More Chic Chefs Weigh In On Turkey Day!

by The Daily Front Row

These chefs are buddies, and they’ve always got oodles to say: Geoffrey Zakarian of The Lambs Club and The National and Marc Murphy of the Landmarc restos plus the recently-opened Kingside gave us their crib sheets to an awesome Thanksgiving. Reservations, anyone?

FIRST UP! Geoffrey Zakarian on vino and (sometimes) dining out 
How should we stay stress-free on Thanksgiving?

Short of making reservations, I cook most of the sides the day before and just concentrate on the turkey, gravy, and guests.

What do you wear for the big meal?
A nice suit and tie. 

Where does your Thanksgiving go down?
We alternate between eating at home, or in one of my restaurants. But it’s always with about 20 people. 

What’s your go-to dish?
Chestnut sausage dressing.

What do you have seconds (and maybe thirds) of?
Bordeaux! 

PLUS! Marc Murphy chimes in on loving leftovers and hating Black Friday… 
What do you wear après-Thanksgiving, Marc?
I’m a T shirt and jeans kind of guy. Or I’ll wear a chef’s jacket, depending on where I’ll be. 

Where do you gorge for the holiday?
For the past few years we’ve been spending Thanksgiving at one of my restaurants, Ditch Plains, on the Upper West Side. It’s close to our apartment and we serve delicious Thanksgiving specials in addition to our regular menu. So if someone doesn’t want turkey, they can have a Ditch Dog! The best part is, I don’t have to do the dishes.

What do you do with leftovers?
Turkey Shepard’s Pie. I use leftover turkey, potatoes and gravy and transform it into delicious new dish. It’s actually one of my favorite things to make. 

What’s your fave dish du season?
Stuffing! I love it because there’s so many different versions. 

So what’s Murphy’s law when it comes to stuffing?
I prefer mine with some sort of bacon or pancetta in it. It just adds another dimension of flavor.

Will we find you shopping on Black Friday?
Absolutely not! I actually can’t think of anything worse than that.  

You may also like