FOOD
&
DRINK
AMERICANWAY
SEPTEMBER2015
37
FALLARRIVES INLATESEPTEMBER,
whichmeans it’s time towarmupbya
roaringfire.Evenbetter, it’salso time
toenjoy tasty farecookedoveranopen
fire,minus the troublesome tentand
campingoutdoors.Hearthcooking is
asoldasourPaleolithicancestors,but
rightnow it’shotter thanhot.
Chicago’snew
Maple&Ash
special-
izes insteakscooked ina12-footwood-
and-coalhearth,which issituatedasa
focalpointof therestaurant.Keeping
with thecaveman theme, theydonearly
everything themselves, sourcingmeat
from local ranchersandbutchering
in-house.Eachwood-firedsteak, like
theIllinois28-daydry-agedbone-in
rib-eye, comeswithhomemadeflavored
saltssuchasbéarnaise,BBQandblue
cheese.
Mapleandash.com
Two-year-old
BarSajor
inSeattle
cookseverything inawood-burning
ovenandawoodfireplacewhichacts
asagrill.There’snostoveandno
range.Dinerscancheckout theglow
coming from theopenkitchenwhile
samplingsucculentdishes focusingon
thebountyof thePacificNorthwest—
octopuscharredà laplancha, awholeor
halfchickencooked“underabrick”and
from thefireplace, a thickslabofrib-
eyecookedover thecoals.
Barsajor.com
NewYorkCity’s
Marta
isrestaura-
teurDannyMeyer’snew,buzzypizza
concept,but this isnoNewYork-style
pizzeria.Manyof themenu itemsare
cooked in their twosexy,black-tiled
Mugnainiwoodovens,which takecen-
terstage.Guestsmesmerizinglywatch
thepizzaiolos inaction turningout
thin,Roman-inspired, crackly-crusted
pizzas like theAmatriciana,with
pecorino, guanciale,onionandchili.
Otherdishes, cookedoveropenembers
onacustom, eight-footGrillworks
Infiernogrill, includebeer-brinedhalf-chickenandgrilledwhole-marketfish.
Martamanhattan.com
–
lisa
lubin
Red-Hot
HotSpots
PHOTOS
DEREK R ICHMOND; AL ICE GAO
As fallarrives, theopen-flame-restaurant trend isheatingup
Grilled, whole-market fish
atMaple&Ash inChicago
is definitelyworth trying.
Eat inMarta’s elegant
dining room (below) in
NewYorkCity.
