Laurent Tourondel’s BLT restaurant empire is gobbling up the city and beyond. (Credit: Quentin Bacon)
Over the last four years, the chef Laurent Tourondel seems to have tapped into the restaurant zeitgeist as well as any New York chef. His BLT restaurants — BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Burger, BLT Market — are gobbling up the city, and they’re being exported to D.C., to Las Vegas, probably in due time to Mars.
You’ve probably had a glimpse of one of his restaurants. Now get a closer glimpse of the man behind them.
Who in your life has influenced your cooking the most?
I worked under Jacques Maximin at a time when I decided to actively pursue cooking as a lifelong passion and career. Jacques Maximin has had the greatest influence on my cooking as he taught me the importance of discipline in the kitchen, the honoring of the ingredient and earning the respect of your co-workers.
Which book has had the biggest impact?
As a French chef, I learned all of the fundamentals of cooking from “The Escoffier Cookbook.”
Which foreign country (or region) do you most enjoy eating in?
I most enjoy eating in Vietnam for its fresh ingredients, strong flavors like chilis and fish sauce and the more nuanced elements like lemongrass and fresh herbs.
Which restaurant meal from the past lives most vividly in your memory?
My experience at Pierre Gagnier nearly 15 years ago was by far my most memorable meal. This meal included 33 courses and 95 ingredients — unbelievable.
Which three cooking tools or gadgets are your favorites?
8-inch Chef Knife, lemon press and cast-iron pot.
What’s your favorite music to play in the kitchen?
It depends on my mood. Either classical or disco at home although I never allow music to be played in my restaurant kitchens.
Which are the most overrated — and underrated — seasonings?
Overrated — balsamic vinegar, as I find it to overpower salads and find the flavor in reduced balsamics to be acrid and overly sweet.
Underrated — fresh herbs should always be used in abundance.
Is there a guilty secret — something canned, something hokey — in your arsenal of ingredients?
Tabasco.
Is there a rule of conduct or etiquette in your kitchen that you enforce above all others?
I am neurotic about cleanliness whether it be in my kitchen or my home.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done in a restaurant kitchen?
I was once demonstrating braised short ribs and completely forgot to add the wine. This was rather embarrassing as it was my signature recipe.
Which item in your home refrigerator would you least like to cop to?
I tend to sometimes overindulge and eat too much when going out with friends so one of the most vital things I keep in my refrigerator at home is Pepto Bismol. But don’t tell anyone.
Is there a food you can’t bring yourself to like?
Warm oysters. I just hate the texture of them. And grouse, because it smells awful and is a very gamey bird.
What’s the best New York City restaurant that no one talks that much about? (We’ll trust you not to plug a friend.)
Luzzo’s, because it has the best pizza and is one of East Village’s hidden treasures.
You did something awful and are sentenced to die. Dead Chef Walking! What’s your final meal — and we’re not talking five or six courses, though you can have dessert — before you go?
My great grandmother’s potato pie and a Krispy Kreme donut.
By Frank Bruni
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