CITY Issue 57

ACHARI SHORT RIBS | SERVES 4 –6 2 lbs. short ribs 4 onions, medium diced 4 red bell peppers, chopped 2 cloves, whole 1 tsp. turmeric 2 tsp. onion seed 1 red chili EXECUTIVE CHEF LON SYMENSMA AND A.M. SOUS CHEF ALI LOUKZADA, WHO COOKS STAFF MEAL EVERY DAY, TAKE A BREATHER BEFORE DINNER SERVICE. ½ tsp. ground fenugreek 1 tsp. ground fennel seed ½ tsp. ground cumin seed 5 fresh tomatoes, chopped ½ cup grape seed oil 1 tsp. garlic ¼ cup hyderabad achar, pureed (Indian pickle available at specialty stores) 8 cups veal stock In a hot pan, sear the meat until golden brown on all sides. Remove and reserve. Add onions and cook until they caramelize (about 10 minutes). Add bell peppers and whole spices. After they bloom, add ground spices, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add achar and veal stock. Put short ribs back in the pot and braise for 3 to 4 hours in the oven at 350° or until fork tender. Season and strain the braising liquid. Add liquid back to the short ribs and serve. For more recipes from Buddakan, including Chicken Malai and Bengali Fish Curry, go to www.citymagazine.com/familymeal AT THIS MEATPACKING-DISTRICT BEHEMOTH, THE WILDLY EFFICIENT KITCHEN SERVES UP TO 1,000 PEOPLE ON BUSY NIGHTS, NOT TO MENTION 100-PLUS STAFF MEMBERS EVERY AFTERNOON. Chante elle was the only stop whe e the division between f ont and back seemed to disappea . “It feels like family to a la ge deg ee,” says Chef Waltuck. “We spend a g eat deal of time he e and we all get along.” Indeed, eve yone p esent fo staﬀ meal, including employees who stuck a ound f om lunch se vice waiting fo thei second meal of the day, sits at one long table in the dining oom. Plates a e saved fo those who come late , but I can’t imagine why anyone would intentionally miss a Chante elle staﬀ meal — they lite ally w ote the book on it, Staﬀ Meals b Chante elle, in . lthough the philosophy behind staﬀ meal emains the same, Waltuck admits the oﬀe ings have changed since the cookbook’s publication. “Eve ything’s gotten so expensive,” he says. “[The inc ease in fuel costs and othe commodities] all ﬁ lte s down to eve ything else. I think we we e p obably a little bit mo e ext avagant with the staﬀ meals than we a e now.” t most of the estau ants, a lack of time on a pa ticula day can also est ict what’s se ved. It’s not uncommon to p ovide hot dogs o deli sandwiches to staﬀ membe s if the e’s lots of p epping to do befo e a busy night. Unsu p isingly, this neve happened on the days I visited, although my looks of inc edulity at the quality of some of the oﬀe ings was quickly counte ed by an insistence by staﬀe s that staﬀ meals usually we e this good. Usually. “One day last week we bought pizzas,” said Buddakan Executive Chef Lon Symensma. “But we do what we can do. Eve y day is a diﬀe ent expe ience. The e’s no monotony.” T hat’s the idea behind the best family meals. Make them simple, well ounded, dive se, and delicious, and you’ll keep you staﬀ happy. It’s a sentiment sha ed by all eight of the estau ants I visited, though it’s p obably no coincidence that the th ee estau ants known fo both stella food and ema kable se vice oﬀe ed the most notewo thy staﬀ meals. This CITY TY 63 http://www.city-magazine.com/familymeal http://www.city-magazine.com/familymeal

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CITY Issue 57

City Issue 57 Contents Letter from City Our Friends Action Wanted City Moment Temporary Contemporary In Rouge Fast Food The Amused Bouche How We Live/The Kitchen Taste Test Dessert Wine Going Local Expert Opinion Travel Employees Only Summer Showers Wild Things Be There at 10 P.M. Sharp If... Where To Buy It Icon

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.