One of the many pleasures of being a chef is, of course, the eating — and you can be sure that the gurus of gastronomy are, in their off hours, enjoying some of the most delectable dishes around (besides whatever’s coming out of their own kitchens). Thus we bring you the Food Chain, wherein one chef tells us about a dish they enjoyed recently courtesy of another chef, and then that second chef tells us about a dish they enjoyed courtesy of yet another chef… and so on and so forth.
On Wednesday, Jason Berthold justified his love for Fritto Misto de Pesci prepared by Beretta Executive Chef Ruggero Gadaldi. Today, Gadaldi shares his pick.
What: The Office Burger
Where: Father’s Office, Executive Chef Sang Yoon
When: May 2009
“They had the greatest burger. They don’t do any adjustment to the burger, meaning they don’t serve it with or without bacon. It comes the way it is, which is with bacon, caramelized onion, gruyere, Maytag blue cheese, and arugula. I’m not sure what kind of meat they’re using, but it’s very juicy. It’s seasoned with just salt and pepper. There’s nothing much you can do to a burger except choosing the right ingredients. I think the combination of caramelized onions, the bacon, and the gruyere is just over the top. The bun is another thing. It’s not your usual bun, it’s a little bit more crusty but still soft. Smetimes they get soggy — this one still keeps its taste. Even if the burger loses some of the juices, the outside is still crispy. If I ever serve a burger, I’m going to do something like that.”
Over to you, Yoon:
“The core inspiration is really French onion soup, which is one of my favorites. I assembled it with the sweet onion compote and the gruyere and everything really with that as the inspiration. I actually didn’t want to have a burger at all at my restaurant. But a friend of mine, she challenged me to do it. It was “you can’t just make a regular burger;” I had to make it completely off the charts. The inspiration for the actual burger came from a journal I took around the country analyzing some of the greatest burgers out there, looking at everything from the bread to the condiments to the beef. I really looked at it as not a sandwich, but as a burger, and really as a great way to cook beef.”
See what Sang Yoon had to say about his pick, soup dumplings at San Francisco’s Yank Sing.
