and pastry chefs have no trouble whatsoever co-existing and sharing and collaborating--it is lesser or immature chefs that grab the spotlight, forgetting how lucky they are to be where they are or who has gone before.

[Liza]

This would be the place to mention the Two Hot Tamales, yes?