The Bees Are Back In Town

After spending a few weekends out of town, I had the chance to relax in the country last weekend. We hosted our annual Memorial Day barbecue, cooking whole fish over an open fire for family and friends. Last weekend also marked the return of my honeybees.A little over a year ago, I tasted a delicious honey at a restaurant near my upstate New York home. The restaurant owner referred me to the local beekeeper who made the honey (well, made by the bees, but collected by the apiarist D.J. Haverkamp). When I contacted D.J., he agreed to help me set up my own hives. I’d been wanting an apiary for years and, with the recent demise of millions of honeybees from the mysterious “colony collapse disorder,” it seemed like the right time to do my small part in reviving the population.
Before D.J. arrived with my hive, I read The Queen and I, Edward Weiss’s book about beekeeping, and learned everything I could about bees. It’s a fascinating book; I picked up the basics of beekeeping and developed a passion for it. Last year went quite smoothly, and this year promises to be even better. D.J. has kept bees for years, but I was his first client, a sort of experiment to see whether he enjoys keeping bees for other people. It turns out he does.
This year, he has many more clients in our community, and my own set-up has improved. Last year, my hive was set on the grass; this year, it’s on a sturdy platform. Last year, the top was weighted down with a big rock; this year, hook-and-latch cables secure it. I’m not a huge fan of the new sign affixed to the hive—I prefer the beauty of a simple white box—but I understand the need to have DJ’s number prominently displayed in case of an emergency. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the very beauty of the process. The bees still dart back and forth between the woods and the hive, the frames grow heavy with honey, and the box continually buzzes with an energy that reminds me of a great night in my restaurant kitchen.My queen, identified by the emerald green dot on her back, and her bees have already produced a lot of honey; D.J. anticipates at least ten pounds this season. Because I have a wide variety of plants on my property, the honey develops a very complex sweetness. I can’t wait to taste it again.

Dining Out

I spend most of my time creating—and tasting—dishes for my restaurants, but I love dining out and seeing what other chefs are doing. For the past two weekends, I’ve had the opportunity to dine in our nation’s capitol. Last weekend, I attended my daughter Louise’s college graduation and I returned this weekend for the commencement ceremony of my wife Marja’s sister. The highlight of both weekends was celebrating these milestones with family, both at the universities and at great Washington, D.C. restaurants. The chef at at Komi, Johnny Monis, is amazing and dinner there was fantastic. For brunch, we sat in the Tabard Inn’s garden and enjoyed a fabulous meal. We also had a wonderful experience at CityZen in the Mandarin Oriental.

Just a few weeks earlier, I dined all over Paris. I spent nearly a week there teaching our chefs at Market our new spring dishes. With the first of the harvest, we worked on seasonal items like our asparagus salad and our prawns with sugar snap peas.

When I wasn’t in the kitchen, I was sampling other restaurants. La Maree Passy proved to be an excellent choice. Because chef Gregory Coutanceau gets his fish from his father, a fishmonger who sources his catch from small boats along the coast from Brittany to Belgium, he treats his impeccably fresh ingredients simply and beautifully. Gillardeau oysters, easily an ounce each, are as shiny as pearls and so delicious they need only a squeeze of lemon juice. These oysters reappeared in what I would consider on of the best appetizers I’ve eaten all year. They’re chopped and layered with a tartare of the belly of white salmon, caught in the Loire River, and their liquor is used to season the dish. A bit of horseradish adds a bright note, and toast and lemon wedges are served alongside. Delicious.

Another appetizer featured langoustines, which retained a firm texture while achieving a sea urchin-like richness. The main courses that followed highlighted the freshness of the ingredients: grilled whole fish (John Dory, turbot, Belgian sole) with citrus butter and a side of mashed potatoes. My favorite dessert looked deceptively simple—a thin waffle topped with whipped cream and fresh raspberries—but was deeply satisfying. Can you believe the size of those berries?

I returned to L’Ami Louis, an old favorite, for their roasted chicken. Nobody in the world does it better.

When I dine out, I’m reminded of what a pleasure it is to be a customer. I hope all of my restaurant guests feel the same way.

The James Beard Awards

Last Monday night, I was honored to win the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant award for Jean Georges. To be nominated, a restaurant has to be in business continuously for at least ten years and staying open for that long is a reward in itself. The other nominees, including Babbo here in New York, are excellent and I was honored to be counted among those guys. In fact, I didn’t expect to win (and didn’t even have a speech prepared).
It’s been ten years since I’ve walked down that red carpet. Despite the stress I felt all night awaiting the results, I was thrilled to go up there with my team. Many thanks again to Phil Suarez for believing in me and investing in the restaurant, my brother Philippe for upholding the highest standards of service since we opened, Greg Brainin and Mark Lapico for ensuring that each dish comes out perfectly, and Johnny Iuzzini for delicious desserts. And thanks to everyone who has been a part of Jean Georges over the past twelve years; I’m grateful for the contributions each person has brought.
Of course, I’m committed to keeping Jean Georges at the top. And now that we’ve been named the best restaurant in America, I’m just going to keep raising our standards higher and higher. I’m still here nearly every day, and ensure our customers feel welcome and satisfied. We’ve been working on our new spring dishes, and I think they may just be our best yet.
On Tuesday night, I shared my thoughts on the restaurant industry on the Fox Business Network, along with Eric Ripert and David Chang. I really believe business is only going to improve; the food and service certainly has. But you can be then judge of that…I look forward to
seeing you at Jean Georges soon!