Danny Bowien’s move to run the kitchen at Stephen Starr’s Buddakan is part of a broader trend: big-name chefs trading boutique operations for larger institutions — bringing indie spirits to giant dining rooms. They include chefs like John Villa (now at the newly opened Seahorse), who left the three-star NYT restaurant, Pico after it closed, for Tao, and Mark Ladner, who fine-tuned Stephen Starr’s kitchens (and whose influence can be traced to dishes like the 100-layer lasagna appearing on Starr’s Philly menus). An interview in W Magazine shows how the pressures on independent restaurateurs and chefs can lead to a fork in the road. Now, Bowien is stepping into Starr’s 25-year-old flagship to revamp the menu and recast its identity.
At Buddakan, Bowien describes the assignment as “a much, much larger operation,” adding that Mission Chinese is playing at Bowery Ballroom, then Buddakan is Madison Square Garden,” as he told W Magazine. He admitted that his first impulse of “let’s take all the risks in the world” as he did at Mission Chinese, is now tempered. “My goal, creatively, is to make food that stands up to this room,” he said in the same interview.
Bowien also discussed how his philosophy has evolved. Where early on he chased wilder ideas, now he leans toward simpler, more reliable execution: “I gravitate toward simpler food … You have to manage the level of creativity with how feasible it is for the cooks to execute it consistently, every night,” he said.
Sami & Susu team opens a new shop
Shifka, a new pita shop from the team behind Sami & Susu, Amir Nathan and Jordan Anderson, opens today, Tuesday, October 14, at 324 Bowery near Bleecker Street. The menu includes harissa chicken, lamb kebab, and cauliflower shawarma pitas, plus bowls, dips, beer, and wine.
Two new reservations are now available
This week’s wine and food festival