1 5
At Rosalie Italian Soul in Houston, chef Chris Cosentino makes this variation on his family recipe, for which they typically used chicken thighs. He selected Alaska sable for its sustainability as well as its high fat content, “which adds a depth of flavor and makes it a little more forgiving in the cooking process,” he said. “Alaska sablefish season opens in March, which makes this a perfect dish to add into rotation for the spring menu.”
He makes a sauce by sautéing blanched fennel, garlic, and red onion in olive oil, followed by red pepper flakes, which he deglazes with red wine, reduces by ¾, and then adds roasted tomato purée and fish stock and as it simmers he adds sable fillets seasoned with salt and pepper, along with cracked Castelvetrano olives, parsley, oregano, and basil. That all cooks for five minutes and then is plated over polenta cooked with water, milk, and butter and seasoned with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. It’s garnished with fennel fronds.
Price: $39
Sweetbreads in green garlic soup
For this dish on the spring menu at Monterey, a modern chophouse in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, chef James Tracey blanches and peels sweetbreads, soaks them in milk and then breads and fries them. They’re served in a soup of green garlic, spring onions, and spinach simmered in chicken stock butter, and cream, and accompanied by morels that have been roasted with butter and charred spring onions.
“I like the savory sweetness of the garlic and the actual color of the soup,” Tracey said. “The green reminds me of spring.”
Price: $29
Kozmic Blue
For this drink on the new cocktail menu at Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar, Calif., named after a Janis Joplin song with a similar name, lead bartender Corey Levine pours 2 ounces of National Distillery Company’s New Zealand Dry Gin, and ¾ ounce each of blueberry shrub and lemon juice in an ice-filled shaker, shakes it and then pours 1.5 ounce of soda water in the tin. Then it’s double strained through a mesh strainer into a coupe glass, finished with a lemon twist and garnished with a pansy.
Price: $17
For this dish on the new summer menu at The Restaurant at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Fla., chef Jair Solis slices and fans citrus-cured salmon over a plate and dresses it with yuzu-passion fruit vinaigrette, nori seaweed, toasted pistachios, and crème fraîche. Then he adds basil oil, shichimi togarashi, micro cilantro and khadaif, or shredded phyllo dough, seasoned with turmeric. He said the khadaif and pistachio add crunch “to the beautifully elegant and subtle flavors.”
Price: $12
Friday Sandwich
On the new lunch menu at Shoo Shoo in New York City’s Nolita neighborhood, chefs Loren Abramovich & Daniel Soskolne derived this dish from a popular street food that is sold on Friday, but it’s available every day at the restaurant.
To make it, a challah bun is sliced in half and spread with matbucha, a Moroccan condiment made with tomatoes, olive oil, harissa and tatbila (a blend of green chile, garlic, lemon, cilantro, olive oil, and salt). That’s topped with Israeli pickles, fried Japanese eggplant, chicken schnitzel in a sesame crust, salt, and parsley. The top bun is spread with tatbila and tahini. It’s served with fries.
Price: $24
