62 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {food coloring} Anthony describes. “We grill some romaine ribs, which kind of brings in some texture and a little bit of a palate refresher.” The result is a masterful paella-esque dish with a California twist. “Point being, there’s a ton of work that goes into what’s ultimately chicken and rice,” Anthony concludes when he finally comes up for air. Though Protégé’s dishes change with the seasons, this painstakingly prepared poultry has been on the menu since day one— now nearly seven years ago. “It’s the most common and comfortable and soul-driven flavor profile on the planet,” Anthony explains. “We wanted to be a neighborhood restaurant—and I think a neighborhood restaurant needs a great chicken dish.” Despite achieving a Michelin star just nine months after opening, Anthony emphasizes its conIt takes five minutes for Anthony Secviar, chef and coowner of Protégé, to describe the meticulous process behind the Michelin-starred restaurant’s beloved brick chicken. It starts with simmering Koshihikari rice in saffron stock, and cooking shallots and garlic for four hours to create the piperade sauce that forms the dish’s base. Then there’s the process of deboning the Cornish game hen, brushing it with a roasted garlic puree with Aleppo pepper, olive oil and lemon zest, and aging it for three to seven days to concentrate flavors. That’s followed by sautéing the meat on a stainless steel press for crispy skin, then baking in the oven. “Then we take a dark chicken stock that we roast overnight, reduced down for about 14 hours, and finish that with a French-inspired Grenobloise so you bring some acidity as well as some unctuous, rich umami to the chicken sauce,” ABOVE: Dennis Kelly (left) and Anthony Secviar (right) are the co-owners of Protégé.
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