Within the final yr, Stefano Secchi lived by each chef’s nightmare: His Flatiron restaurant, Massara, was beginning to hit its stride (and had simply turn out to be worthwhile) when a kitchen fireplace become a catastrophe that stored the enterprise closed for a yr. The evening it occurred, Secchi had been flying to Italy for a marriage. “I landed and had ten missed calls and 25 texts,” he recollects. “I’m asking my workforce, like, ‘Guys, can I come again?’ and so they’re like ‘You are able to do nothing proper now.” When the restaurant eventually reopened earlier this month, Secchi was as soon as once more flying to Italy. “I’ve main PTSD as a result of the very same factor occurred final time,” he says, joking (perhaps). In fact, Secchi can be the envy of many restaurateurs since his first New York restaurant, Rezdôra, stays, seven years in, one of many metropolis’s few actually unattainable reservations, full each evening for the easy motive that it is extremely good. Subsequent, he’ll take over one among downtown’s most storied areas — the previous Gotham Bar and Grill — however earlier than that, he spent per week this summer time getting an early (actually) leap on marathon coaching, readying some new menus, and making an attempt with various levels of success to sneak into his eating places unnoticed, each to cook dinner and to eat.
Tuesday, June 23
I get up very early. We’ve youngsters, so we’ve little or no free time. I’m up round 4:30 or 5 to meditate. I learn the New York Occasions, I’ve a fast cup of espresso — an a.m. moka pot, at all times, at all times, at all times — after which I’m going on a run to clear my thoughts. Operating that early is wonderful as a result of nobody’s round. It’s good and also you’re not dodging folks.
Once I get dwelling, colazione is an omelet with Havarti and avocado. That is my go-to breakfast, and I used to make it on a regular basis, however my spouse has stepped in these days. Her omelet sport is subsequent stage. She makes it and we break up it.
In the midst of the day, I finished by L’Appartement 4F in Manhattan. It’s cool that they’re within the house that was James Beard’s home. I had an almond croissant and an espresso, no sugar. They don’t overcomplicate issues. I dig it.
We’re doing a menu flip at Rezdôra, and lunch was tasting a lot of dishes for the summer time menu: tortello di friggione and ippoglosso, which is halibut with fennel and pomorodini. Once you consider halibut, you consider northern European nations like England, Scotland, or Norway. We didn’t actually have halibut in Italy; after we did get it, it might be on the huge fish market in Milano: This one comes from Norway, this one comes from the deep waters of western Spain.
In the meantime, I even have Parmigiano-Reggiano, which first turned a ritual for me after I was in culinary college at CIA and once more after I was cooking in Italy. I break off good items and depart them on a reducing board for my fellow cooks.
Proper earlier than p.m. service, I at all times have tea, a mixture of jasmine pearls and English Breakfast. My mother is English, and I picked up the tea behavior from her. I at all times have some new sort of cheese with tea: Parmigiano or Manchego or a little bit of New Zealand cheddar — no matter’s fascinating that I’ve picked up from the shop. It’s a bizarre mixture of candy and salty simply earlier than dinner service, and it’s completely scrumptious. If somebody did tea with cheese picks, it may turn out to be a factor. Possibly not L’Appartement 4F-level strains, however one thing epic.
Wednesday, June 24
A.m. moka at 4:30. Go for a run.
Once I get again, we’ve some berries from the Union Sq. Greenmarket, so I combine these with a number of nuts and yogurt. We make our personal yogurt with milk from Battenkill Farms. We’ve a yogurt machine from an organization referred to as Luvele. We get the perfect milk we will discover, and I do a 24-hour yogurt. It’s actually wealthy. We put it within the fridge and let it relaxation for 12 extra hours, pour off any whey, after which whisk it till it turns into actually thick. It doesn’t have any stabilizers or components, and my youngsters are huge followers.
The wood-burning oven is fired up at Massara, and we’re doing a number of menu-test objects earlier than reopening. Will probably be nice to get again into our previous dwelling. We’ve some fennel from Campo Rosso Farm — I’m an enormous fan of what they do — and I should have eaten seven pizzette for lunch as we labored by the dough and tried a brand new seasonal possibility: Sungold purée, spring onion, mozzarella di bufala, and guanciale that melts in so effectively.
“Dinner” was an espresso as a result of I used to be nonetheless full from lunch, and I tasted purées and pastas at Rezdôra throughout service.
Thursday, June 25
An a.m. moka, an early-morning run, an omelet.
One other espresso at 10 a.m. at Eataly with my good friend, Leonardo, who runs the cooking class there. We’ve a espresso, fun, and cry — actually cry — about how Italy didn’t even qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
Within the afternoon, we’ve one other tasting for Massara’s return. This time it’s pasta and fish on the wood-burning grill. The grill is the rationale we needed to depart, however there’s nothing just like the live-fire taste, particularly after we’re speaking about meals from Campania. We’re so joyful to be again within the house, however the metropolis by no means makes it simple, particularly with allowing for a small enterprise. What was purported to be a three- or four-month closure turned a full yr.
Dinner was at 8 p.m. at Rezdôra. I attempt to do these visits incognito, but it surely not often works. I by no means used to eat within the restaurant in any respect as a result of I work six days per week and I’m there so typically: Why would I wish to go to eat throughout my day without work? However consuming at your individual place is the perfect factor you are able to do: I get a lot out of those dinners. We simply celebrated seven years on the restaurant. How do you retain the execution at a excessive stage? It is a nice solution to keep on prime of all the pieces, expertise it as a visitor, and run by something we will enhance on.
We had a brand new “mozzarella di bufala with pomodorini in tre modi,” basic gnocco fritto (can’t miss), and a salad with fennel and stone fruit. Pastas have been the grandma, pisarei with braised duck ragù, and tagliolini with ragù Modenese; and secondi introduced cotoletta “modo Bolognese” with Parmigiano and prosciutto, cipollini onions, and the final of the asparagus with “spungole” or morels. Our government pastry chef, Dominique Canvin, despatched out a bunch of latest desserts to strive together with the nice and cozy olive-oil cake.
Friday, June 26
Two a.m. mokas however no run as a result of I sleep in. It takes me longer to get better after an evening out as of late. I used to have the ability to keep out till 4 within the morning and get to work on the road at eight. It was so punishing, however after ingesting 4 espressos and like eight quarts of water, you’d sweat all the pieces out on the road and be effective by the tip of service. Not anymore.
No breakfast as a result of I make a farmers’ market run for the eating places. Have one other espresso at Rezdôra round lunch lineup after which get to do one thing particular within the afternoon. We’re enormous Knicks followers, and the championship trophy was on show at Tiffany’s. We did a section with Josh Hart as soon as for our socials, and we nonetheless travel over our mutual love of wine. The man actually is aware of his shit, which is not the case with each athlete wine drinker. The trophy is fairly unimaginable up shut.
Raphaëlle Bergeon is the pinnacle chef at Tiffany’s and runs the house as a part of Daniel Boulud’s group. We’ve “tea time” at the café. I’ve jasmine and my spouse, Lauren, has an English Breakfast. Our boys have scorching chocolate, and the meals simply retains coming. An egg with caviar, raviolini crammed with Swiss chard and black truffle, tea sandwiches, macarons, petit-fours, a lot. It’s a nice afternoon — many due to Daniel and the wonderful Raphaëlle. Merci, merci, merci.
Saturday, June 27
Sleep in once more earlier than getting the youngsters prepared for the farmers’ market. It’s a convention for us to go collectively as a household on Saturday mornings. We make all the standard stops: Eckerton Hill Farm, which has the perfect tomatoes through the summer time season; Lani’s; and Norwich Meadows, amongst them. I seize the Apé out of the storage to select up all the produce for the eating places and the youngsters leap in again. They like it.
Breakfast is samples of smoked duck, berries, a croissant from Dominique Ansel Workshop (nobody does it higher) and one other espresso. Brunch is a brand new “focaccia di mais” tasting at Rezdôra, after which brunch service.
Lauren and I’ve been making an attempt to do not less than one date evening a month. We’re engaged on making that extra frequent. Tonight we go to Lex Yard: I hadn’t tried it but, and we don’t head up above twenty third Road that usually. However Mike Anthony is serving a very nice burger there. We’ve a lobster roll as effectively, and he hundreds us up with desserts earlier than we head over to Carnegie Corridor for a live performance.
Sunday, June 28
Two a.m. Mokas and no breakfast.
It’s my time off, however I’ve been going to Massara as a result of the pizza dough is a beast. You actually can’t miss a day. We’ve an 18-hour ferment, then we roll out the pizza and let it ferment some extra. I dwell shut sufficient to the restaurant that I can go over and do it shortly and attempt to give our cooks a little bit little bit of day without work on a Sunday.
I attempt to take Sunday off, interval, however I’m nonetheless cooking all day. I bought dwelling and began some pomodoro sauce with a soffrito of carrots, onions, and celery. It’s Northern Italian pomodoro. Then it’s grilled cheese for the squad. Keep in mind, I’ve youngsters so I’m not including any further bullshit like caramelized onions to my grilled cheese. I discovered the way in which to make an actual crowdpleaser is to make use of two cheeses: Hhavarti, not aged however a younger havarti, and tons of yellow cheddar. I toast it on thick-sliced potato bread in a mixture of brown butter and olive oil and take the highest of my tea kettle to push the sandwich down on prime so I get this stunning crisp exterior whereas it’s mushy within the center. I do know I’m actually in enterprise when my youngsters ask for seconds and thirds and I’m like, Fellas, we’ve bought to eat dinner tonight, too.
I’m beginning to practice for the marathon and get my miles up, so we’ve an even bigger dinner than regular: spaghetti with the slow-cooked pomodoro and Parmigiano, cod grilled with flat beans from the farmers’ market, and a glass of Damonte-Secchi Barolo from Piemonte. My son’s godfather is making Barolo so I style it after dinner.
Our Sunday custom is Caffè Panna after dinner. Our passeggiata, or stroll, is a should. Typically the road is loopy, although — Hayley has constructed one thing particular.
Monday, June 29
Up at 4:30 for an a.m. moka and a future; blueberries, banana, and yogurt for breakfast; and an early lunch of pasta pomodoro with a salad of avocado, Little Gem from Campo Rosso, and canned sardines. I really like tinned seafood. One in every of my guys fires it for me. We often have the pomodoro simmering for six or seven hours by the point I get there for lunch. That they had simply puréed it and infused all of the basil, so I’m like, I’ve bought to have it. It’s so good.
Dinner is household meal at Rezdôra. One of many cooks makes pasta with cimi di rapa e salsiccia, or broccoli rabe and sausage. And I’ve to say it’s really not dangerous — I could be a little vital after we make pasta.
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