MICHAEL WHITE: Did I hear
you wanted to do
something with octopus?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL WHITE: We'll
make a little ragu.
It smells just like the sea.
But this is the whole edible
part of the octopi.
We can use all of this.
We'll break it for a bit and
then we'll grill it.
When we're doing the octopus
with bone marrow, instead of
putting olive oil in, we put
the piped bone marrow.
This is what we put inside the
fusilli with bone marrow when
we toss it with tomato sauce,
and the braising liquid of
octopus and red wine, until
that unctuous, really
delicate, rich flavor
comes out.
This dish is like, you know
Jimmy Buffett has to sing
"Cheeseburger in Paradise"
at every concert?
This is the equivalent.
But that's a good
thing to have.
People use the word "chef"
very, very lightly.
When people come up to me and
say, you know my husband he's
a great chef.
I say, really?
I said, where does he work?
No, no, no, he's in finance,
but he's a great chef.
So he's probably a great home
cook and I'd love to go eat
dinner with him, but
he's not a chef.
I'll let you know
what a chef is.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL WHITE: My name is Chef
Michael White, and I'm the
chef-owner of Marea
in Columbus Circle
here in New York City.
Marea is known for
Italian cooking.
Marea had become synonymous
for a couple of dishes.
Whether it's a sea urchin
crostini with lardo, actually
the grilled octopus with
the salsa tonnata.
Italy is surrounded by the
Mediterranean and the Adriatic
Sea and the Ionian Sea, so
we do lots of fish here.
It also has quite
a few pastas.
Italian restaurants are
judged upon pastas.
You could cook the greatest veal
chop in the world, but
people come here for pasta.
I got interested in Italian
cooking because Italian food
in the Midwest, where
I grew up, was the
ethnic food of choice.
It was usually going to
Domenico's, which was a local
Italian restaurant in the
city, Beloit, Wisconsin.
So that's kind of how
I caught the bug.
And I had a football injury.
In rehab I was watching a bit of
TV and "Great Chefs" was on
the Discovery Channel back in
the day, those first shows.
And I knew that was what
I wanted to do.
The camaraderie in working with
all the people in the
kitchen, it really drives
you every day.
It's a ginormous team that's
always working together.
There's 138 people that
work at Marea.
We have wonderful line cooks,
garde manger people.
It's really all those people
working together that watch
this organized chaos come
to the pass every night.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL WHITE: We probably, at
Marea, turn away probably 300
people per day.
We're very fortunate to be a
popular restaurant here.
I'm dealing with very, very high
end people that make the
world go round, whether
it's dignitaries,
whether it's the Clintons.
At the same time, I get young
people that are in the
restaurant business.
That's one of the great parts
about being a chef is that you
get to see these people and
they're eating your food.
JOSH OZERSKY: This rigatoni
is incredible.
I think it's one of your best.
MICHAEL WHITE: Meeting Josh--
Josh is a blogger--
Josh is like my brother, we
were separated at birth.
JOSH OZERSKY: You know
what I would like?
I'll tell you what
I would like.
I would like a little
bit of grappa.
JOSH CAPON: Yeah?
JOSH OZERSKY: Yeah.
JOSH CAPON: Is it that
grappa's a digestive?
Isn't that something you
finish your meal with?
MICHAEL WHITE: I met Josh
Capon because he has a
fantastic restaurant called
Burger & Barrel.
We all used to dine once
or twice a week.
It's one of the highlights
of it.
We'll all at least get out
to go have a drink
and shoot the shit.
All right, let's go.
OLIVIA YOUNG: What is that?
JOSH OZERSKY: What?
MICHAEL WHITE: Shit
on your back.
A bird shit on your back.
JOSH OZERSKY: When?
Just now?
JOSH CAPON: Yeah.
JOSH OZERSKY: Shut up.
JOSH CAPON: I think the bird
shit on you before
you got in the car.
I think that if I got my $232
million I would get a neck
transplant.
I would get neck liposuction.
So where are we going
may I ask?
MICHAEL WHITE: This is
called SriPraPhai.
You know, all you New Yorkers
haven't been there.
JOSH OZERSKY: Are you
fucking kidding me?
MICHAEL WHITE: Have you
been to SriPraPhai?
JOSH OZERSKY: Do you
know who I am?
SriPraPhai was the seminal Thai
restaurant in New York
that made the city's gastronomes
and food writers
aware of the possibilities
of Thai food.
MICHAEL WHITE: I am a fanatic
about Asian food.
Last night when we were going
to Queens, I think I made
mention in the car, that in
that area, whether it's
Indian, Sri Lankan, Thai--
there's so many great
places to eat.
Queens is a melting pot--
it's a fucking fool's
paradise of food.
Love this place.
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL WHITE: When people ask
me where I like to eat, that's
what I like to eat.
There are fantastic restaurants
here in New York
City, but when you go there,
it's a whole different story.
I mean, it's pretty
fucking amazing.
I mean you close your eyes,
all of a sudden you think
you're like [ASIAN RIFF]
I should be there, that's
how good it is.
Okay, so this is what you
do-- we build it now.
OK?
We had the crispy watercress
salad with pulled chicken,
calamari, chilies, and
then they ask you how
hot do you want it?
JOSH CAPON: I'm going
to need a pitcher
of ice water, please.
WAITRESS: OK, sure.
[LAUGHTER]
OLIVIA YOUNG: And some beer.
We need the beer.
JOSH CAPON: I'm going
to be all over you.
MICHAEL WHITE: Capon started
just pounding the water-- that
really just makes it worse
because all the oils that are
coming from the chilies and then
you're drinking water?
You're just dispersing it all
over your whole mouth.
JOSH CAPON: Woo!
I'm starting to sweat.
MICHAEL WHITE: Is this
not off the hook?
Right?
JOSH CAPON: Good times.
JOSH OZERSKY: You know, this
to me, is literally what
food's all about.
[INAUDIBLE].
MICHAEL WHITE: I just wanted
you to taste, I
mean this is like--
look at the thickness
on these satays.
These satays are no joke.
JOSH OZERSKY: What
meat is that?
JOSH CAPON: Pork.
JOSH OZERSKY: It's unreal.
OLIVIA YOUNG: Oh my god, the
peanut sauce is so good.
JOSH OZERSKY: Oh my god.
Holy shit.
MICHAEL WHITE: Chefs,
I like to think that
we have palate fatigue.
I don't know if I demonstrated
that last night.
But palate fatigue, it's kind
of like writer's block,
though, I would say like
in the same thing.
You think about what
you're going to eat
before you taste it.
I'm at my point right now where
I really like impact
flavor whether it's soy, wasabi,
the lemongrass and the
chili, and the different
flavors.
The salty, sweet, fish
sauce, sugar.
It's amazing.
And I passed it last night.
It's like welcome to
flavor country,
here it is on a plate.
It's no bullshit.
JOSH CAPON: Did you want to
try some of the Pad Thai?
MICHAEL WHITE: Yes, I do.
This is phenomenal Pad Thai.
Look at how it's glazed.
I mean, I'm a pasta
guy, I know, but--
but look at how it's
just perfect.
JOSH OZERSKY: It's amazing.
It's the sweetness and
the heat [INAUDIBLE].
And [INAUDIBLE].
Everything's at 11.
This kind of food has
so much soul.
Every bite pops.
It pops like Michael's--
when you eat Michael's food.
Every bite pops.
OLIVIA YOUNG: Right.
JOSH OZERSKY: You know
what I mean?
OLIVIA YOUNG: Yeah.
JOSH OZERSKY: It's
so in harmony.
It's a high wire act.
If you go a little bit
too much in one
direction, it's ludicrous.
MICHAEL WHITE: We were on our
12th dish at SriPraPhai, and
there was some pre-talk about
eating some lamb kebabs.
I'm really glad we went
to the pudding place.
JOSH OZERSKY: I can't eat hot
food in the outdoors.
JOSH CAPON: I am praying to God
I'll be able to make it to
the pudding place.
MICHAEL WHITE: What's the
worst that can happen?
You're just going to pass out.
Wake you up.
OLIVIA YOUNG: Have
an accident.
JOSH CAPON: I might
have an accident.
MICHAEL WHITE: OK, listen.
Let's talk about
pudding because
pudding is our next stop.
JOSH CAPON: Have
you been there?
JOSH OZERSKY: No, I fucking read
about it in a book once.
No of course, it's a block
from my house.
JOSH CAPON: So the
question is--
JOSH OZERSKY: Do you
know who I am?
MICHAEL WHITE: Hey this
is a serious decision.
JOSH OZERSKY: Don't
take this lightly.
JOSH CAPON: A regular chocolate,
a regular vanilla,
a regular banana, a regular
butterscotch--
JOSH OZERSKY: And how
about a small lemon?
JOSH CAPON: A small lemon.
OLIVIA YOUNG: And can we
get salted caramel
sauce on the side?
JOSH OZERSKY: Why don't you
get chicken one of those?
MICHAEL WHITE: Aaahhh!
JOSH CAPON: Oh, I'm sorry.
Wait a minute.
Let's change the banana
coconut--
MICHAEL WHITE: Listen, Josh was
fucking crazy last night.
Josh went crazy in
there, seeing as
though he has no neck.
I mean, like now we know why.
JOSH CAPON: It's not pie.
OLIVIA YOUNG: What?
JOSH OZERSKY: Are you
out of your mind?
Are you on peyote
or something?
[LAUGHTER]
MICHAEL WHITE: Time out!
Out of control.
Out of control!
JOSH OZERSKY: He's lost it.
Someone's gonna pull your
card, my friend.
Someone's gonna pull
your card.
MICHAEL WHITE: The pudding
that we had was
off the hook, though.
You know how when your mom used
to make pudding and that
scum went across the top
and you knew that
it was cooked pudding?
JOSH OZERSKY: That's
really good.
That's fantastic.
MICHAEL WHITE: Which
one is this?
This looks like tiramisu.
The chocolate was great the way
it was, but then when you
put that little bit of whipped
cream on the top, and they
happen to be using Battenkill
Farms milk
from Salem, New York.
JOSH OZERSKY: You're not going
to believe this shit.
You know why it's so good?
MICHAEL WHITE: Why?
JOSH OZERSKY: You know what
the milk they use?
From "Bambi".
MICHAEL WHITE: Yes!
I knew it!
JOSH OZERSKY: From Battenkill,
Battenkill.
MICHAEL WHITE: Is this
Battenkill milk?
JOSH OZERSKY: It's
Battenkill milk!
That's what Michael always had
his cream sauces with the
incredible yellow cream
from Battenkill Farms.
Sick.
JOSH CAPON: The vanilla
is the best.
SERVERS: Thank you!
MICHAEL WHITE: Take care.
OLIVIA YOUNG: [INAUDIBLE].
JOSH OZERSKY: Please tell me you
can get back in the car.
JOSH CAPON: [SINGING].
JOSH OZERSKY: Why do you keep
singing these strange songs?
He's not annoying enough.
I need him to be
more annoying.
JOSH CAPON: Why do you have to
be a self-loathing fat man?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL WHITE: We're here.
And then the munchies
food frenzy
started at Osteria Morini.
One of the great parts about
going to your own restaurants
is you're there with
your people.
I text them and they were in the
area so that's really how
it happens a lot.
We-- it's very hard to organize
in the chef world.
This is a pu pu platter.
This is a Swiss chard
and pancetta cake
with parmigiano perma.
We hit it pretty hard in the
restaurant, so munchies
happens like from the time we
start to the time we end.
It was loaded, loaded.
But I would say our go-to
food would be pizza.
Pizza's a big deal.
Did you guys know you were
eating Nicoletta pizza
tonight?
-Nicoletta pizza!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL WHITE: I'm doing
a Josh Ozersky
special right now.
It's going to be
a meat-lover's.
This is all wild fennel
from Italy.
And then we're going
to put some of
this thick-cut pepperoni.
Because it has collagen
casings, natural,
and they cup up.
I think pizza is probably the
most satisfying thing.
-We got a pizza!
MICHAEL WHITE: This--
there my friend, that's--
you're the first
person having Nicoletta.
I'm so excited about Nicoletta
Pizzeria-- that's the new
place I'm doing, and then to eat
with those guys, because
they're going to be
tough on me, too.
They're not going
to hold back.
JOSH OZERSKY: It's great!
It's great!
It's so good!
It even has--
it's got a little dom, it's
got a little dom in it.
MICHAEL WHITE: Josh kind of gave
his this is good, this is
better than I thought
it was going to be.
Which is kind of like a
backhanded compliment, but I
would expect nothing
less from him.
JOSH OZERSKY: This is great.
Can I have some olive oil?
MICHAEL WHITE: Oh shit.
We got a lot of work to do,
a lot of work to do.
JOSH OZERSKY: I'm done.
MICHAEL WHITE: I'm done-- that
was an hour ago he was done.
Is that it?
Are you tapping out?
JOSH OZERSKY: The time has
come, the walrus said.
MICHAEL WHITE: Josh
has a poker face
when he eats, though.
He says, that's it, that's--
I'm tapping out.
That's it.
I can tell there becomes a glaze
on the face and he has
to go out and get what we've
coined as the "air bath, which
means you have to go outside and
like, air it out a second.
JOSH CAPON: Don't forget
[INAUDIBLE]
Thai food.
-I want nothing right now.
Nothing.
-You can have any item
in the universe.
[INAUDIBLE].
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
-Leave us alone.
-I don't want to eat anything.
-There's no one item.
-Just enjoy yourself.
