There’s a certain sameness to chefs’ live cooking demos. But not when Sam Mason, the former pastry chef at Manhattan’s wd~50 and chef at his own soon-to-be-opened (and still nameless) restaurant, stands behind the counter. The first dish he demonstrated at this year’s Gourmet Institute was a terrine of Peking duck and broiled eel served with—brace yourself—a savory chocolate consomme and a quick garnish of pickled cherries. The second dish, a pork belly that had been seriously slow-cooked sous vide for 24 hours in 75C water, was served with whiskey-braised artichokes and a miso butterscotch. To be honest, I thought neither dish was particularly delicious. They might have been weird and different just for the sake of being weird and different. But as anyone familiar with the New York dining scene can tell you, there’s homogeneity among this year’s crop of new restaurants. I doubt they will be saying that about Sam’s new place.
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