Michael Anthony
“If it’s not grown locally, it’s not on our menu.”
Chef Michael Anthony takes time out of his kitchen to share with Chopsticks NY some of his experiences in Japan, his appreciation for Japanese cuisine and approach to cooking and the important role the Union Square Greenmarket plays in his restaurant, Gramercy Tavern.
Tell us more about Gramercy Tavern.
Gramercy Tavern marries old world charm and the excellence of European cooking, with the comfort and approachability of a truly American concept – the warmth and approachability of a 19th century tavern. The restaurant has always set the standard for contemporary American cooking. With the close proximity of the Union Square Greenmarket, we have cultivated intimate relationships with fantastic farmers in the region. Over the years, we have also graduated an astounding number of talented and driven people. So we’ve really come to be known as one of the longest standing traditions in contemporary American cooking.
I joined the team two and half years ago since then I’ve seen a constant, persistent evolution to the story of Gramercy Tavern. Not necessarily a removal from what was put in place, but a revitalization in that we can take the pretense out of the fine dining experience and bring all of the heart and soul that I think captivates the current dining public. For me, I translate ‘heart and soul,’ into cooking with seasonal ingredients and celebrating the people who are the most passionate and knowledgeable – the growers themselves. Our menus change on a very frequent basis not only according to the calendar year but based on local ingredients available in the market and in the region.
Since you prefer to work with seasonal ingredients, what can customers expect in your summer dishes?
We try to make sure that our menus consist of what is being locally grown and seasonally available. One of the things that you’ll find on our menu is that we break the old fashioned rule about repeating a particular ingredient. When an ingredient comes into season, you’ll see it on our menu in many different dishes, prepared in different ways. This creates a layering effect within a particular dish that demonstrates an infatuation with that particular ingredient. For instance, right now we can’t get enough of serving asparagus because, in just a few more weeks the weather will turn too warm to grow in the Northeast and it will no longer appear on our menu. If it’s not grown locally, it’s not on our menu.
Is your emphasis on working with local farmers and local ingredients in any way influenced by some of your experiences in Japan?
Completely. I started cooking with the intention on becoming a professional chef in Japan. It was the sense of seasonality and reverence that, even in mainstream Japanese society, you see the connections to the natural world around you. Working in a garden is not foreign; my grandparents and parents have always been avid gardeners. As a kid, I didn’t understand how precious the gift of local, delicious and seasonal foods actually is and I think it took my experience traveling in Japan to fully realize this. I feel like this is where that appreciation and understanding of local, seasonal food began. I knew that, in some way shape or form – as my own style would evolve – this would definitely form the foundation for it.
How did it come to be that you traveled to Japan to improve your language and then you started working in a restaurant?
I wasn’t just completely blindly walking in; I was entertaining thoughts of working as a chef. I had worked in restaurants in high school and college but as part-time jobs so it was a great way for me to use some of the technical skills I had learned combined with the language skills I acquired to find a job in the kitchen. After that, I was really swept away by working with an inspiring chef and learning the hard knocks of working in a kitchen. It was a rude awakening but at the same time it was also how I found that I had a real passion for it.
This month’s Chopsticks NY issue features Japanese bento. Do you have a particular bento experience that you can share with the readers?
I think, like most Westerners, we approach the bento boxes with a romantic charm because we were infatuated with the form. Like a lot of things about Japanese culture, form takes precedence and is the key to mastering any new technique. We are enamored with the form of the boxes and I certainly was. The idea of having such a variety of flavors and textures for lunch kind of far exceeds what most Americans expect in an ordinary lunch. In fact I am still infatuated with it and would love to be able to incorporate the form of a bento box. I find that it is really compelling. Whenever I get to go back to Japan, it is something that I am always eager to taste.
How would you pair a signature dish at your restaurant with a Japanese drink?
With the onset of warmer weather, there are two things that come to mind that are, for me, really distinctive in the heat of the early summer in Japan before the rains start: cold mugicha (wheat tea) and chilled homemade umeshu. The homemade umeshu is strikingly beautiful because it is –at least in the versions that I have experienced – much less sweet than anything I’ve ever tasted bottled. The mugicha has a nice roasted quality that is simply irresistible. I’ve always been infatuated with cold dishes, which comes primarily from my experience living in Japan. When you had those days that were just so hot and humid and all your body was craving was something refreshing and cool. For example, the dish hiyashi chuka. It’s a cold noodle dish that is served with a little bit of mustard, vegetables, cucumbers, carrots and a touch of vinegar so it’s refreshingly chilled. I serve a dish that will soon appear on our menu: a marinated cucumber salad with yogurt sauce and roasted black bass. One of the difficulties I found was serving a cold dish that was seductive enough to really make people pay attention. So I tried serving a light marinated cucumber salad, crisp and chilled, along with cold yogurt sauce and then putting the warm fish over the top of it. It has bright and aromatic herbs like mint, cilantro and a little bit of lime juice which was a great way to make it come alive. I think that would be wonderful served with a light mugicha or even a homemade umeshu.
———– Interview by Lisa Birzen
Michael Anthony Currently in his third year as Executive Chef at the award-winning Gramercy Tavern (42 East 20th Street), Michael Anthony has left his mark on many restaurants around the world from Chef Shizuyo Shima’s Bistro Shima in Tokyo to Jacques Cagna in France, to Daniel and March in New York City. As opening Executive Chef at Blue Hill Stone Barns in upstate New York, Anthony incorporated the “farm-to-table” approach and he brings that experience to New York City, promoting locally grown, seasonal ingredients on his menu at Gramercy Tavern. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Anthony graduated from Indiana University with degrees in Business, French and Japanese and later studied at the Le Ferrandi culinary school in Paris.
The menu at Gramercy Tavern highlights seasonality and locally grown ingredients. Some of Gramercy Tavern’s signature dishes are Barley Risotto (left) and Striped Bass with White Sweet Potato and American Caviar (right).
Gramercy Tavern
Conceived in 1994 as the second restaurant of esteemed restaurateur Danny Meyer, Gramercy Tavern offers its guests refined, contemporary American cuisine, warm hospitality and unparalleled service in a historic landmark building. Executive Chef Michael Anthony impresses restaurant guests and food connoisseurs alike with his emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients. He was nominated for this year’s prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York City.
42 E. 20th St. (bet. Park Ave. & Broadway), New York, NY 10003
TEL: 212-477-0777 / www.gramercytavern.com
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