Ivy League Success

Ivy Awards about excellence - past, present and future

By Patricia Dailey, Editor-in-Chief -- Restaurants & Institutions, 5/15/2003

Winning rarely is an endpoint, the final stop on an odyssey of accomplishments. Just as it is with baseball players who snag the Most Valuable Player title and actors who receive an Oscar nod, restaurant operators who count R&I’s Ivy Award among their credentials intuitively know that getting better is their only real option. To stop reaching further or aiming higher is to risk falling behind, ceding a lofty position to hungrier, more aggressive operators.

“Staying at the top is a continual process of improving,” says Mary Keysor, director of food and nutrition services at Maine Medical Center in Portland. “After we won [the Ivy] last year, someone asked if our department ever rests. We don’t. We can’t. Our staff is so talented and our patients’ expectations become higher every day. To stop getting better would let someone down.”

Ivy aspirations first sprung to life in 1971 when 10 restaurants were saluted with the award. As 2003’s six honorees are inaugurated (see page 46), a total of 253 operations have been named to the Ivy Society. Some have closed while many key players have moved on, but for those who remain, the challenges of running a winning restaurant keep them in game form.

“We constantly have to walk uphill,” says Nat Comisar, co-owner of Cincinnati’s Maisonette and the grandson of its founder. “In this business, if it feels like you’re on level ground, you’re probably going downhill. It’s not enough to be good, either with food or service.”

Maisonette scored its Ivy in 1972, 23 years after opening. Critics have been singular in their praise all along, a sign that the pursuit of excellence continues. “The best French restaurant outside of France,” according to one writer, and the winner of more Mobil Five-Star Awards—39 to date—than any other operation in the country. In all, Maisonette is the most decorated restaurant in North America, says Comisar.

“At [other operations], you’re conscious that you’re in top-rated French restaurants,” a competing Cincinnati restaurateur was quoted as saying in R&I’s May 1, 1972, coverage of the new Ivy winner. “But Maisonette makes you feel at home.”

In fact, the restaurant’s core tenet has never wavered.

“Our philosophy today is the same as it has been since we opened in 1949: Take care of the guests and welcome them into our home,” explains Comisar. “The accolades are just gravy. If we start paying too much attention to them, we risk losing sight of our guests.”

That sense of comfort is a mandate all its employees strive to maintain. Some staffers who were on board when the Ivy was won still work there, including a sous-chef who has been at Maisonette for 39 years.

“Some of my harshest critics are past employees who see something that is not up to their standards. They’ll have my head on a platter in seconds,” says Comisar.

Continuity is very much in evidence on the culinary side, with classical French cooking the ballast for all that the kitchen creates. Just five chefs have held the title of chef de cuisine since Maisonette opened. In place now is Bertrand Bouquin, who took over in July 2001.

“From a culinary standpoint, Bouquin makes a few concessions to our location,” says Comisar. On weekends when business is largely local, for instance, Châteaubriand and Dover sole are big sellers. “Beyond that, we give chefs the latitude they need to keep them engaged. Bouquin has added some outstanding items.”

The current dinner menu includes such appetizers as tuna tartare with green apple, celery, cilantro and curry dressing, and arugula salad with warm fingerling potatoes, black truffles and pink peppercorns. Entrées include rack of lamb with tomato crust, chickpea crêpe with rapini and braised radishes, and roasted quail stuffed with foie gras, figs and prosciutto.

SEASONS OF CHANGE
Seasons, the fine-dining restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, had remarkable stability in its kitchen, with Mark Baker at the helm for a dozen years, including 1992, when it received its Ivy. A recent changing of the guard, though, created opportunity for subtle shifts in approach. Executive Chef Robert Sulatycky moved from the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, bringing with him a strong bias toward modern French.

“Mark was a highly skilled chef and did such a great job. His culinary style included more direct Asian influences,” Sulatycky says. “Touches of Asia in my cooking really just sneak in. I’m classical French all the way through.”

On the spring menu, Sulatycky’s translation of French means halibut with morels and fava beans; saddle of rabbit with cardamom-scented carrot risotto; and Colorado rack of lamb with roasted vegetable terrine, arugula purée and goat-cheese fondue.

Training to execute is imperative, perhaps more now than ever, he says. “I’m huge on teaching the foundation and fundamentals. They are the building blocks of the kitchen. It’s lifelong learning—for me and for the staff.”

Good is never good enough, whether Sulatycky is refining the menu or service style. “The dining experience is all-inclusive—lighting, flatware, food, service, chairs, décor. The chef has to have an eye for all those aspects, not just the food,” Sulatycky says, adding that it is a lot to oversee. But creating a total experience of the highest quality motivates his team.

“The search for excellence is a long road, with the horizon far off. It’s rare that you reach it, but you always drive on,” he says.

CARE AND FEEDING
At Maine Medical Center, Keysor asks a rhetorical question as she ponders the pursuit of excellence: “How come you never get to where you want to be? Even with our past recognitions, we are still evolving, trying to improve the overall level of food and hospitality we provide patients.”

If the task seems never-ending, Keysor has ammunition at the ready. Her department recently rolled out several initiatives aimed at increasing overall satisfaction, including a nutrition hospitality program that delivers daily newspapers to patients, provides celebration cakes and an afternoon tea cart; pizza delivery, which is especially popular on children’s floors; restaurant-style oral delivery of menu choices; and an interactive television listing of her department’s range of services.

“The quest is to be better at all levels and to work within the cost constraints,” Keysor says. “The better you are, the better the rewards.”

CALIFORNIA DREAMING
Richard Reddington insists he was given a gift when he signed up as executive chef of Napa Valley’s storied Auberge du Soleil. A little hamlet tucked into the hills of Rutherford, Calif., the property includes a hotel and restaurant, both with strong reputations for excellence. The restaurant garnered an Ivy in 1996.

“I was asked to bring the restaurant back to its past level,” Reddington explains about his arrival 21/2 years ago. “Something that was on par with the hotel.”

With a property set amid the lush abundance of the Valley, Reddington instinctively knew where excellence would be found.

“I wanted to create food that fits the property, food that fits Napa, food that fits the wine,” he explains. “There’s natural beauty here, something I wanted to capture in the menu.”

His cuisine, essentially French with touches of California and Reddington’s own culinary experiences, is ingredient-based. “I get fava beans from Half Moon Bay, squab from Petaluma, quail from Vacaville and lamb from Calistoga. Geographically, this is an ideal place to be,” he notes. “An ideal spot to capture excellence.”

Lobster Salad with Persimmon, Endive and Fennel
Maisonette, Cincinnati

Yield: 8 servings

Lemons, juiced	4
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil	2 cups
1-lb. lobsters	8
Persimmons, peeled, thinly sliced	8
Small fennel bulbs, slivered	8
Belgian endive, slivered	8
Chervil sprigs	8

For dressing, whisk lemon juice with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil; set aside.
Cook and cool lobsters; remove shells. Chill lobsters thoroughly.
Arrange 1 sliced persimmon as flower petals in center of each of 8 serving plates.
Toss fennel and endive with dressing to taste. Arrange over persimmon.
Cut lobster tails in half; brush with dressing. Arrange 1 lobster over each salad. Garnish with chervil.

White Chocolate Mousse with Chocolate Sauce
Maisonette, Cincinnati

Yield: 8 servings

Light corn syrup	8 oz.
White chocolate, melted	12 oz.
Egg whites	4
Granulated sugar	½ cup
Whipping cream	1 qt.
Confectioners’ sugar	1 cup
Pure vanilla extract	2 tsp.
Bittersweet chocolate	1 lb.
Light cream or half-and-half	1 cup

For mousse, stir corn syrup into white chocolate; set aside to cool to room temperature.
Whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add granulated sugar; continue to beat until whites are stiff and shiny. Gently fold into cooled chocolate mixture.
Whip cream to soft peaks; whip in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Fold into chocolate mixture.
For sauce, melt bittersweet chocolate. Add light cream and stir until smooth. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To serve, scoop mousse as desired and top with sauce.