(Photo: Carina Salvi)

Serious chefs love Staub cast-iron cookware for its heat-retaining, flavor- enhancing, indestructible practicality. Lately, though, thanks to the Alsatian line’s rustic good looks, small-scale versions have been making their way out of the kitchen and into some pretty fancy dining rooms, Per Se’s and the Modern’s among them. August chef Tony Liu, who cooks and serves everything from ribollita to clafouti in them, says, “They fit our décor perfectly.” And Landmarc’s Marc Murphy has practically eliminated the need for his staff to join a gym by having them lug his moules Provençal to table in Staub’s hefty mussel pots. Less likely to cause a herniated disc is the Mini Cocotte, a perfect size for soups and side dishes, and available at Broadway Panhandler.

Related:

• Archive: “Food Features”
• Articles by Rob Patronite
• Table of Contents: Mar 7, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!