“We slice it a third of an inch thick and sear it on a superhot flattop. That gives the crunchiness and crust on the meat, and because it’s so rich, the rare inside just melts. You need a sear; otherwise, it’s like eating raw foie gras.”
“We needed the fish to be rich, similar in texture to the steak. So we chose wild escolar, which comes to us every day from Hawaii via FedEx. We sear it very briefly in a grill pan, maybe 30 seconds on each side, with nothing but a little salt, pepper, and virgin olive oil. It’s served rare, just a little warm in the middle.”
“We take Napa cabbage and marinate it in Korean barbecue sauce that we make here with chile paste from a Korean market. It’s one leaf of cabbage, and it adds a certain spiciness, breaking the richness of the fish, the butter, and the meat.”
“These are marinated in the same barbecue sauce as the kimchee. It gives the dish some lightness and crunch. Otherwise, it's too soft.”
“This is the classic brown butter but emulsified with miso. The emulsion gives it a silky, creamy texture and a certain roundness of flavor, but it still keeps an acidity. It’s served tableside onto the tuna, but you can put some on the beef yourself if you want.”