The Catbird Seat

To be in the catbird seat is to hold the advantage, to know something others don’t. And if you know about cult-chefs Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz, well, you know.

For over a decade, The Catbird Seat has been a proving ground for America’s most progressive chefs, earning a rare nod from Anthony Bourdain himself in Parts Unknown. Now in its sixth era, the kitchen belongs to Tiffani and Andy, the duo behind Slow Burn. This is an ephemeral masterclass in closed-loop, fermentation-driven cookery — an edible archive of techniques gathered from a 42-state pilgrimage through North America’s most forward-thinking kitchens (Published on Main, Emmer & Rye, and recently Sean Brock’s June).

Their larder is deep: Appalachian misos, pine shoot honey, sarsaparilla shio koji. Sassafras and spicebush lend a sense of place, while aged hoja santa wraps ingredients in an earthy embrace before meeting binchotan flames. The fermentation program hums in the background, quietly reshaping flavours over weeks, months, even years.

At their Carousel residency, expect thoughtful dishes like ‘Walnut cookie, chicken liver,’ ‘Cured mackerel, calcified currants,’ ‘Bacalaíto’ (Puerto Rican salted codfish fritters), and ‘Pork loin, whey, trout roe,’ internally known as the ‘Big Mac’.

This is cooking that rewards close attention. The only way to understand is to taste (or watch this video).