There are over 18,000 restaurants in New York City, but the food world here is smaller than it seems. Key players are constantly shuffling from kitchen to kitchen. Here’s an example. Sure, that’s the famous Michael Lomonaco in an ad for Porter House, his new restaurant. The slightly blurry cook in the background is unnamed. Well, he’s got a name: Charlie Brassard.
I know Charlie through a mutual friend. We each volunteered to help cook for her wedding, and I helped Charlie as he painstakingly plucked pinbones from 50 pounds of fresh salmon because, he said, "it’s the right way to do it." Before Porter House, Charlie was number two at Judson Grill under Bill Telepan, and a ringer at August. What’s his next stop? He’s not saying, but given his successful track record, I’ll be keeping my eyes open.
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