David Burke Tavern
M-Sa 4pm-10pm; Su 11am-9pm
“You get to see the first piece of my pepper mill chess board,” announced world-renowned chef David Burke as he strode into his restaurant holding a three-foot tall, matte black pepper mill. It journeyed with him from Chicago to New York and landed atop the counter of Tavern62 for us to behold.
Whereas each of his restaurants is near and dear to his heart, we were told that this one is Burke’s baby. And indeed, he does baby it. From walls adorned with an eclectic array of art and eye-catching collector’s items (like the miniature Bugatti that hangs mounted above the bar) to a heavily draped room upstairs made solely of Himalayan salt bricks, it was clear to us that he had applied an artist’s attention to detail throughout this truly spectacular restaurant…and we hadn’t even tasted the food yet.
Directing us toward the kitchen, David began discussing culinary economics, his affinity for collecting art, and the projects he and his brother are working on. We watched as he flitted effortlessly from ingredient to ingredient, chopping, seasoning, and sautéing. “It’s very comforting being in the kitchen,” he noted. “It’s like a Nascar guy sitting in his car, you know? You’re alone, doing your thing.”
Before we knew it, our taste buds were on an exotic vacation, delighting in Angry Lobster Dumplings, Spanish grilled octopus, and fire-torched candied bacon served on a line of clothespins with a pair of scissors for portioning.
Outside of the kitchen, Burke shares his passion and expertise with up-and-coming chefs and fresh-out-of-culinary-school graduates. He has made it his mission to “create an environment where the restaurant becomes the classroom,” since so many aspiring chefs struggle to navigate the challenging terrain that is the culinary business world. “These schools,” he said, “are not putting out cooks. They’re putting out young professionals with a lot of debt and big dreams. Teaching is key. The action part is still fun; but at this stage, the teaching part is actually the most fulfilling.”
According to Burke, two days in his kitchen is like six months in culinary school, “You get your degree in real time.” While we did not earn our masters degree in the hour we spent with him, we gained an expedited education of the industry as a whole, a glimpse into what makes a successful chef and restaurateur, and an enlightened palate.
