Monday, November 15, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests $115

As chef de cuisine at Babbo for five years, Andy Nusser kept faithful watch over the three-star crown jewel, freeing Mario Batali to expand his culinary empire with new ventures like Otto and Italian Wine Merchants. In December 2003, Nusser’s loyalty and even-handed management were justly rewarded with the opening of Casa Mono and the adjoining Bar Jamón, where Nusser is chef and part owner with Batali and others.

While the Spanish-themed Casa Mono and Bar Jamón are certainly a change in motif from the Italianate norm of other Batali family restaurants, the style remains the same. Nusser chooses excellent, often challenging ingredients, such as cockscombs and cow’s head, and prepares them with an eye towards tradition and authenticity while eschewing showiness—except, perhaps, in the pursuit of impeccable execution. The critical acclaim for Casa Mono and Bar Jamón has gone according to the Batali formula as well. Gourmet called Nusser’s “robust Spanish fare…simply dazzling.” Pascale Le Draoulec in The Daily News wrote, “Nusser… packs volumes of flavor and sophistication onto very small plates. The dishes may be small, but like the best short stories, most are extremely satisfying.” And, in an environment that favors large restaurants, the 24-seat Casa Mono immediately grabbed two stars from Marian Burros in The New York Times.

Nusser’s menus and ideas are also vastly different from the ultramodern cuisine of Ferran Adrià and his imitators that is currently in vogue. “There’s no foam,” Nusser told New York Magazine. Instead, simplicity reigns at these tiny restaurants. For example, Eric Asimov of The New York Times called Bar Jamón’s marinated sardines “wonderful on a plateful of fine, crisp breadcrumbs, tiny rounds of chorizo and a small mesclun salad, altogether a winning blend of salty and smoky flavors and soft and crunchy textures.”

Casa Mono and Bar Jamón have been Nusser’s opportunity to channel the food of his youth in Franco’s Spain, just as Pò, Babbo, Lupa, Esca, and Otto have been Mario Batali’s expression of his heritage and his experience in Borgo Capanne, Italy. A renowned chef, author, and television personality, Batali has played an instrumental role in shaping America’s understanding of traditional Italian cuisine.