Charlie Palmer’s empire just keeps growing.  Last year he opened the Mystic Hotel and Burritt Room + Tavern (that I just reviewed) right off Union Square in San Francisco and he just released a new cookbook “Remington Camp Cooking.”  He’s also planning additional expansion in NYC and Las Vegas.

I was able to spend time with this busy man when he sat down to lunch with me at the launch of his Big Mag Boeuf Sundays, a special end-of-the-weekend menu at Aureole in New York City.  I was able to to get his responses to our Bite of the Best guest foodie questions:

Which specific food product, ingredient or gadget would you never give up? My flexible peltex fish spatula – it really fits the hand perfectly, is used for many different things and it’s very easy to clean.

What do you like to serve when you entertain?  Before I create a menu for a dinner party or entertaining of any kind, I think carefully about who my guests are. I like to always try and create a menu with their favorite food(s) that will surprise them. So, it really depends on the guest.

Recently I had a guest from California for lunch who had a real fondness for lobster since he had lived in Maine. As an app, I made a very simple lobster salad sandwich – New England Style. For the main course, I made a grilled lobster and filet mignon – surf and turf.

Describe your “last meal?”  I’d start with a salad Lyonnaise and then a simply roasted squab with caramelized garlic and sautéed new potatoes, all paired with some Pinot Noir.

What food is your secret guilty pleasure? Bacon, egg & cheese on a hard roll.

What is your go-to, neighborhood restaurant? At my home in Healdsburg (CA), Sake ‘O, Campo Vino; while in NYC, Nectar Cafe on Madison on the Upper East Side for a great bacon, egg & cheese.

What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should…? Rabbit – there are really so many different ways to cook rabbit that result in such excellent flavor and great tenderness, from braised rabbit in homemade pastas to rabbit terrines. I think people are afraid of cooking it.

Twitter: @CharliePalmerGP

 

– bonnie

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