Johnson, who owns the eating places Anton’s and Leon’s along with her husband, Nick Anderer.
Illustration: Adam Mazur
Natalie Johnson is anticipating her second son in September, and the anticipation for one more baby — her first son, Raphael, is about to show 2 — is a bit just like the arrival of her second restaurant, Leon’s, which she and her husband, the chef Nick Anderer, opened late final yr: “It’s an exponential improve in duty and since you’re now juggling, there’s no turnoff valve ever.” It helps that the couple’s first restaurant, Anton’s, is an authorized West Village hit, however its gradual success and development was additionally what motivated Johnson and Anderer to open Leon’s with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all of sudden. “We realized how tough it’s to start out with six nights of dinner, after which work so as to add that seventh night time after which so as to add daytime companies,” she says. “So our strategy this time was, Let’s rent everybody, prepare for every part all of sudden, and simply go for it.” And now that they’ve settled into the area, they’ve been capable of sneak away from the eating rooms for journeys to new eating places, new bakeries, and a weekend home in Connecticut they might or could not have uncared for whereas getting their new enterprise off the bottom: “We took a serious hiatus throughout the opening of Leon’s — it was scary to step again into the home after that,” Johnson says, laughing. “We realized our lesson: Homes can’t be deserted for ten weeks. The mice will transfer in.”
Wednesday, Could 21
I’ve been making smoothies recently, which may be very a lot out of character. I’m not usually a sweets or perhaps a fruit individual — I really like savory meals. However I’ve been craving sweets and making an attempt to eat contemporary issues exterior of all of the carbohydrates my physique can also be craving proper now. I’d made some contemporary almond milk and I turned that right into a strawberry smoothie with Rafa, which was super-fun. It was his first smoothie, and he’s been asking about them since then.
I went to work and jumped proper right into a cooks’ assembly. In April, we began doing regional wine dinners on Mondays at Leon’s. They’re four-course dinners with wine pairings. As a result of we unfold out our crowd throughout three meals every day, we’re making an attempt to verify each service feels particular. The cooks’ assembly was about subsequent month’s collection, which can concentrate on Sardinia. So the cooks introduced a few tastes, and a few market substances that had are available in. I tasted a strawberry olive oil affogato, which isn’t a part of the Sardinia menu however was excellent. We had the primary Sungold tomatoes, too. Our sous-chef may be very enthusiastic about these. Nick additionally gave me a style of the rabbit pappardelle that hit the menu on Thursday. So scrumptious.
I used to be nonetheless feeling hungry within the afternoon, and I had considered one of our salted cherry scones. I actually don’t eat pastry exterior of being pregnant, however wow. This scone is considered one of my favourite snacks. I break up it with Drew, our common supervisor, who was like, “Nat, am I simply your consuming buddy throughout being pregnant?” And I’m like, Um, yeah.
Proper earlier than service, Nick handed over a fried sardine to me. We’ve contemporary sardines filled with chopped spinach, parsley, capers, somewhat Pecorino, they usually’re fried into, like, the last word fish stick. We run them as specials and Nick all the time fries one earlier than service to verify every part is correct. I used to be the fortunate beneficiary.
Nick and I ducked out of service early as a result of we scored tickets to the primary recreation of the Japanese Convention Finals. I ran uptown to fulfill Nick and Pierre, who runs Le French Diner. He’s a great good friend of ours and our favourite eating buddy. We grabbed a fast dinner at Txikito earlier than the sport. Txikito is such a particular restaurant. My first job within the metropolis was as a pizza cook dinner at Co. pizza, which was on the identical block. Our cooks would commerce pizzas out of the again door for Txikito’s burgers. The meals continues to be so tight, so good. We had Gildas and their potato salad. They make scrumptious beans studded with mussels and little ruby-red shrimp.
Then we watched the Knicks lose, and, yeah. It was wild to stroll out of the Backyard in full silence. One man strolling subsequent to us tried to inform everybody, “It’s okay, children. It’s not a funeral.”
We popped over to NY Pizza Supreme as a result of I wanted a slice, and it’s considered one of my favorites within the metropolis. After that we went house to alleviate Nick’s dad and mom, who had been watching Rafa. They nonetheless dwell within the metropolis, within the residence the place Nick and his two brothers grew up. It’s fairly superior to have them so shut.
Thursday, Could 22
I made oatmeal for Rafa. I make it for the week and season it up with dates, typically raisins, and honey from bees that my uncle retains. Rafa didn’t eat a lot, so I completed it and made him snacks and went to fulfill my coach who’s a whole maniac.
I’ve been seeing him for 9 years, and I’m all the time so grateful for the time. He really will get me to do issues that I wouldn’t usually decide in to myself. The session was very intense. It’s such torture, however I all the time stroll out of there feeling nice. And feeling able to eat extra carbohydrates.
Dominique Ansel opened his new bakery, Papa d’Amour, across the nook from us. I took a bottle of glowing wine to congratulate him and the crew. He has all the time been a extremely beautiful visitor and supporter of ours at each of our eating places. Even earlier than that, I keep in mind he would come into Otto after I was a somm there, and he liked this dish of goat-cheese agnolotti with fennel pollen that was on the menu. Anyway, I popped across the nook, handed off the wine, and scooped up no matter was left on the menu: They had been nearly bought out of every part. I acquired a crispy-shrimp sando on milk bread and a few of what he’s calling “jars,” they’re desserts constructed right into a white-chocolate shell. I acquired what I might and shared it with some colleagues I used to be assembly.
Nick and I snuck out once more — two nights in a row! — for an early reservation at Santi, Michael White’s new spot. We attempt new locations after we can as a result of it’s necessary for us to grasp what’s occurring at different eating places. I really feel like I’m all the time operating round and shoving bits of meals into my mouth; it’s good to sit down down for a full dinner. This was enjoyable. I used to promote Michael White truffles proper after I moved to the town, after I left the pizza gig. I used to be promoting truffles to cooks by day for an importer after which working companies at night time. It was considered one of my favourite jobs: I’d stroll into the again doorways of all of those eating places I used to be so enamored with and open up the truffle field.
The highlights from the meal had been a heat seafood salad — simply excellent, with olive-oil-poached shrimp — after which Michael’s pastas, clearly. For me, Nick’s pastas can’t be touched, however these are such a unique type. Nick is a traditionalist and Michael White is extra Frenchified, which is the way in which he builds and operates eating places typically.
Friday, Could 23
One other smoothie with Rafa. I made it further thick and fed it to him with a spoon. He was type of not likely understanding tips on how to suck it up out of a straw, so we pretended it was ice cream and he was tickled by that. Then I acquired him arrange for lunch, which was shepherd’s pie that was a leftover from household meal at Leon’s. A.M. household meal at Leon’s is to not be missed. Generally, even when I’m headed to Anton’s for the day, I’ll make a cease at Leon’s. So we had a few of that for Rafa and handed him over to our wonderful nanny earlier than coming out to SOS Cooks.
It’s considered one of our favourite locations. We supply for the eating places but additionally for house. Atef, the proprietor, is so magical. On this journey, she rubbed some saffron oil onto my wrists after which shoved a jar of fig-olive paste into my bag and mentioned it was a blessing for the newborn.
Went to Anton’s to take some images for our social media, and it’s all the time fairly full. That operation is wild at this level. It took us some time to construct lunch as a service however we’ve put lots of effort into it, and with the ability to serve the neighborhood in a method that feels acceptable. We’ve all of our pastas from the dinner menu for $14 throughout lunch, which individuals have now caught on to.
We even have these nice sandwiches. It’s like my little sandwich program that Nick has put into place. I romanticize iconic sandwiches from the ’90s and get very particular about it. I consider what it might have been wish to dine at, say, Union Sq. Cafe when it first opened. We do a seared tuna burger with wasabi soy glaze and it’s simply what I need to be consuming if I’m taking a noon lunch. The sandwich that I had on Friday is a baguette, gruyere and cheddar, and our roast rooster. We get our chickens from Snowdance Farms in Livingston Manor.
Nick occurred to be over there — I by no means know after I’m going to run into him — engaged on a tuna tartare particular with the crew that we ran for the weekend. Being married and dealing collectively works rather well for us. We’re so busy that it’s truly a lot time aside. He’s checking in along with his chef crew, I’m making an attempt to verify in with the front-of-house groups at each eating places. We’ll have fast check-ins with texts and calls, however particularly since opening Leon’s, it will possibly really feel like ships passing.
Weekends are after we get to spend time collectively and Fridays are early nights for us. We bounced again house to be with Rafa and had an early dinner at Il Posto Accanto, our favourite East Village restaurant. Wonderful place. It’s run by a pair, a Roman lady named Bea and her husband, Julio. It’s simply, like, an ideal neighborhood restaurant with wonderful meals and an incredible, eclectic crowd. Eating places are such an earned achievement: It takes a lot time to seek out the individuals who make any restaurant a part of their lives, usually.
We had soft-shell crabs, and fried zucchini blossoms, and sat at this nice desk that’s perched into their window sill. It’s an out of doors desk and also you kind of sit within the sill to look at all of the folks strolling by.
Saturday, Could 24
We purchased a spot a few years in the past within the northwestern nook of Connecticut, a really pastoral city in Litchfield County. We had been headed on the market, so we began with a fast breakfast and I simply had espresso. Espresso with toast with honey and butter is considered one of my favourite issues.
Earlier than we left I checked in at Leon’s. We’re serving bomboloni, the little Italian doughnuts, and I’m actually making an attempt to push them on everybody. Grabbed one for my purse after which hit Joe Jr. on the way in which out of city for a bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll that we might break up within the automotive. It’s simply actually one of the best, I feel.
The drive often takes about two hours. As soon as we get there it’s simply, launch Rafa from the automotive and let him run round. He’s obsessive about being exterior, and all of us spent the afternoon operating round till it was dinnertime.
We fed Rafa rooster teriyaki, which is considered one of his favorites. Nick makes a scrumptious tare with soy, agave, ginger, and scallion, and we’ll use that by way of the week. Rafa is a rice child. He received’t eat pasta, which is de facto devastating for us, personally, however we’re joyful about his enthusiasm for the rice.
We put him down and had a fast pasta ourselves: bucatini alla Gricia with frozen peas and guanciale that Nick had grabbed from Leon’s. Salad got here from Liberty Farms, considered one of our favorites, which make this spring combine that’s like a area mix of greens with tons of herbs, so that you get fennel fronds and purslane. We’re operating the salad at Leon’s proper now. The greens are so delicate that we will season it on the plate with coarse salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. I had a splash of wine from an incredible producer in Burgundy, Cyprien Arlaud, with the Gricia. It was delish.
Sunday, Could 25
Strawberries and a fried egg for Rafa. I ate some granola crumbs out of the underside of the bag. I by no means actually eat breakfast. It’s not a meal for me in non-pregnant instances.
We had pals developing from the town — Geri, who’s the GM of Unusual Enjoyment of Brooklyn, and her spouse — early. We had a pot of espresso with them. Geri walked in with a large cake that was a prime layer of flan and a backside layer of the densest dark-chocolate cake that considered one of her porters gave to her. All of us took a fork to this cake and had it with the espresso.
We actually wish to spend our days exterior, strolling and biking or, in much less beautiful climate, popping round to vintage retailers the place we discover lots of the wares for our eating places: Lighting fixtures, china, silver, linens. It’s actually enjoyable and our pals have a tendency to love doing that with us, too. We bopped round to totally different cities and located some ramps alongside the roadside. I feel it’s the final weekend for them. We picked a number of to convey again to the home and Nick made a really scrumptious ramp spaghetti for everybody for lunch.
For dinner that night we lit a hearth as a result of this spring climate has us dwelling prefer it’s winter. We cooked beans over the fireplace and I made rice pilaf, which is the dish of my childhood. It’s quite simple with shallot, rooster inventory, and somewhat little bit of white wine. That’s often my contribution to dinner.
We had all of that with branzino whereas we watched the Knicks recreation, which was a really thrilling, profitable recreation.
EAT LIKE THE EXPERTS.
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