The Most Perfect Chef

A good chef is hard to find these days. They're usually embroiled in some kind of sex scandal or reported for abuse. Something with their food may be off or that they're just divas. Not so with Angie Mar, current owner chef of the famed Beatrice Inn in New York's Greenwich  Village. She brings a devoted way of cooking and managing  to the eatery which is rare these days.

Another famed chef and  New York Times  Food contributor,, Tejal Rao wrote about her in today's  issue. Chef Mar took over the  restaurant from Vanity Fair editor, Graydon Carter in 2016, transforming it from a celebrity hot spot for drinks to an eatery that has foodies and food critics buzzing.It's becoming the destination to go and eat in Manhattan.The food is  lush, harking back to an era of Diamond Jim Brady and Edith Wharton. There are thick , marbled  cuts of meat with rich , sticky sauces that harken  back to Escoffier's time.Diners eat off of vintage and antique plates that Chef Mar picked up on her trips to London. The silver and crystal are also from there, so guests can feel like they're dining at a posh Edwardian restaurant.Servers are graceful yet serve with gusto.The one recipe given with the interview is venison and trotter pie., redolent with garlic, thyme and , of course, red, gamy venison and pig's feet, A marrow bone sticks triumphantly out of the pie's center, and this too is meant to be eaten or gnawed upon.

Restaurants are in Chef Mar's blood. Her aunt , Ruby Chow opened up the famed Seattle restaurant that bore her name in 1948 ,It took her a while to discover her culinary calling, working in real estate in Los Angeles. A decade later she and her cousin, Melissa Merrill Keary went in together buying  The Beatrice Inn. Several other family members also work there as well. She is not like other chefs who only think of themselves or worse harass and belittle staff. She gathers up her crew after the restaurant closes and they discuss what they did right and what they did wrong..More like a mom than a boss, Chef Mar gives them immediate feedback.They also share notes on their favorite chefs Also they discuss what new dishes should be called.It goes through a series of weekly workshops that she runs with her sous-chef Nicole Averkiou and head chef Ed Szymanski. They throw around potential names as she writes them down on paper with a Sharpie.

Chefs have been getting a bad rap these days, thanks to their egos and arrogance. Not so with Chef Mar. She is genuine, a throwback to a more simpler but elegant time, much like her and the Beatrice Inn.