It’s been a little over a week since the debut of The Grill — the Major Food Group homage to midcentury luxe Continental dining — and there’s been no shortage of drama, from the celebrity count to the tableside action, as servers fillet Dover sole and flambé desserts in the dining room.
One of the more unusual dishes with a tableside flourish has been pasta a la presse, which involves the use of a Victorian-looking duck press — an item MFG hunted down in New Orleans and spiffed up for the use in the dining room.
The 19th century contraption comes into play when a server wheels the press cart to a table, along with a pan containing parts of roasted pheasant, squab, and duck, as well as other ingredients. Then he inserts them into the press and cranks the ingredients for their meaty and vegetal juices. That pan of jus is finally wheeled back into the kitchen, where a chef dresses egg noodles for a simple presentation that delivers complex flavor.
Loading comments...