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GOAT CHEESE AND ONION TART ♦ HERB SALAD

OVEN-BAKED PIZZA ♦ DOUBLE-SMOKED BACON, CARAMELIZED ONIONS, TOASTED GARLIC

CRISPY SQUASH BLOSSOMS ♦ PULLED PORK, BLACK PEPPER VINAIGRETTE

GOLD CORN JOHNNY CAKES ♦ BARBECUED DUCK, CRANBERRY BUTTER

SPICY TUNA TARTARE ♦ CLASSIC GARNISHES

STEAK TARTARE ♦ MUSTARD SAUCE, CORNICHONS, GARLIC TOAST

Hot Potato Chips

HOT POTATO CHIPS

BLUE CHEESE SAUCE

I cannot begin to tell you how addictive these chips and sauce are. Homemade potato chips, crisp and hot from the fryer, dunked in a warm, creamy sauce rich with tangy blue cheese … you can’t go wrong. Try it for yourself and you’ll understand why diners at the restaurant have been known to call over their server and order another round—or two! I like to use an American blue cheese such as Maytag or Great Hill Farms. If you’re not up to making your own chips, store-bought ones can be warmed in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes and served with the sauce. When it comes down to it, it’s the rich blue cheese sauce that steals the show.

Serves 8

Blue Cheese Sauce

2 cups whole milk, or more if needed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of cayenne

½ pound blue cheese, crumbled, plus ¼ cup for garnish

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Potato Chips

4 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise ⅛ inch thick on a mandoline

2 quarts peanut oil or canola oil

Kosher salt

1. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and continue whisking until thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with the salt and cayenne. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the blue cheese. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little extra milk. Keep warm.

3. Place the potato slices on a baking sheet between layers of paper towels to make sure they are very dry before frying.

4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 375°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Fry the potatoes in small batches until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a brown paper bag or another baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Immediately season with salt.

5. Pour the sauce into a bowl and top with the remaining ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese and the chopped chives. Place the bowl in the center of a large platter and arrange the potato chips around the bowl.

Oyster and Lobster Shooters

OYSTER AND LOBSTER SHOOTERS

Oyster shooters are a fun, tasty cocktail–hors d’oeuvre hybrid. Take a freshly shucked plump oyster, drop it into a shot glass, top off with booze, and tip it back. I started serving them at Bobby Flay Steak, where the mood is festive and the diners are often open to excess. This shooter adds a meaty coin of sweet lobster to the oyster to do the trick! The “shot” part of the dish is a smoky, vodka-spiked cocktail sauce, which is almost like a concentrated Bloody Mary. I thought these would be a perfect addition to the menu at Bar Americain too. I was right.

Serves 8

1 (8-ounce) lobster tail, steamed

8 oysters, shucked

Cocktail Sauce

Green Tabasco sauce

Grated lime zest

1. Put the lobster tail on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into 8 equal slices.

2. Slip 1 oyster into a double shot glass, top with a slice of lobster, a heaping tablespoon of the cocktail sauce, a splash of green Tabasco sauce, and some lime zest. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

COCKTAIL SAUCE

Makes about 1 cup

½ cup ketchup

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained

3 tablespoons vodka

1 tablespoon pureed canned chipotle chile in adobo

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Juice of ½ small lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the ketchup,