Don't know Charlie Palmer Steak? Its involvement in Steakgate?
How it was started with the intent to be more inclusive than other steakhouses?
Once you know the details, you may seek out your nearest location.
In a small dairy farming town in upstate New York called Smyrna, a young Charlie Palmer realized his
love for farm-fresh food. Having an appreciation for agriculture instilled in him as a child
strongly influenced him as a chef. Palmer knew he wanted to be a chef as young as 15 years old.
He started working in restaurants in high school as a dishwasher and eventually a
prep cook. Palmer also enrolled in his high school's home economics class on a dare.
“How did she sell you on this?" "Once she said ‘Look, look, you can
cook anything you want. You can eat anything you cook. And there'll be you and 26 girls.’"
Given his upbringing, it's no surprise that Palmer was one of the first advocates for farm-to-table
dining. In 1988, Palmer decided to craft menus that spotlighted regionally sourced ingredients.
It was a pioneering decision. It would be a long time before such practices were adopted by the
broader restaurant industry. Palmer's ingenuity paid off. His critically acclaimed New York
restaurant Aureole earned 13 Michelin stars and two James Beard awards in its 30-year history.
You don't get as far as Charlie Palmer has in his roughly 40-year-old culinary career without
possessing a flair for innovation. Starting with his signature progressive American cuisine,
Palmer has been a trailblazer in the restaurant industry since he was made
River Cafe's executive chef in 1983. Palmer has said the key to his entrepreneurial
success was his ability to look forward and see how to improve on what he’s done before.
And to never do the same thing twice. That talent has certainly come in handy during the pandemic.
After shutting down the brick-and-mortar operations of his Aureole restaurant location,
Palmer rebranded it to Aureole at Home. It’s a customized home-dining service
that boasts high-end take-out and a specialty wine list and cocktails.
While Palmer admitted to Zagat it wasn't a money-making machine,
it was the right thing to do to keep staff members employed. Palmer also said his restaurant
business has capitalized on outdoor dining mandates and to-go alcohol during Covid-19.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Aureole brand is gone for good at that location
and has been replaced with another Palmer restaurant, Charlie Palmer Steak.
An established player in the restaurant industry, it should come as no surprise that young chefs
have flocked to Charlie Palmer's restaurants to study under the award-winning restaurateur's
tutelage. The owners of barbecue hot spot Ruthie's All-Day, Matt Hill and Todd Salvadore,
first met when they worked together at Charlie Palmer Steak's D.C. location. Palmer also mentored
Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Mina, who both went on to launch their own restaurant groups.
Nurturing the next generation of chefs and restaurant trailblazers is a crucial aspect
of Palmer's entrepreneurial spirit. The chef has said that one of the most rewarding aspects
of running the Charlie Palmer Group is seeing his interns work their way through the ranks to
achieve jobs as chefs and business owners. He feels like he’s doing his job right if
they succeed. Palmer views the entrepreneurial spirit of former employees less as competition
and more as extensions of his success. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America,
Palmer also encourages young chefs with internship opportunities through his alma mater.
Young chefs aren't the only ones Charlie Palmer has influenced throughout his career.
The award-winning chef and restaurateur has passed the chef's hat to his youngest son Reed,
who recently graduated from Cornell. As Palmer worked to reopen his D.C.
location and his New York rooftop after the pandemic, Reed pitched in to help.
Palmer's love for sharing cooking with his family had a strong influence on Reed as a child.
"Oh wow, I actually really love this. You know. Not just because my dad is in it,
because I have a genuine interest for it." Family and food have always been inextricably
linked for Palmer, whose cookbook Charlie Palmer's American Fare: Everyday Recipes
from My Kitchens to Yours includes a chapter dedicated to family-favorite recipes. Included
is a recipe called Reed's Bruschetta, an appetizer inspired by his son's dislike for raw tomatoes.
Historically, steakhouses have been male-dominated venues that didn't start
to open up to women until around the 1920s when women got the right to vote. But even
if women were technically allowed in chophouses, that didn't mean they necessarily felt welcomed.
That's why Charlie Palmer sought to build a new kind of steakhouse where women could feel
comfortable too. He didn’t want the restaurant to be a boy’s club. This ambition is reflected
in the steakhouse design, which favors a neutral color palette and bright lighting.
It replaces the traditional fixtures of men's clubs, such as dark wood and dim lighting.
Palmer also set out to empower diners with choices beyond steak. This is especially
relevant since modern Americans have started to consume less and less red meat. Plus,
the menu at Charlie Palmer Steak makes it easier for diners to mix and match dishes,
which ensures everyone is satisfied by the time the check arrives.
In an interview with Grub Street, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, then-wife of the late Anthony
Bourdain, called a recent steak she had eaten in Las Vegas "an abomination." This
remark caused quite the frenzy as reporters put on their Sherlock Holmes caps to try and deduce
which restaurant was responsible. John Curtas, a columnist at Eating Las Vegas, posited a guess:
Carnevino, a well-known steakhouse in Sin City. True to form,
Bourdain fired back on Twitter. Busia-Bourdain spoke up, too, but was comparatively kinder as
she explained that she avoided naming names to spare the steakhouse any undue embarrassment.
Eventually, Charlie Palmer admitted his restaurant was behind the maligned steak
and also offered his apologies to Busia-Bourdain. Ever the classy guy,
Palmer said he decided to come forward before any more of his colleagues were implicated.
Palmer also said it was unfortunate he had to hear about the incident afterward. It made it
impossible to figure out what exactly happened behind the scenes to render the steak inedible.
Given that the chef and entrepreneur resides in Northern California's wine country, it should
come as no surprise that Palmer's restaurants, including his steakhouses, feature an extensive
selection of wines. The Napa location of Charlie Palmer Steak boasts a wine list with 400 options.
While the list includes wine staples like Cabernet, Champagne, and Burgundy,
it also spotlights wines for those feeling more adventurous, like Arneis and Grüner Veltliner.
In addition to wine, Charlie Palmer Steak offers craft cocktails that are bound to impress even
the most discerning of taste buds. The steakhouse wowed brunch-goers with its rolling Bloody Mary
and mimosa cart. This ingenious concept caters unlimited cocktails straight to diners' tables,
ensuring no one sees the bottom of their glass. The cart includes several options
that put a new spin on old cocktail classics. Some examples include the Pomegranate and
Currant mimosa and the so-called Super-Juice Bloody Mary, which mixes carrot and ginger
with pickled carrots and cornichons. As if there wasn't enough already to
like about Charlie Palmer Steak, the chain of luxury chophouses also has another feature to
entice diners: a secret menu. And not only is it delicious, at $58 per person, it's also a
bargain considering all that's included. So, how do you take advantage of the secret menu?
All you have to do is ask your server for the "cut of the week." Don't be fooled by the name. The
secret menu isn't just a single item but a whole three-course dinner, including a salad, entrée,
side dishes, and dessert. The menu is seasonal and rotates weekly. And it's only available
to people who dine in-person at one of the steakhouse's restaurant locations. In the past,
the secret menu has spotlighted a Thai salad to start, a petit ribeye, sides of cauliflower fried
rice and sweet corn, and sorbet for dessert. The secret menu also includes unlimited wine
pairings. You definitely can't go wrong here. Check out one of our newest videos right here!
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