….and talks about why Restaurant Guy Savoy is one of his favorite Frenchies on the Strip.

If the video takes too long to upload….try this link: http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/25504/3013955?wpid=10913

And remember: There are (usually) only two things a man should be doing at 6:00 am: sleeping or coming home and getting ready to go to sleep.

David Middleton looks ahead to a better menu

If cooking at Gary Danko, Fleur de Lys (San Francisco version), ALEX and Scarpetta (Las Vegas version) doesn’t prepare you to run the kitchen at Marche Bacchus, we can’t imagine what does.

Those comprise the culinary pedigree of new MB Executive Chef David Middleton, and the 31 year old chef is planning on using his ten years of cooking at others’ restaurants to put his personal stamp on his own.

“I got tired of grinding it out,” is how he puts it when we asked him why he moved from the pressure of being Dan Rossi’s Sous Chef at Scarpetta to running Las Vegas’ best, off-Strip bistro. “It was time for me to take the helm of my own kitchen.”

The opportunity arose when Joe Swan, also an ALEX alum, decided to fly this coop for the colder climes of his hometown Michigan. Two weeks into the gig, Middleton is excited but cautious when we ask him the ultimate question about the food at MB: How can you upgrade and move this food forward without alienating the older regulars who expect the same old, same old every time they dine…at the same prices they’ve been paying since 2003? (If they add a buck or two the cost of something, even if it’s for better ingredients, customers go apoplectic….as many an owner has told us. Ahh, the joys of restaurant ownership in the Vegas ‘burbs.)

“You’re not the first person to ask me that,” he says with a wry smile. “We have the potential to be the best restaurant off the Strip, but I have to remember our core customers, so for the time being, we’re going to change about 40% of the menu.” And then, without missing a beat he volunteers: “The trout’s coming off. Trout is only good if you catch it yourself.”

ELV couldn’t agree more. When we ask what remains sacrosanct, Middleton is quick to defend the lobster croissant, and then add (almost as if to appease the finicky critic): “We’re adding a seared foie gras with a sweetbread fricasse, plus three new pastas, and David Doyle, who’s leaving D.O.C.G. to be my sous.”

At this point, our staff wondered if anyone would be left at Scarpetta/D.O.C.G. to do the cooking, but ELV assured them all is well in the Scott Conant universe…and the last time we saw him he was too busy counting money to stress over the help.

You get the impression the stress of the Strip is something Middleton will be glad to leave behind. “It’s really important to get some balance in this chaotic business we’re in,” he says. “Almost anyone can make steak frites, but not everyone can make a perfect sauce. It’s that perfection you strive for with Michelin 2-star food, but when you consider the cost and the labor and the 4% profit margin, it almost doesn’t make any sense.”

Being mindful of the costs, labor and expenses of Strip eateries (and the money casinos have to throw at them), is it even realistic to expect neighborhood joints to compete? “Off Strip restaurants get a bad rap,” he says, “but you can still aim for that level of excellence. We are the Davids to its Goliath. I can’t compete with the starting union wage for a Cook 1 ($18.50/hr.), but if you get the freshest, highest quality ingredients, manipulate them as little as possible, and let them speak for themselves, you can put out food that’s just as delicious as anything that’s going on down there.”

MARCHE BACCHUS

2620 Regatta Drive.

Las Vegas, NV89128

702.804.8008

www.marchebacchus.com

Here’s what the p.r. invitation said:

Las Vegas is known for its casinos and nightlife, but the culinary scene is quickly becoming the rising star on The Strip.

Adam Rapoport, the new celebrity editor-in-chief at Bon Appétit, is visiting Las Vegas Wednesday, October 26, to meet with people like yourself and discuss Vegas Uncork’d 2012. Here are some things that Adam can speak about that would be a good fit for your readers:

Why Las Vegas is an important place in today’s epicurean landscape

How Vegas Uncork’d affects Las Vegas’ economy

The roles Las Vegas and Vegas Uncork’d played in incorporating food and dining into today’s lifestyle

Epicurean trends around the country

Please let me know if you are interested (in interviewing him) blah, blah, blah.

Here was our response:

I would love to interview him about the financial underpinnings of Bon Appetit’s past and future financial arrangements with Vegas Uncork’d. Please advise.

Here’s what came back to us:

Thank you again for your patience. Unfortunately, since Condé Nast is a private company, its policy is not to disclose financial information. Therefore, Adam would not be able to discuss financial subjects. Cathy Tull of the LVCVA would be a better person to speak to regarding your inquiry.

If you are interested in speaking to Adam on a more general basis, please let me know and I’ll be happy to arrange a meeting. Thank you again for your interest and I look forward to working with you as we prepare for Vegas Uncork’d 2012.

Leaving aside the issue (for the moment) of what, exactly, a “celebrity editor-in-chief” is, ELV is struck by several things about this correspondence, including, but not limited to (ELV loves to write like a lawyer-at-law):

1) Our culinary scene is quickly becoming a “rising star on the Strip?” ELV had no idea. Thanks Adam! We’d love to learn more about our “rising star” status from you…someone who ignored Las Vegas in its recent “Restaurant Issue” and, from what we can tell, has spent 3 days here in the past year.

2) “Vegas is a important place in (sic)  today’s epicurean landscape?” We at ELV can’t wait to hear all about it! While they’re at it, they should explain these things to Bobby Flay, Ruth Reichl, Paul Bartolotta, Emeril Lagasse, John Mariani, Alan Richman, Josh Ozersky, Tom Colicchio, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, Pierre Gagnaire, Gordon Ramsay, Bradley Ogden, Rick Moonen, Costis Spiliadis, Shawn McClain, Sirio Maccioni, Scott Conant, the Wine Spectator, the Bromberg Bros., the producers of Top Chef, the Food Network, Wolfgang Puck et al.

3) “How Vegas Uncork’d affects Las Vegas’ economy?” Really? Isn’t the purpose of Rapoport’s visit to enhance how the event might affect Bon Appetit’s economy?

Now, ELV doesn’t mind being an unpaid shill for Vegas Uncork’d. There are probably only a few people in town who have been more unabashed in their cheerleading for the event. But this is not ELV’s first time at the rodeo. And he is privy to many things about the past and present status of this showcase, and knows that the LVCVA has (or will be) withdrawing its substantial financial support for the event (at one time, close to $1mil, and dropping by a third of that for the past year). This leaves BA and the individual hotels to cut their own financial deals to stage and promote what should be our yearly shining moment on the world culinary stage.

We also know that BA has never contributed any money to the event…only ad space that (we presume) was sold at some kind of discount to the LVCVA. What they originally donated was prestige and what they are now looking for is substantial ad buys from each of the hotels…if they are going to continue to bestow their culinary cred on us.

ELV thinks Bon Appetit needs Vegas more than Vegas needs Bon Appetit. Rapoport’s visit is to try to convince the hotels and the LVCVA and the locals otherwise. Maybe he’s right. Maybe we are wrong. We’d certainly love to talk to him about it.

Like the money involved, it’s really the only conversation about this event that counts.

]]> http://www.eatinglv.com/2011/10/adam-rapoport-wants-to-be-interviewed/feed/ 5 http://www.eatinglv.com/2011/08/eiffel-tower-lunch-and-conversation-with-joung-sohn/ http://www.eatinglv.com/2011/08/eiffel-tower-lunch-and-conversation-with-joung-sohn/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:06:03 +0000 John Curtas http://www.eatinglv.com/?p=17331

Joung Sohn doesn’t get enough credit or exposure for being the executive chef of what might be the highest volume, fine French restaurant in the country.

“907 covers is our record,” she proudly told us the other day. “On average we do 500-600 a weekend night, in a 280 seat restaurant.”

She rolls her eyes and laughs when we ask how many engagements take place beside the huge windows that frame the room. “Between, engagements, anniversaries and wedding parties — too many to count.”

So how did a Korean-American get into this high-pressure world of fine dining? “I think I was a French man in my last life,” she laughs.

Born in Korea, she was raised in Chicago and “didn’t have a cheeseburger until I was a teenager.” After graduating from Carlton College and the New England Culinary College, she landed her first job with the great Jean Joho at Everest (in 1994), and has been in his French food fold ever since. ETR opened in September 1999, and she took over executive chef duties a month later, making her a triple threat among all of Vegas’ female chef executives: the busiest, the longest tenured and the highest off the ground.

Why was this kimchee-raised gal drawn to French food? “(It) is so evolved in its basic technique,” she says. “French (cooking) gives you such a great foundation, it allows other techniques (like avant-garde or molecular gastronomy) to be folded into it basics to create the cuisine of the moment, but you always have those fundamentals to fall back on. As chefs, we’re always looking to improve and (mastering) those techniques provides the foundation to do that.”

ELV tried to pay attention to the wisdom of Sohn’s words, but he kept getting distracted by her soups — a cream of French onion that nailed the flavor profile without overwhelming it with cream, and a lobster bisque that was so full of lobsterness, it tasted like the crustacean had jumped off the boat into the bowl. If soups are, as Escoffier said, the true test of a cook, Sohn and her kitchen passed with flying colors.

Then there was what might be the best lamb burger on the planet. She told us she wanted to created a lamb burger for people who might be put off by the strong taste of lamb, so she mixes healthy doses of cumin, cayenne, cinnamon and allspice into the meat, and spikes her mayonnaise with harissa paste and serves it all on a perfect burger bun — not too dense but not too soft either.

The meal was capped by a berry pudding of direct flavors and simple sophistication. Basically, brioche is soaked in fresh fruit syrup and served with some of the same fresh berries. Luscious, dense and light (no mean feat that), it might be the perfect dessert for a scorching Vegas summer day, and certainly is every bit as pretty as the view out the Eiffel Towers’ windows.

The creamy French onion soup is $9, and the Moroccan lamb burger is $18, and the pudding was $9 and all are worth a special trip, especially if you have a great foodie friend like Wendy Albert to share these goodies with, who also picks up the tab. (Thanks great foodie friend Wendy Albert!)

EIFFEL TOWER RESTAURANT

In the Paris Hotel and Casino

3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Las Vegas, NV 89109-4345

702.948.6937

www.eiffeltowerrestaurant.com

You get the feeling talking with Executive Chef José Lopez Picazo that he’s a great admirer of America’s two most celebrated Spanish chefs — Jose Andrés and Julian Serrano –  but that he’s more impressed with the day to day kitchen and cooking habits of Serrano. The Madrid native should know, since he’s one of the few chefs to have done considerable time with both men — working with Andrés for years in D.C. before coming west to take over the kitchen duties at Julian Serrano.

“Andrés is more restless…more….,” he hesitates. “Flamboyant? Crazier?” we suggest. “Yes,” he replies. “More crazier, more outrageous…,” is how he affectionately puts it. “But in seven years in working with him, I never saw him in the kitchen. Julian is more down to earth. He loves to cook.”

Language barriers can be tough, but we think Picazo was telling us he admires the creativity of Andrés but has the ultimate respect for Serrano’s dedication to the nuts and bolts of the culinary arts.

ELV knows there’s a certain nuttiness in all chefs…especially the Spanish ones…but as long as they can turn out a tortilla de patatas and seafood ceviche like they do at JS — not to mention a fresh fruit with cava espuma (the perfect dessert on a hot summer’s day) — we will forgive them their charming eccentricities.

Of course, one of mixologist Jeffrey Watson’s Big Gingers at the bar here will put anyone in a charitable mood. It’s so damn gingery (and ELV loves him his ginger anything), it will send you gingerly on your way, as it did for us after we ginned up a reason for asking for the recipe… and receiving a free drink in response. (Thanks mixologist Jeffrey Watson!). And here it is:

The Big Ginger

1 tsp muddled fresh ginger

1 oz. fresh green apple puree

1/2 oz. agave syrup

1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 oz. Herradura reposado tequila

Muddle, shake and pour over ice.

Salud!

JULIAN SERRANO

In the Aria Hotel and Casino

3730 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

702.590.8520

[Show as slideshow]

THE NEIGHBORHOOD JOINT

Sen of Japan (8480 W. Desert Inn Road, 871-7781) Sen, as it’s known to regulars, is a west-side staple and, unequivocally, the best “accessible” sushi in town. It’s cheaper than Bar Masa, Nobu and Roku but more expensive than your standard neighborhood joint. Don’t let that dissuade you; you will walk—or waddle—away feeling the experience was well worth the cost.

Sen’s pedigree is legit: one chef and co-owner, Hiro Nakano, is an alum of the Hard Rock Hotel’s Nobu; the other, Shinji Shichiri, was head sushi chef at Bellagio’s Shintaro (now Yellowtail), where the two met. Together, they’ve create one of the Valley’s more authentic Japanese dining experiences, a prime example of Strip-raised culinary talent migrating elsewhere in town.

Shinji’s strength is in his sauces. There’s no denying the quality of his fish—he’s been known to go without a product for months when it doesn’t meet his standards—but his preparations set him apart. A particular favorite of mine is his tai (Japanese snapper) served two ways: one with a robust red-wine reduction and the other with simple lemon and shiso (Japanese mint) leaf—a great flavor contrast, none of which overwhelms an otherwise mellow fish. —JIM BEGLEY

THE STRIP STAPLE

Sushi Roku (Inside the Forum Shops 733-7373) This West Coast-centric mini-chain has outposts in all the hot locales—LA, Hollywood, Scottsdale—and its Strip location fits nicely into that mix as easily as its sushi offerings do with their chic surroundings. Dining on sushi can be considered a visceral experience, and Roku’s vibe certainly plays to that.

For the best experience at Roku, we suggest sampling its nigiri (fish atop sushi rice), due to both the textural differential and the ability to use our hands (yes, the traditional method of eating sushi involves not chopsticks but fingers). Some of our favorites include amaebi (sweet shrimp), saba (mackerel), sake (salmon) and maguro (tuna). You might consider avoiding the hon maguro (bluefin tuna), as it’s severely overfished worldwide.

Take heed, though; you’ll pay for the ambience. A meal at Sushi Roku undoubtedly costs more than at your local sushi spot, but with its Strip-facing windows—instead of strip-mall interiors—Sushi Roku’s view alone is worth a few bucks. —JB

THE FEAST

Sushi Mon (9770 S. Maryland Parkway, 617-0241) Some sushi lovers have misgivings about the seafood quality at all-you-can-eat establishments. That’s of no concern at Sushi Mon, one of the best-known and most loved AYCE joints in town. The one on Maryland Parkway is one of Takashi Segawa’s restaurant troika, which also includes Chinatown’s acclaimed Monta noodle house and Spring Valley’s newly opened Goyemon, which is essentially an amalgam of the other two. (The Sushi Mon on Sahara is separately owned.)

Segawa’s secret for providing quality fish in an all-you-can-eat setting is twofold: multiple restaurants over which to spread overhead costs (see above) and alcohol, that always-strong profit margin contributor. Plus, the food isn’t free; lunch (11:45 a.m.-4 p.m.) costs $24.95, while dinner (4 p.m.-1 a.m.) runs $26.95. Still, unless you fill up on edamame and cucumber rolls, it’s tough not to come out on top in the value column. So kanpai! (cheers) for good fish, and don’t forget to support the cause by ordering a Sapporo or Dewasansan sake. Or hell, both. —JB

THE SPLURGE

Bar Masa (inside Aria, 877-230-2742) It is simply the most extraordinary Japanese food Las Vegas has ever witnessed. From the pristine quality to the precise presentations, Bar Masa is a restaurant no Japanese-food aficionado can afford to miss.

It is not, however, what most would consider affordable. If you’re an all-you-can-eat, fried-fake-crab-with-hot-mayonnaise lover of screaming orgasm rolls, you had best stay away. This is a restaurant where you truly get what you pay for, and what you pay for is the best fish and the most artful platings this side of Tokyo.

The conceit here is sashimi priced by the piece—about $6 a slice for fantastic fluke, $16 for three pieces of superior Spanish mackerel or $24 for three slices of fatty deep sea red snapper—almost all of it coming from the Sea of Japan and all of it geared to please the most persnickety pisces lovers on the planet. This makes Bar Masa at least twice as pricey as even most premium Japanese joints, and when you factor in $24 orders of fried rice and $18 wasabicress and chikuwa salads, the tariff gets stratospheric quickly.

Is it worth it? Yes, if you want to taste the most exquisite, melt-in-your-mouth spear squid (yari ika) on earth, or if you love tiny, tender, rotund sizzling octopus in butter, or the umami-bomb that is the uni risotto. A whitefish sampling tastes beyond fresh, with each species (fluke, sea bream and needlefish) sliced to demonstrate its distinct musculature—a revelation in six small bites. Equally astounding are small clams in a clear broth—each sip taking you straight to a cold seashore, with the warm brininess of the clams standing out against the smell of an ocean breeze.

This fish is so good you’ll be tempted to order nothing but; that would be a big mistake. Equally chopstick-dropping are such savories as fried garlic chicken karaage (a mound of succulent dark meat nuggets) that is simply addictive, and Kobe (Australian Wagyu) skewers with yuzu spice that practically melt in your mouth. And if you don’t mind dropping $68, the toro tartare (toro akami tuna scraped from the sinew and mixed with toro fat, then topped with California caviar) might be the best four bites of any tartare you will ever have in your life. Call it freshness (that old cliché), or vibrancy, but each and every dish has a certain snap to it, combined with almost unfathomable delicacy. There are contrasts in tastes and textures, plus a depth of flavor in everything from the perfectly seasoned rice to the delicate foams, sauces and accents accompanying the dishes that beckon and intrigue with every bite. It is impossible not to be stunned by the interplay of these sensations—which is probably the exact response Masa Takayama is looking to elicit from his customers.

It is true that the inscrutable nature of Japanese food is often lost on the Western palate. Japanese food can have a subtlety to it that borders on the invisible, but if you’re looking to raise your Japanese eating game, and have the money to invest, this is one of only a handful of places in the United States where you can do so. —JOHN CURTAS

THE NEWCOMER

Sushi Imagine (75 S. Valle Verde Dr., 272-2228) There are loads of neighborhood sushi bars scattered about the Valley, and some of the tastiest options can be found in the Green Valley and Henderson area. So when former Orange County restaurateur Aki Fujimoto opened his new local spot, Sushi Imagine, in August, he knew he had to make it special. He took inspiration from a musical favorite, John Lennon, for the name and mantra of his restaurant: “Imagine all the people eating sushi in peace.”

But it takes more than a creative name to earn a following, and Sushi Imagine has been doing it by focusing on presentation and listening to customers. “We serve traditional Japanese food and new-style sushi, but Aki helps make our food unique by answering customer requests,” says co-owner and spouse Chieku Fujimoto. For example, the PS I Love You special roll combines one customer’s favorites, shrimp tempura and spicy tuna, using rice paper. Another regular—and Hello Kitty fan—got a roll named after her favorite character, with her favorite fish (yellowtail) inside.

Sushi Imagine doesn’t do all-you-can-eat, but they absolutely do catering, as well as happy hour and early bird specials. The newest promotion is the Wheel of Fortune: With every $30 spent, customers get a spin and a chance to win Imagine money for their next visit. It’s fun and easy, two elements that should be part of any good neighborhood sushi bar. —BROCK RADKE

Good reasons to go to …

Nobu (inside Hard Rock Hotel, 693-5090) Hard Rock’s Nobu is the Las Vegas outpost of celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s international restaurant empire. The scene is still hip, and though it’s effectively Sen of Japan at twice the price, it’s well worth trying out the original.

Osaka (4205 W. Sahara Ave., 876-4988 & 10920 S. Eastern Ave., 616-3788) This elder statesman of Vegas Japanese restaurants has been around since 1967. The Sahara location can be a bit claustrophobic, but it’s a fleeting feeling. Check out an old area favorite.

I Love Sushi (11041 S. Eastern Ave., 990-4055) Must we explain why a joint with rolls called Tastes like My Ex-Girlfriend, Happy Ending and John Holmes needs to be checked out?

Sushi Factory (6120 W. Tropicana Ave., 876-5665 & 10720 S. Eastern Ave. 270-7906) Their motto is “They Sell Fresh Dead Fish,” and we agree. A good neighborhood all-you-can-eat sushi choice, with locations on both sides of the Valley.

RA Sushi (3200 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 696-0008) An upper-Strip hotspot with outdoor dining affording a view of the Strip. Tough to go wrong with that combination.

Shibuya (inside MGM Grand, 891-3001) One of the Valley’s largest sake selections resides here. The 125-plus varietals include three exclusives.

Lahaina (4570 S. Hualapai Way, 309-9911) The west-side haunt will soon (April 1) reintroduce a Vegas favorite: 24-hour all-you-can-eat. Who’s in for 4 a.m. hand rolls?

RM Seafood (inside Mandalay Place, 632-9300) Rick Moonen’s eatery is the proud purveyor of the Valley’s first fully Safe Harbor-certified sushi bar. Couple this with his steadfast sustainable ways and you know what you’re eating is good for you and Mother Earth. —JB

ELV note: The article below appears in today’s edition of the Las Vegas Weekly. These tasty snaps were taken (mostly) at Le Cirque during my interview/dinner with Megan Romano (Aureole/Charlie Palmer Steak), Vita Shanley (Scarpetta/D.O.C.G.) and Dyan Ng (Restaurant Guy Savoy). That interview provided the basis for the piece, and since space constraints didn’t allow us to go into the meal itself…or how impressed the gals were with Philippe Angibeau’s spun sugar creations (and apple tarte and coconut sorbet and melting chocolate ball, and…and…), we thought we’d post them now for your salivation and delectation.

[Show as slideshow]

By: John Curtas

Wed, Feb 9, 2011 (5:12 p.m.)

“There are lots of unconventional ways people get into this profession,” Romano tells me as the four of us taste spoonfuls of baked apple tart at Le Cirque. At 22, fresh off a communications degree at Northwestern—and never having worked in a restaurant kitchen—she literally walked in the back door of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and “dared to stage” (staaj: worked for free) on weekends. From there, her passion and talent must have been evident, because within two years, she landed a job with another Charlie (Palmer), at Aureole in New York, before doing a two-year stint with Gray Kunz at the four-star Lespinasse when it was considered one of the top restaurants in the city.

“I never wanted to do pastry, because it was expected … [because] I was female.” But five years at the stoves doing everything from poissonier (fish cook) to saucier (sauce cook) taught her the discipline she still applies today when she crafts treats like her legendary chocolates and definitive blueberry-linzer tart.

Photo: Beverly Poppe

Vita Shanley, pastry chef at Scarpetta and D.O.C.G.

Shanley, 29, followed a slightly more conventional path. After discovering her love of food and restaurants while babysitting for a catering chef as a teenager in Oceanside, Long Island, she completed a two-year course at the Culinary Institute of America that helped her land an externship with Michael Mina at Aqua in San Francisco. “I started out doing anything but baking and pastries,” she, like Romano, proudly explains, “but I got so grossed out from butchering meat I became a vegetarian for four years.”

Meat’s loss was our gain, as she soon fell in love with all things pastry. Aqua was her baptism by fire (“I’ve never seen so many guys cry”), and soon thereafter she was heading up pastry kitchens in New York and Las Vegas, most notably at SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas, before über-Italian chef Scott Conant recruited her to create sweets and breads for his Cosmopolitan opening (her signature dish: salted caramel pudding).

When I ask if pastry chefs deserve their reputations as the temperamental prima donnas of the kitchen, she agrees with me … sort of. “The job lends itself to those who are the most precise and exact,” she says, flashing her Irish/Italian smile, “and you can tell right away who isn’t organized, and who won’t be able to handle the pressure.”

Photo: Beverly Poppe

Dyan Ng, pastry chef at Restaurant Guy Savoy.

“Exacting” and “pressure-filled” might be exact descriptions of what it means to work for three of the top toques in the business. Born in the Philippines, Ng, 26, was raised in Arcadia, California, and was considering Le Cordon Bleu before a chef talked her out of it. Instead, he introduced her to Eric Klein, then making a name for himself at Maple Drive in Los Angeles. Like Romano and Shanley, she wanted to work on the savory side of the kitchen, but, “[I] was put in pastries and immediately fell in love.”

From there her meteoric rise brought her to Vegas, where she was taken under the wing of pastry chef extraordinaire Gregory Gorreau—first at Mix, then Payard Bistro and Patisserie—before impressing Guy Savoy with her blood orange supreme with layers of cream, lime curd and lime gelee. She can still relate her nervousness during her tasting audition for the 3-star Michelin giant, but, “I knew he didn’t like things that are overly sweet or heavy, and neither do I. So I think that really helped in landing the job.” Which is a little like saying, “I ripped through a Mozart violin solo and the New York Philharmonic hired me.”

Some would say a great meal is like a symphony, building to a crescendo at the end, and one false note can ruin everything. In that sense, pastry chefs have the most pressure. Theirs is the last thing you remember of the meal, a fact not lost on any of these three. Romano sums it up best: “You give up a lot to be in this profession—weekends and holidays—but desserts represent one of the greatest pleasures in the food world. They are the culmination of a great performance, the grand finale, and that’s why we love to make them.”