B o b b y F l ay s

B a r A m e r ic a i n
Cookbook

c e l e b r at e a m e r i c a ' s
g r e at f l a v o r s
B O B B Y F LAY
w i t h s t e p h a n i e b a n ya s
a n d s a l ly j a c k s o n

photogr aphs by ben fink

C l a r k s o n P ot t e r / P u b l i s h e r s
N e w Yo r k

Introduction
Bar Americain is a product of my lifes discoveries. I didnt finish high school
in a conventional way (I took a test to garner a high school equivalency
found I learn best throughwell, just living! I am constantly observing, tasting, trying all the world has to offer. Every student, whether a traditional one
or not, has a favorite subject, and mine is the foods and culinary traditions
of the United States of America. Its been an intense education, one that I
hope never ends. And Bar Americain is my translation of that education.
I opened my first restaurant, Mesa Grill, in New York City in 1991 at the
age of twenty-five. After running some kitchens for other people earlier on,
I had arrived on the scene in a soaring space on lower Fifth Avenue with a
bag of chile peppers and a high-profile business partner, Jerry Kretchmer,

B O B B Y F L AY S B A R A M E R I C A I N

diploma so that I could apply to culinary school), and as it turns out, Ive

the owner of Gotham Bar and Grill alongside Chef Alfred Portale. It was
and a pocketful of street sense should havea big, brash, colorful space
with big, bold flavors on the plate accompanied by handcrafted margaritas.
The place had its own beatbut the rhythm wasnt coming from the speakers, it was coming from the kitchen. Looking back, I wouldnt change a
thing. Some twenty years later, Mesa Grill is a New York classic and still
running at full speed.
After all the traveling and cooking and eating Ive done across the country, the restaurant I was now inspired to open was something different. Both
as a native New Yorker and as a student of the citys restaurant business, I
know every important restaurant space in town and there was always one in
particular that I thought of as my dream space. In fact, my very first meeting
with Jerry Kretchmer to discuss the possibility of the two of us teaming up
was in that space, a restaurant once called Sams Cafe. After a brief run,
Sams became JUdson Grill, which Jerry then owned.
JUdson Grill had a good run on West 52nd Street, but it eventually
became apparent that something needed to change. Although it was a wellregarded restaurant around town, it was no longer reaching its potential.
Thats when I called Jerry. I knew this was my chance to grab the space
that I had always wanted and I knew just want I wanted to do with it. Bar
Americain was born. . . .
The concept and point of view of Bar Americain is simple: its an American brasserie. As soon as you walk in, youll sense the echoes of a soaring

exactly what a twenty-five-year-old with seven years of cooking experience

European brasserie, with distressed mirrors over the Parisian zinc bar and
gorgeous tiles covering the floor. With curved banquettes snaking down the
middle of the dining room and a peek into the semi-open kitchen, which is
B O B B Y F L AY S B A R A M E R I C A I N

surrounded by a forty-foot-long raw bar, its a handsome space that radiates

brasserie spirit.
I like to tell people that Bar Americain looks brasserie but tastes distinctly American. That raw bar is stocked with the freshest American fish
and shellfish, for example. So why the French name? Naming a restaurant
can be challenging, and my partners and I had a difficult time coming up
with a name that made sense for the space and our vision.
I was in New Mexico doing some chile research for Mesa Grill while the
new restaurant was being built. The food media was hassling us for information about the new place, which was soon to open but as of yet nameless
and therefore, in the eyes of the press, without a story or a concept. I knew

exactly what we were going to serve, but we needed a name to convey that,
and fast.

introduction

At the time I was reading a book about another chef, a chef who loved
spending time in Paris and had one of the most important American restaurants in the country. Jeremiah Tower was at the forefront of New American
cuisine when it was born in the early 1980s, when he, Wolfgang Puck, and
Alice Waters were leading the way. Jeremiahs San Francisco restaurant,
Stars, was a favorite of mine because of how he combined European style
with American ingredients and ideas. Yes, we all get inspired somewhere
and Stars was the backbone of the inspiration for Bar Americain.
I was reading Jeremiahs book the same day I absolutely needed to name
the restaurant, and while reading, I came upon a photo that made me pause.
Jeremiah was standing with friends in front of the classic Parisian brasserie
La Coupole. Behind them hung the canopy with the name of the restaurant
and, in smaller print, the phrase bar Amricain. This was a signal to Americans traveling through Paris earlier in the century that the brasserie served
not only wine and beer but also American-style cocktails. While looking at
that photograph, it hit me over the headthats the name! It couldnt be
anything else! All the Stars aligned right then. I got my partners, Jerry
Kretchmer, Laurence Kretchmer, and Jeff Bliss, on a conference call and
announced my epiphany, which was at first met with silence, then a question: Will people think were just a bar? No, I was convinced that this had
to be the name. Thankfully, my partners agreed.

I often tell people that when I see a map of the United States, I dont see
states, cities, and townsI see ingredients. My eye seeks out those truly
American ingredients and the regional dishes that could only be American.
sine. I join them as they shout, as loud as they can, that America has arrived.
We are a food superpower. Bar Americain celebrates this countrys map,
delineated by ingredients and culinary culture, as it exists in my minds eye.
We celebrate with American cocktails, whether an aperitif made with
bourbon, like the Kentucky 95, or an appetizer made with lobster and avocado. A bit of Bar Americains cuisine gets it inspiration from classic French
dishes, such as the onion soup, but my take, full of Georgia Vidalia onions
and Vermont cheddar cheese, is distinctly homegrown. The choice is yours:
whether you select an all-American creamy clam chowder with a sweet

B O B B Y F L AY S B A R A M E R I C A I N

And I see people growing and raising our food, cooking their hometown cui-

potato base; a salad of smoked trout, Kentucky ham, and buttermilk dress-

ing; cornmeal johnny cakes topped with barbecued duck; shrimp and grits;
or oyster and lobster shooters, the Bar Americain meal starts with a punch
Bar Americains entres will fill your table family-style, a way for all to
explore my culinary map. Red snapper with a crisp skin of plantains accompanied by avocado, mango, and black beans, which we call Florida-style,
celebrates the states Cuban influence. Or perhaps a rack of pork with a
molasses-mustard glaze and a sour mash sauce is more up your alley. And of
course, it wouldnt be America without a selection of beef steaks, spicerubbed and with a host of possible accompanying side dishes, like Brooklyn
hash browns and cauliflower goat cheese gratin.
And, trust me, you have to leave room for dessert. . . . Every good brasserie, whether European or American, has a plate of crpes. Bar Americains
are filled with blueberries and lemon and served with a brown sugarbrown
butter sauce. Theres a souffl, of coursemine is laced with blackberries
and a thin apple tart in the style of Paris but with a distinctly American cinnamon sauce as an accompaniment.
I hope this gives you an idea of how I think about Bar Americain. Its concept and its existence are so important to me. Bar Americain is a place of
celebrationa place to celebrate good times, good food, good drinks, and
the country that made it all possible. Its everything I ever wanted my dream
restaurant to becomplete with all the food I love to cook and eat.

introduction

of national pride.

H e r b Roaste d Tu r ke y

5. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and

pepper and fill the cavity with half of the carrots,

Thanksgiving is hands-down my favorite holiday.

Bar Americain is open each year for Thanksgiving, and
we typically serve about six hundred people before the
day is over. No matter how many wonderful selections
we offer on the abbreviated holiday menu, without fail
turkey is the biggest sellerpartly because people love
it and partly, I think, out of a sense of tradition. This is
the turkey that I serve at Bar Americain, with only the
dressing and sides changing from year to year. This year
I am pairing the all-American bird with all-American
ingredients: wild mushrooms and Pinot Noir from the
Pacific Northwest, figs from California, cranberries
from Maine, bacon from Kentucky, and sweet potatoes
from Georgia.

celery, and onions. Rub the entire turkey with the

Serves 8

continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken

herb butter and season liberally with salt and

pepper.
6. Scatter the remaining vegetables on the bottom
of a large roasting pan. Fit a rack over the vegetables and put the turkey on top of the rack. Pour the
roasting pan and carefully put the pan in the oven.
Roast until the turkey is light golden brown, about
45 minutes.
7. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and
stock every 15 minutes, until an instant-read ther-

1 (17-pound) turkey, rinsed well and patted dry

10 tablespoons (1 14 sticks) unsalted butter,
softened
parsley

large cutting board, and tent loosely with foil. Let

rest for 30 minutes before carving.

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

9. Strain the stock in the bottom of the roasting pan

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

towels into a medium saucepan. Discard the solids.

6 cups chicken stock, homemade (page 240)

Boil the stock until reduced to a sauce consistency

or store-bought
3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 large stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large onions, quartered
1. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour
before roasting.
2. Combine the butter, parsley, sage, rosemary, and
thyme in a food processor and process until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F.
4. Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium
saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

(see page 250). Arrange the turkey on a large platter

and drizzle with the reduced stock.

P OU LTRY A N D M EAT

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

8. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to a

133

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf

mometer inserted in the thigh registers 160F, about

2 12 hours longer.

BOBBY F L AY S BAR A M ER I C A I N

remaining 2 cups stock into the bottom of the

Cauliflowe r and
G o at C h e e s e G r at i n

B O B B Y FLAY S B AR A M ERI C AIN

Warm and bubbly with a golden brown crust, this easyto-prepare side dish is one of my favorite cold-weather
indulgences. I am a big fan of cauliflowers soft, slightly
nutty flavor and dont think it gets the attention it
deserves. It has a remarkable ability to absorb the flavors
of whatever it is being cooked with, such as the rich
creamy sauce of smooth Monterey Jack, salty Parmesan,
and tangy goat cheeses in this gratin.
Serves 4 to 6

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a 10-inch

baking dish.
2. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and bring to a
simmer over medium-low heat.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium
heavy saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for
1 minute; do not let the mixture brown. Slowly whisk
in the milk, raise the heat to high, and cook, whisking
constantly, until the mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the Monterey
Jack, half of the goat cheese, and half of the Parme-

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for

the baking dish
3 cups whole milk, or more if needed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

san cheese. Season with salt and pepper. If the

mixture seems too thick, thin with a little extra milk.
4. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl, add the

178
SIDES

6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated

(1 12 cups)

cauliflower, and stir well to combine. Scrape the

6 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into small pieces

12 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

the remaining goat cheese and Parmesan. Slip a

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

cauliflower is tender and the top is bubbly and

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets,

golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the

each floret cut into 2 or 3 pieces

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with

rimmed baking sheet underneath and bake until the

oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with chopped parsley.