By Susie Timm, Head Cheese
Chef Laurent Tourondel is a very serious guy. He takes his food and his restaurants very seriously. This is perhaps why every meal I’ve had at a “BLT” restaurant is far above par.
Tourondel was in town last week to celebrate BLT Steak’s 2nd Anniversary at the Camelback Inn Resort and Spa.
He was kind enough to take a break from his mushroom sauce (I was told this is what he was working on) to speak with me.
Girl: What’s your favorite cut of beef?
Tourondel: Skirt Steak-it’s the most flavorful, with the best texture.
Girl: What’s your favorite way to cook beef?
Tourondel: I like to grill with a bit of salt, pepper and butter. We use smoked sea salt at BLT Steak.
Girl: What was your inspiration for the Cowboy Ribeye (on the menu at BLT Steak Scottsdale)?
Tourondel: I could lie but I won’t–that’s Marc (Hennessey)’s recipe. He’s been working on perfecting it. He came up with the rub and he uses Kobe fat smoked paprika butter on it.
Girl: Why did you build a burger restaurant? (BLT Burger in Las Vegas)
Tourondel: All of my restaurants feature American food and everyone has their opinion on burgers. I wanted to find a way to offer options to try to please everyone, although that is very hard!
Girl: Of all your restaurants, which is your favorite?
Tourondel: I could choose a favorite by design of the space, but not by the food. They are all so different!
Tourondel will brand all his future restaurants as “LT” (dropping the “B”) and he’ll have an LT Burger opening in Sag Harbor very soon.
He also told me some of his future restaurants will be more moderately priced.
