Ted Allen, an accomplished writer and one-time Chicago magazine restaurant critic, parlayed his role on the ensemble makeover show, “Queer Eye,” into solo success. He’s judged “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef America” and hosts two shows on the Food Network: “Chopped” and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” He continues to write for Esquire and even authored a cookbook, The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes. Allen made a rare Los Angeles appearance on December 13, and held court in the Soho House Snug Room, pouring Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines while making everybody in the room feel welcome and sharing some unique insights.
Since this event is dealing with hospitality around the holidays, what’s the first thing people should experience once they walk through your front door in Brooklyn during a home party?
They should have a place to hang up their coat properly, not throw it on a bed, and they should immediately be handed a glass of wine, probably a sparkling wine, in my house. I think getting a beverage – for me it’s a glass of wine or beer or something – whatever it is, a soft drink or whatever, immediately when they walk in the door, I think is the first symbol – “We’re done working. We’re here to celebrate. We’re here to have fun. Welcome.” It’s just a generous message that I think you need to send out.
And then before they leave, what’s the last thing you want them to experience?
I’ve never thought about that one. Preferably not, “Get out of my house,” although some people probably deserve it. That’s kind of a good one. I’m going to have to think about that. I don’t know. I mean, dessert? I never thought about that. Once I’ve fed them, isn’t my job kind of done? Then I get to hang out.
It could be.
What do you people want from me?! I don’t know!
I figured you wanted to send them on their way with some sort of good feeling as they head back into the world.
You know, in a lot of articles and interviews, we – myself, or the wineries or the other entities I work with – we will give people advice like, the right kinds of party favors and take home gifts. I have a beehive on my roof. I could give you a little jar or something, but sometimes when I say stuff like that, my friends are like, “You are so full of shit. You’ve never given me a jar of honey when I’m leaving your party.” I might want to be careful about that, but I think it would be a nice thing to do. We’re going to give you a bag tonight, or at least a bottle of wine.
So an adult goodie bag?
An adult goodie bag, yes.
What are some of the holiday traditions that you remember from childhood and still continue to practice, that are food or drink related?
We’re actually in the process of breaking a lot of them. I’m not going home for Christmas this year. We decided after, having been stuck in multiple blizzards in the Midwest, and last year after my mom getting stuck in a two-foot blizzard in New York and staying with us for five days, which is kind of a long time, even when you love your mom as much as I do. Yeah, we’re going to confine our travel to less expensive and nicer weather seasons. We were always really traditional. It’s a turkey. It’s a sage stuffing. I make the same sage stuffing for Thanksgiving and Christmas, every year. It’s on Epicurious. It’s fantastic. The only thing that’s a little untraditional about it is that you chop up the turkey liver and put that in too, after you sautee it with the onions. Those are traditions. They’re just the same traditions that so many other people have.
I do like to mix it up a bit. When you’re in your business, or you work for Bon Appetit, or when I talk about entertaining, we face a dilemma every holiday season, in which everybody expects you to preserve traditions, but you feel compelled to offer something new. I try to do both. I have to have a turkey. I have to have sage stuffing. I don’t want sausage in it. Chestnuts are okay, but I tend to mix it up with wine choices or side dishes. I do the devilled eggs a different way, or something.
So this is all on Christmas day?
Usually Christmas day and Thanksgiving. But you know what – where did I hear this? – I think I may have heard this from Geoffrey Zakarian. He said, something I would consider trying for one of those holiday meals is a suckling pig.
I can endorse that.
Right. Wouldn’t that be great? It’s similarly dramatic, it has great crispy skin. Geoffrey makes a really good one. That would be cool.
This is on top of the turkey, or instead of?
I think I would do it instead of, because it’s a lot of meat, if you have a suckling pig.
In general, what are some of the hallmarks that would make you consider a restaurant a success?
Love and passion. I had lunch today at Tavern in Brentwood. I loved it. The pickles are house-made. The bun is house-baked. It’s a challah bread. I had a turkey burger, just a stupid turkey burger. It was great. The fries are crusted with thick chunks of salt and herbs, and they’re perfectly cooked. They had a turkey soup with white beans that really, really tasted like turkey. I really think they made a home-made stock for it. The turkey burger is 17 bucks, so it’s not a cheap turkey burger. That’s not that much to pay for that kind of attention to detail. It’s a place that digs food. They know what they’re doing. I could tell right away from one little munch. That was wonderful. That just makes my day.
What about the setting and service? How important are those to you in terms of a restaurant and a successful meal?
They’re everything. The setting is great. The service is more important, but I love a chic space as much as anybody. Walk around this place. Have you been upstairs?
I have.
This place is really beautiful, filled with beautiful mid-century lighting and furniture. I’ve never been a waiter, and I regret it, because I think I would be a really good one. On those times when you have a meal, and this has happened to you, where you have somebody that really excels at grace and the art of being attentive, polite and celebratory. You can make the night, but you can kill the night, and both things happen all the time. Someone that really – you know what I really love – say you’re in a really fine dining setting – or in a fancy schmancy hotel, like the one I’m staying in now – I’m staying in the Beverly Hills Hotel. It’s a great hotel. When you walk down the hallway in the Beverly Hills Hotel, if a staff member is also walking down the hallway, you get to right where they are, they stop and they turn and nod and say hello and they wait for you to pass and then keep going.
This must be a French tradition, but in some fine dining restaurants, they’re instructed to walk around with one hand behind their back, like that. Little grace notes like that are not terribly important, but there’s just such a style to it. And there’s just such a devotion to pampering – that’s not even the right word – there’s just such a devotion to excellence in service, that I find inspiring and wonderful. It’s an art that you don’t see every day. I don’t demand that all the time in my life. I love going to a greasy burger joint. The last time I was here, the only restaurant meal that I had was at a taco place, a total greasy Hollywood taco place. It was awesome. That’s special, you know? Do you have that happen to you once in awhile?
Oh, absolutely. It takes it to another level.
Yeah, and you just think, this person loves this and that’s inspiring in almost anything.
What’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten in Los Angeles?
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