← Bobby on the Beat
Bobby on the Beat
Heather Graham in White Lotus, Amalfi Las Vegas Spring Menu, Salmon with Arugula Pesto
00:32:34
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- [00:02]
Bobby Flay
It wasn't until I left school and I started working in a restaurant and working with my hands that, you know, my life came alive. I take those things that I learn and see and experience, and I make them part of my life's work. And I also think that if you work in a restaurant, like, it teaches you about life. You saw this man who worked round the clock, and he still does.
- [00:24]
Heather Graham
I mean, he's such a great role model. He leads with kindness, he leads with work ethic.
- [00:28]
Bobby Flay
Bobby, we were talking one day, he's like, you keep doing that and you keep being your authentic self, you're gonna win is what he said. So 100% what I did, and I ended up winning.
- [00:37]
Heather Graham
First of all, I love Bobby Flay very much. I've loved him on the Today show.
- [00:40]
Bobby Flay
I love him here and now. Bobby Flay, everybody. Check out Bobby Triple Threat Bobby.
- [00:45]
Heather Graham
You're not filming a show with him.
- [00:46]
Bobby Flay
You're, like, becoming friends with him. Food business and the restaurant business has been great to me. Right? It's been such an important part of my life. I'm in a really good place right this second for lots of reasons. It gives me that momentum to, you know, keep striving to be better, to learn and to, you know, look for the next adventure. But I feel like I'm now direct my own life. Bobby Clay has been a great mentor for me. Bobby on the Beat. Welcome to another episode of Bobby on the Beat. Make sure you like and subscribe. Thank you so much for subscribing. We are getting those numbers up, which we love. So thanks so much for watching and tuning in. You know, you can always check out a new episode every Monday morning. You know, think about it. Weekend's over. First thing you do is make yourself a cup of coffee and turn on Bobby on the Beach Monday routine. Anyway, this week, very, very exciting guest Heather Graham from some iconic movies like Boogie Nights, Austin Powers, the Hangover. I mean, she's just an iconic actress. She's got a bunch of new things going on. We'll get to Heather in a second. This week I had a really fun week. Went out to Las Vegas, changed about, I don't know, six dishes on the menu at Amalfi and a couple of things at Brasserie B as well. You know, really get those sort of spring vegetables in there. Forcing spring in. Goodbye, winter. Hello, spring. Me needed to be and bright and fresh. And that's what's happening in Amalfi right now. I went out to Los Angeles, had Easter lunch, dinner. It's A four. I mean, it was a four o' clock meal, let's put it this way, with. With Brooke and her family and her friends. I made lamb shanks. This Easter lamb is obviously something that I cook almost every Easter in some way, shape, or form. I did make lamb shanks for a particular reason. Not such a. Not such a very joyful reason. Unfortunately, a good friend of mine for a long, long, long time, a chef named Tom Valenti, passed away almost suddenly. It was a very, very quick illness. And Tom was known for making lamb shanks a big thing. Let's face it. He took a sort of a cheaper cut of lamb, the lamb shank, and made it something spectacular. Chefs all over New York, all over the country, you know, kind of followed his lead. I was one of them. We had a lamb shank dish on the menu at Bolo for many years. And so I made that. That dish with the toasted orzo, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, and this beautiful broth from brazen to Lambshank for Easter, not only to commemorate Easter, but also had Tom Valentia on my mind, obviously. Sad moment for the industry, his family, etc. I got a very exciting cookbook sent to me by two guys who I really appreciate. Vitamina tea, so Vitamin T, meaning tacos, tortas, tamales, obviously, lots of very authentic Mexican dishes, which I. I love those flavors and ingredients. I cooked and have been cooking Southwestern food for my entire career. So obviously, even though it's an American approach, certainly have lots of influences from ingredients and techniques from Mexico. It's by two guys, Jorge Guevira, who's cooked in restaurants before, but he has a company called Masienda. They make this beautiful heirloom masa. Red corn, blue corn, yellow corn, white corn. This is what I use to make tortillas. I mean, basically, it's masa harina in different colors and flavors, and you add water and you make tortillas, and they are delicious. So he's got this company called Masienda, and he teamed up with a guy named Ferman Nunez, who has a couple of restaurants in Austin, Suerte and Este, that I go to whenever I'm in Austin. We've been shooting Barbecue Brawl in Austin for the last five years, and he has been the mainstay restaurant for me. So these guys, amazing team. Vitamin A tea. Really quintessential Mexican cookbook. I'll be using this for inspiration for sure. I am starting a new series for Food Network that I can't really tell you what it is, but it's going to be, I think, the quintessential Food Network show. It's going to be, obviously, about cooking. It's going to have some sort of professional cooking environment in it, for sure. I think it's going to answer a lot of questions of how do you do your job, so to speak, when it comes to chefs and cooks in the. In the restaurant business? And so looking forward to that. This is something I've been working on for, I don't know, two and a half, three years. We're gonna pick up the cameras, and we're gonna shoot it. That's basically gonna take up my April for sure. You know, maybe move the. The podcast out east for a few episodes, for sure. Let's get this thing going. So, without further ado, let's welcome my very special guest, Heather Graham. All right, Heather, thanks so much for being here.
- [05:27]
Heather Graham
Thanks for having me on your show. It's awesome to meet you.
- [05:30]
Bobby Flay
Well, I mean, this is so fun for me because we just started doing this a handful of months ago. I mean, one of the things that you and I have in common is that we're on television, and everything is sort of has a formula to it or it's polished or a script, in your case. Not for me. There's no way I could ever read a script, but. And so it's nice to kind of just have conversations about people that you're interested in. And I'm interested in talking to you because. Well, first of all, I've seen you out in New York for, like, the last 25 years. All right. I'm a native New Yorker, and I've seen you so many times just out and about with your friends and stuff like that. I was like, at some point, I would love to. Love to meet Heather and talk to her. And then, you know, with social media, you get to know a little bit more about. About people's likes and dislikes. And I think, like, you're very consistent in the things that you show that you like.
- [06:17]
Heather Graham
Right.
- [06:18]
Bobby Flay
You like good food.
- [06:19]
Heather Graham
Right.
- [06:19]
Bobby Flay
So we obviously have that in common. Okay. And you like putting on bikinis and going to fun places. I mean, like, you like to travel?
- [06:27]
Heather Graham
No, I like to travel. Yeah. I like beaches. Yeah. Some people like mountains and, like, what
- [06:32]
Bobby Flay
kind of places do you like to go to?
- [06:34]
Heather Graham
Well, I like Tulum because I've been going on yoga retreats there for, like, 25 years or something like that. And I like any beach. I love Mexico. I love Italy. Mexico and Italy are my two favorite, like, places.
- [06:47]
Bobby Flay
I'm going to show you a couple things today. One of them is that I'm going to show you how I made this dish that I'm making for you today, which is a salmon dish. You're the first guest that I actually sent out a note and said, which one do you want? This one or that one?
- [06:58]
Heather Graham
I'm so excited.
- [06:59]
Bobby Flay
So it's a salmon dish with arugula pesto.
- [07:01]
Heather Graham
Maybe I'll try to make it after.
- [07:02]
Bobby Flay
It's so simple. But, yeah, I'll give you the recipe. It's so, so easy. So I'm going to show you how I made that, but I'm also going to show you. I have a restaurant in Vegas called Amalfi, based on, obviously, the Amalfi coast. And I just went obsessed.
- [07:14]
Heather Graham
That's, like, my favorite place.
- [07:15]
Bobby Flay
Oh, me too.
- [07:16]
Heather Graham
Yeah. Obsessed. It's magical.
- [07:18]
Bobby Flay
I go every single year. Yeah, I'll give you the places I go to.
- [07:21]
Heather Graham
Really?
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Bobby Flay
Yeah.
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Heather Graham
Where do you stay? Like, which town?
- [07:24]
Bobby Flay
Narano.
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Heather Graham
Okay.
- [07:26]
Bobby Flay
Which is in between Positano and Capri. It's a small little town. And there's a restaurant there called Lo Scolio. I'm sure you've been there.
- [07:32]
Heather Graham
Is that the one that has zucchini pasta?
- [07:34]
Bobby Flay
You got it.
- [07:35]
Heather Graham
Yes, I've been there. It is really cool. Yeah. That zucchini pasta is, like, mind blowing.
- [07:39]
Bobby Flay
The people that own that restaurant and that hotel are like my family. Literally.
- [07:44]
Heather Graham
That's authentic. That's like. You have to be in the know to go there. Yeah.
- [07:47]
Bobby Flay
But it's also a fashion show. I will tell you. It's like, you know, people get off their big boats and they. And like, during lunch, it's like. It's literally like everybody has, like, the new linen outfit on and.
- [07:58]
Heather Graham
Are you doing a fashion show?
- [07:59]
Bobby Flay
No, no, no. I'm just eating lunch.
- [08:01]
Heather Graham
Like, I'm who I am.
- [08:02]
Bobby Flay
No, no, no. I'm just. I'm just totally eating lunch because the food there is so amazing.
- [08:05]
Heather Graham
It is so amazing.
- [08:06]
Bobby Flay
I mean, you have, like. First of all, it's a family that's owned the restaurant for a long time. And at the top of the mountain, they have a farm where they grow all their own fruits and vegetables. Obviously, all the fish comes right out of the sea.
- [08:18]
Heather Graham
Yeah.
- [08:19]
Bobby Flay
And then the. The brother. It's like two sisters run the restaurant. The dad runs the. Runs the farm.
- [08:24]
Heather Graham
Yeah.
- [08:25]
Bobby Flay
And then the chef. The chef is the brother. So it's a family affair. So they're making all this beautiful pasta with all the seafood that's coming out of the water and stuff like that. It's Los Goglio.
- [08:35]
Heather Graham
It's amazing.
- [08:36]
Bobby Flay
It's. It's my favorite restaurant in the world. Just because when you're sitting there, have
- [08:40]
Heather Graham
that in New York in very many places. That zucchini pasta. Right. That's just like.
- [08:43]
Bobby Flay
No, it's from Nerano, actually. It was invented in Toronto. But I can teach you how to make that too.
- [08:48]
Heather Graham
Really? Okay. Because I think when I was in Italy, I might have had that almost every day for lunch because it was, like, mind blowing.
- [08:53]
Bobby Flay
It's actually, it's very helpful. It's like, you know, it's, like, toasted. You toast the zucchini, it's usually spaghetti, some fresh basil, and I like to finish it with, like, a. With, like, a little bit of a pesto, which they don't really do there, but it kind of brings in the garlic and the chilies.
- [09:10]
Heather Graham
I'm obsessed. When you offered pesto, I was really excited.
- [09:12]
Bobby Flay
Okay, good. Yeah. Well, this one's gonna have.
- [09:14]
Heather Graham
But so wait, the zucchini is, wouldn't you say, toasted?
- [09:16]
Bobby Flay
Like, you toast it in oil. In oil, so it gets, like, that
- [09:18]
Heather Graham
brown color, and then you're crisping it.
- [09:20]
Bobby Flay
Yeah. So it tastes like fried zucchini. A little bit rolling through the pasta, and lots of fresh basil. And parmigiano.
- [09:26]
Heather Graham
Yes.
- [09:27]
Bobby Flay
Very simple. Yeah, I got you.
- [09:29]
Heather Graham
But what kind of pasta is it, like, pre made? Like, it's like dried pasta.
- [09:33]
Bobby Flay
They make. They use. They use dried pasta for that pasta. You can make fresh pasta interesting, but
- [09:37]
Heather Graham
you like them just using regular pasta.
- [09:39]
Bobby Flay
I think for that dish, I think the dried pasta works.
- [09:42]
Heather Graham
It's better.
- [09:42]
Bobby Flay
People get confused that, like, fresh pasta is better than dried pasta, so.
- [09:46]
Heather Graham
Yeah, I don't know if I totally understand that. Yeah. Like, how would you describe, like, when is it better and when is it not better?
- [09:51]
Bobby Flay
It depends on what it is. It's not. They're not. One's not better than the other. They're very, very different. Like, a dry pasta is sturdier. So if you're making, like, vongole, like, clams and pasta. I don't want fresh pasta.
- [10:02]
Heather Graham
Yeah, you don't want it to be soft and, like, mushy or something.
- [10:04]
Bobby Flay
Right. You want it to be sturdy. If it's a really, really delicate pasta, then, like, fresh pasta makes perfect sense. They're just different.
- [10:11]
Heather Graham
Wait, I have a total non sequitur. But you're talking about family generations doing food. Have you been to sofra?
- [10:16]
Bobby Flay
No.
- [10:17]
Heather Graham
Okay. I think you might really like it. It's in Brooklyn. It's on like St. Mark's Place or something. But it's an Iranian family who's there. All their generations have made this food. And I would never go, oh, my God, I want to eat. To be honest, Persian food. I would not even think about that. But when I went there, my mind was blown, and they make everything from scratch. And, you know, I asked the woman, the chef, and she was like, it's generations of her family recipes. That's, like, really cool when you can feel that. It's, like, generations, right?
- [10:42]
Bobby Flay
So it's probably, like, lots of dips and skewers of meats and things like
- [10:46]
Heather Graham
that and crunchy salads, yogurt. There's like this, like. There's this date tahini salad where they, like, they cook the dates in, like, butter, and then the sauce has, like, this yogurt that they make with, like, a chili. And then it's just really pretty. It's just like, they just cut in half. It's like. I don't know if, is it romaine or red lettuce or something. But anyway, my description is not doing it justice.
- [11:05]
Bobby Flay
And very healthy, right?
- [11:06]
Heather Graham
It's healthy, but then they have fish with, like, a really cool sauce, or they have, like, chicken with, like, pomegranate thing, and then they have, like, pork and different kinds of meat. But then they have the eggplant dip. Eggplant way with, like, crispy onions on top. That is insane.
- [11:20]
Bobby Flay
Have you been to Chouquet?
- [11:22]
Heather Graham
No.
- [11:22]
Bobby Flay
Okay. Shoequettes in Chelsea. It's fantastic.
- [11:25]
Heather Graham
Interesting.
- [11:25]
Bobby Flay
The chef there, Aisha Nirjaya, is. Works with me on. On one of my shows.
- [11:30]
Heather Graham
I've heard of that place, actually.
- [11:31]
Bobby Flay
It's fantastic. If you like that food, that's. You need to check this place out.
- [11:36]
Heather Graham
Okay.
- [11:36]
Bobby Flay
So I saw your movie last night.
- [11:37]
Heather Graham
Oh, you did?
- [11:38]
Bobby Flay
Yes.
- [11:38]
Heather Graham
Okay, cool.
- [11:39]
Bobby Flay
I went. I went to the. I went to the Alamo Theater downtown.
- [11:42]
Heather Graham
Yeah.
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Bobby Flay
Called the Drafthouse, and it had had, like, this, like, this serious, like, Kill Bill vibe to it. It's crazy.
- [11:48]
Heather Graham
It does.
- [11:49]
Bobby Flay
How was it, like, doing all those, like, crazy stunts? I mean, you were.
- [11:51]
Heather Graham
You were eating food while you were watching.
- [11:53]
Bobby Flay
I wasn't eating. Okay. No, no, no.
- [11:54]
Heather Graham
Is it, like, a food snob? You're not gonna eat food at, like.
- [11:57]
Bobby Flay
I'm not a food snob at all.
- [11:58]
Heather Graham
No, no, no.
- [11:59]
Bobby Flay
Okay.
- [11:59]
Heather Graham
No, no, no.
- [12:00]
Bobby Flay
Okay. I did look at the menu, but, like, I had. Come on. I had gotten back to. From LA on the red eye.
- [12:06]
Heather Graham
Yeah.
- [12:07]
Bobby Flay
And I had a long day.
- [12:07]
Heather Graham
Thank you for going to see it. I appreciate it.
- [12:09]
Bobby Flay
Oh, my pleasure.
- [12:10]
Heather Graham
It's fun to see with people because we watched it at south by Southwest, the film festival in Austin, and it was a fun, like, audience movie because people were, like, yelling and people were, like, reacting.
- [12:19]
Bobby Flay
I mean, it's definitely gory, for sure, but, like, in this fun way. It's crazy. You like doing those kinds of stunts and stuff like that?
- [12:26]
Heather Graham
I actually did, yeah. I mean, there's fight sequences that are, like, really long in that movie. And, yeah, I practiced. I had to practice it for weeks, weeks in advance. And I work with these really cool stunt people, but it was really fun. It's a little scary because, you know, you're hitting right next to someone's face and they're hitting right next to your face. You're like, I hope that they don't miss, you know?
- [12:44]
Bobby Flay
Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, it was like, non stop. I mean, it was just. It just never ended. It's like once you thought somebody was dead, they came back to life. One of my favorite lines was, I think she said, like, stay dead.
- [13:01]
Heather Graham
One of my favorite lines is like, I say, I'm sick of you killing me.
- [13:04]
Bobby Flay
Exactly. How many times can you die?
- [13:06]
Heather Graham
I know, it's crazy.
- [13:07]
Bobby Flay
It's crazy. All right, so you had a great time making that movie.
- [13:09]
Heather Graham
No, it was really fun. I mean, we shot in South Africa, which. Okay. I like to always bring the conversation back to food. But they have great food there, right?
- [13:16]
Bobby Flay
Oh, yeah.
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Heather Graham
And I think one of the reasons why they're shooting in South Africa is because, you know, like, money goes farther.
- [13:22]
Bobby Flay
Sure.
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Heather Graham
But, like, when you go out to dinner as well, there's amazing food down there. Like, Dave, I'm sure you probably went to La Colombe or that place. Yeah. And then just different places in Cape Town where the food was amazing.
- [13:33]
Bobby Flay
Cape Town's fantastic.
- [13:34]
Heather Graham
And it was just so much less expensive than if you were going out to dinner in New York. You have this crazy, over the top, beautiful meal and. Yeah, but no, it was fun shooting down there. All the actors are great, the director's great. And just getting to see Cape Town, it's great. Really cool. That's a great thing about being an actor. You're suddenly like, I never saw South Africa and now I got to stay there for two. Two months.
- [13:55]
Bobby Flay
Yeah. And they just announced that you're gonna be in White Lotus, right? I mean, come on. That's like. I mean, for somebody like you, that has to be an amazing movie.
- [14:02]
Heather Graham
No, it's exciting because. Of course. Well, that's like one of the most popular TV shows. Like, throughout the years, I have known Mike White, so I'm so glad he thought of me. And also, we get to be in the south of France. So there you go. More food, basically. And beaches. Food and beaches, yeah.
- [14:16]
Bobby Flay
That's it. They knew.
- [14:17]
Heather Graham
What else is there?
- [14:18]
Bobby Flay
They knew, right? They probably went to AI, who really likes food and beaches.
- [14:21]
Heather Graham
Who doesn't like food and beaches. I know, right?
- [14:23]
Bobby Flay
I mean, you're shooting soon, right?
- [14:25]
Heather Graham
Yeah, I'm leaving in a week.
- [14:26]
Bobby Flay
They said April.
- [14:27]
Heather Graham
Yeah, that's why I'm leaving today. To go. I have to go, like, pack and.
- [14:30]
Bobby Flay
Yeah, I want to talk to you more about that. But you want to taste some. Some salmon?
- [14:33]
Heather Graham
Of course.
- [14:34]
Bobby Flay
Bobby on the beat. All right, we're making some arugula pesto and roasted lemon salmon today, but it's really about the salmon. Nice salmon filet here. So salt, pepper. I'm using some Kashmiri chili on the outside. Any chili powder will do that. You have. We're going to crust the salmon very, very gently. I'm not going to overdo it here. Just really cook those spices into the salmon itself. Give it a flip. We're going to put it in the oven. If you notice, it was 250 degrees, so it's a very slow oven. So it's going to take a handful of minutes. We want the salmon to cook in its own fat. And then we're going to roast some lemons on top of the stove. We want to keep that citrus flavor on the bottom of the lemon, but on the top, we want that nice roasted flavor. And now we're going to make some arugula pesto while that's working. Arugula, of course, basil, pine nuts, some garlic and some parmigiano, Reggiano cheese, some salt and pepper. Everybody in the food processor. Touch play. And then we're going to emulsify it with some beautiful Sicilian olive oil. Now you have a gorgeous pesto. Leave that on the side. You can make that a day ahead if you want. Take the salmon out after about 15 minutes. Again, very, very slowly in the oven. Cook it through. A little bit of that arugula pesto on top, some of that roasted lemon. This couldn't be simpler, but, man, it is delicious. Bobby on the beat. So the lemon I roasted on top, so the juices are doing that. The fresh juices on the bottom kind of go through the roastedness of it, and it just picks up a little bit of that toasted flavor.
- [15:57]
Heather Graham
Oh, my God.
- [15:59]
Bobby Flay
So, yeah, this could not be Simpler.
- [16:00]
Heather Graham
So did you always love food or did you kind of like. Because I was reading a bit about you, but, like, have you always loved it or you kind of grew into loving it?
- [16:07]
Bobby Flay
Well, you know, I dropped out of high school when I was 16 years old, so I needed a job, so I went to. I went to work in a restaurant called Joe Allen's in Broadway. On the Broadway.
- [16:16]
Heather Graham
Yeah.
- [16:17]
Bobby Flay
And. And so I didn't know that I wanted to be a chef, but it was.
- [16:23]
Heather Graham
Did you always love food or was it just.
- [16:25]
Bobby Flay
I was into food. Yeah, I. I cooked with my mom a bunch.
- [16:28]
Heather Graham
Oh, my God.
- [16:29]
Bobby Flay
I cooked with my mom.
- [16:32]
Heather Graham
What kind of chili powder did you put on it?
- [16:34]
Bobby Flay
Kashmiri chilies.
- [16:35]
Heather Graham
Okay.
- [16:36]
Bobby Flay
That's my. That's kind of my, my new chili these days.
- [16:38]
Heather Graham
Okay. I've never heard of that. So I gotta.
- [16:40]
Bobby Flay
It's got a little bit of heat to it. Not, not too spicy, but it's like very fruity. And then the pesto is. I know it's very fast in the video, but it's like arugula, so it has that peppery flavor. Some fresh basil, Parmesan, Reggiano.
- [16:53]
Heather Graham
Oh, so you put arugula and basil. Okay, that makes sense. Yeah.
- [16:55]
Bobby Flay
Basil and arugula. Arugula, some pine nuts, some garlic and some olive oil. That's basically it. And you see, so I don't like seared salmon, that's like raw in the middle.
- [17:05]
Heather Graham
Interesting.
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Bobby Flay
So the deal about.
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Heather Graham
No, this is really like juicy. What kind of pans do you use?
- [17:10]
Bobby Flay
Well, I have my own pans, but I use nonstick. I use stainless steel pans.
- [17:15]
Heather Graham
And you can put the nonstick in the oven?
- [17:16]
Bobby Flay
Yes, definitely.
- [17:17]
Heather Graham
Oh, wow. Okay.
- [17:18]
Bobby Flay
You want to make sure that you have a handle that actually can go into the oven.
- [17:21]
Heather Graham
Right. Okay. Wow. So you have nonstick pans that use. I should probably know this, but. Okay, I'm not.
- [17:26]
Bobby Flay
First of all, if you're making like eggs and stuff like that, you don't want to be a hero. You need non stick pans.
- [17:30]
Heather Graham
No, using a stainless steel pan or like a cast iron pan to make eggs is like a nightmare.
- [17:35]
Bobby Flay
Yeah, for sure. Like, there's no reason to try it.
- [17:37]
Heather Graham
20 minutes of trying to like clean that pan.
- [17:39]
Bobby Flay
Exactly. All right, so Amalfi coast. I'm show you one more video and then we're going to talk more about your stuff. So I just went out to Vegas. I have a couple restaurants in Vegas and one of them, as I said, was, was Amalfi. So I had to change a couple of dishes for this quick menu. So I'm going to show you.
- [17:52]
Heather Graham
I can't wait to go.
- [17:53]
Bobby Flay
Bobby on the beat. So we're here at Amalfi in Las Vegas is my restaurant at Caesar's Palace. It's a seafood driven Italian restaurant. Lots of handmade pastas, lots of beautiful fish. We have our own fish market. Spring is here finally. So, you know, we're talking about fava beans, asparagus, you know, ramps, green peas, artichokes, you know, we're putting all those things back in of play, so to speak, for the spring, Sort of lighten up the menu. You know, fresh mint, things along those lines. So we have like this beautiful salad of peas and asparagus and fava beans with a mint pesto and a red pepper sauce. And it's topped with some toasted pine nuts. This is beautiful. All I care about is that when this is on the table and they eat it, it tastes good.
- [18:37]
Heather Graham
Yep.
- [18:37]
Bobby Flay
And then we're also doing some crispy artichokes, kind of in the style of Rome with a lemon aioli. And we're doing some squash blossoms, crispy fried. Inside there's some ricotta, some fresh corn, some fresh basil with an anchovy sauce on the bottom. It's sort of a surprising sauce, but it really kind of wakes up the squash blossoms. If you're gonna put chives on this, put them on more. Great. More. Then we're also doing a side dish like an asparagus gratin, very thin asparagus with some bread crumbs like a lemon aioli, and then some slowly roasted oven roasted tomatoes to kind of give it some brightness. It needs like olive oil or something. Yeah, yeah. We're making some agnolotti. We're bringing this dish back. This is one of the classics that Amalfi. Now it's an agnolotti. It's basically a filled pasta with ricotta cheese and arugula pesto on the inside. On the outside, a fresh sun gold bright orange yellow tomato sauce and some crunchy garlic on the outside. So, so good. Another new dish is we're making a trophy, which is the classic pasta to kind of wrap some fresh basil pesto around. There's some fingerling potatoes in there, there's some asparagus. But it's really about that basil pesto, that bright green spring like pesto that goes on top of what we call trophy. It's just sort of like a twisted little baby pasta. Very thin and twisted. It's a classic from Genoa. I'm here to tweak a couple of things, we just kind of put it on the menu. I like this one. It has good marbling in it. It might make a shape. Huge difference. We just added pine nuts to it just for, like, a little extra texture and crunch. Give it a taste. I wouldn't put olive oil on this. No. Only because I don't want to make it soggy. Don't scare them off. The foxy. Just the first thing. I agree with that. Steve and I have been friends and colleagues for decades. Steve is one of the best cooks and chefs that I know, and he's been helping me out here in Las Vegas at both Raspberry B and Amalfi. I have the utmost trust in Steve's abilities, and he knows the way I like to cook. It's really a godsend for me to have him. So that's what we have going on for the spring menu here at Amalfi. I'm gonna make a couple of adjustments, and we're gonna bring that impact of flavor to the building. Bobby, on the beat.
- [20:45]
Heather Graham
Oh, my God. Let's have it all.
- [20:47]
Bobby Flay
I watched Boogie Nights again. Cause, you know, I knew you were coming over. And just as a refresher, and, you know, it's really. First of all, that movie could have been made today and been as relevant, you know, but it. But I have to say, like, as, you know, obviously towards the end, it's such a. Such a sad movie, you know, like, at the end, just the story, it's such an iconic thing. And when I heard that you were gonna come here, I was like, the one thing I'm not gonna talk to her about is anything having to do with the roller skates. And then I saw you on the COVID of US magazine and roller skates.
- [21:20]
Heather Graham
Well, they asked me to wear roller skates.
- [21:22]
Bobby Flay
I know.
- [21:22]
Heather Graham
So I'm like, okay.
- [21:23]
Bobby Flay
Yeah. But I mean. I mean, like, that's. To me, like, there's so many other things to talk about, but obviously, everybody always wants to bring that up.
- [21:31]
Heather Graham
I mean, I guess it's fun to be remembered as, like, an iconic character that people remember. So that's cool. Yeah. It's funny because I recently. I was gonna give my roller skates away, and then I ended up giving them to the Academy museum, which was fun. And then the director. Yeah, Mike Flanagan, ended up buying. There were two pairs. He bought one pair. But it's amazing. Yeah, it's fun. It's fun. I remembered. Yeah. And then we did that photo shoot, and I wore roller skates.
- [21:56]
Bobby Flay
I think you and I have something in common in terms of, like, the way we try to take care of ourselves and kind of just. Just kind of do the work, so to speak. In other words, like, go to the gym. You love yoga. I'm a Pilates person.
- [22:07]
Heather Graham
I love Pilates too.
- [22:08]
Bobby Flay
Pilates has literally changed my life because as a chef, I've been standing over a cutting board like. Like this for, like, 30 something years.
- [22:16]
Heather Graham
You know, that's my goal in life, to not sit like this. But then I have to constantly remind myself not to.
- [22:21]
Bobby Flay
And then I finally, like, found Pilates, like, six years ago, and it's like, it elongates me because, you know, guys don't stretch. Like, we. Like, we, like, if we're athletic at all, we go and play basketball. We go like this. This is our stretch. I'm ready.
- [22:37]
Heather Graham
I know you can hurt yourself, right?
- [22:38]
Bobby Flay
No, Exactly. And so Pilates has been amazing. And so I.
- [22:43]
Heather Graham
Where you go, you have, like, a private trainer?
- [22:44]
Bobby Flay
I have a woman named Taylor Phillips who we've actually talked about on this podcast, and she's actually. She runs the Equinox Pilates program.
- [22:54]
Heather Graham
Oh, my God. I should go.
- [22:55]
Bobby Flay
She is.
- [22:57]
Heather Graham
How do you work in food and, like, stay thin, I wonder?
- [22:59]
Bobby Flay
Well, it's hard.
- [23:00]
Heather Graham
What is your secret?
- [23:01]
Bobby Flay
My secret is I go to the gym, where I run on the west side highway, basically five or six days a week. And I try not to eat late at night. I have a couple of rules. I don't try to eat every single thing in front of me. If I don't like it, I don't eat it. Which is, like, one of those things that happens where we just sometimes just eat because it's in front of us, even if you're not enjoying it.
- [23:23]
Heather Graham
But you're a food snob. No, I'm not. No, you're not.
- [23:25]
Bobby Flay
No, I'm not a food snob.
- [23:26]
Heather Graham
But you care about the quality of food.
- [23:28]
Bobby Flay
I mean, if it's just not good, right?
- [23:31]
Heather Graham
That's how I feel about desserts. I'm like, I don't want to eat a lot of sugar. It's not good for me. But if something's, like, mind blowing, then I'm gonna eat it.
- [23:37]
Bobby Flay
So white lotus. So Mr. White said, it's gonna be funnier. See, I have questions for you that I know you cannot answer.
- [23:43]
Heather Graham
They make you sign an NDA. They were like. At first, they were like, you cannot tell anyone your cast. So I knew for, like, two weeks before they're like, you must not. And then they made me sign like, two different NDAs about, like, you cannot reveal the plot. I mean, of course not. You can't reveal who's gonna die. You know, stuff like that.
- [23:57]
Bobby Flay
And then, of course, it was in Deadline or Variety, whatever that you were. That you were attached to it, which is so great.
- [24:02]
Heather Graham
Great.
- [24:03]
Bobby Flay
And I think it's such a smart move on their part.
- [24:06]
Heather Graham
That's nice. Thank you for saying that.
- [24:08]
Bobby Flay
No, it's amazing.
- [24:08]
Heather Graham
By the way, I ate everything. I mean, I didn't eat the skin, because I don't. But that was insanely good.
- [24:12]
Bobby Flay
Thank you so much. Let me bust your chef's kiss.
- [24:15]
Heather Graham
Thank you. Thank you so much.
- [24:18]
Bobby Flay
This is how I get people. Come on. I brought.
- [24:19]
Heather Graham
No, I feel lucky because I was watching some of your other podcasts, and not everyone was getting food. I thought, like, oh, no, we feed it. Oh, you did?
- [24:25]
Bobby Flay
I always feel like if you come to my house, I have to feed you. Oh, that's no matter what.
- [24:29]
Heather Graham
Are you Italian or.
- [24:30]
Bobby Flay
No, I'm Irish.
- [24:31]
Heather Graham
Oh, you're Irish.
- [24:31]
Bobby Flay
I'm Irish, too, but I do love Italy. I'm writing a cookbook about Italy.
- [24:35]
Heather Graham
Wow. I mean, Italy's the greatest. It's the greatest.
- [24:37]
Bobby Flay
It's the place I spend most of my time when I'm not.
- [24:40]
Heather Graham
I mean, people care about food so much there. I feel like whether or not you're going to, like, a small little cafe or, like, a fancy restaurant, like, the food quality is so high there, and they don't put, like, a lot of preservatives in the food, so it feels like the food just doesn't have, like, weird chemicals in it.
- [24:53]
Bobby Flay
No, no, no.
- [24:54]
Heather Graham
Yeah, yeah.
- [24:54]
Bobby Flay
Whenever I go to Italy, I eat more and lose weight.
- [24:57]
Heather Graham
I know, I know.
- [24:58]
Bobby Flay
It's because. It's because the way that they process, like, the flour.
- [25:01]
Heather Graham
I know it's flour. And then just, like, eating the gelato. And I don't usually eat ice cream, but when I'm there, gelato flavor. Okay. I like fondante. Do you know it's like dark chocolate? It's, like the darkest dark chocolate. Yeah, it's like. Oh, it's like, really, like, bittersweet.
- [25:15]
Bobby Flay
You know, I'm pistachio all the way.
- [25:16]
Heather Graham
Really?
- [25:17]
Bobby Flay
Yeah.
- [25:17]
Heather Graham
It's my favorite. Wow.
- [25:18]
Bobby Flay
Pistachio is like the vanilla of gelato in Italy in my.
- [25:21]
Heather Graham
Do you know what I tried recently? Did you know there's pistachio milk? I'm sure you do your shop.
- [25:25]
Bobby Flay
I have it in my refrigerator.
- [25:26]
Heather Graham
Oh, my God. It's amazing.
- [25:27]
Bobby Flay
It's so good.
- [25:28]
Heather Graham
Yeah. I didn't Realize that that existed.
- [25:30]
Bobby Flay
I know.
- [25:30]
Heather Graham
Incredible. Yeah.
- [25:31]
Bobby Flay
I'm into pistachios big time.
- [25:32]
Heather Graham
Yes.
- [25:33]
Bobby Flay
I have a pistachio sundae with pistachio gelato in my restaurant.
- [25:36]
Heather Graham
Oh, my God.
- [25:37]
Bobby Flay
It's called Bobby's Pistachio Sundae. It's got, like, these Sicilian cherries and deep dark chocolate sauce and pistachio gelato.
- [25:44]
Heather Graham
I love it. No, no, no. This was healthier. It was better. Yeah.
- [25:47]
Bobby Flay
So White Lotus. So he said, it's going to be a little bit funny.
- [25:50]
Heather Graham
Okay.
- [25:50]
Bobby Flay
I mean, I laugh at White Lotus a lot, too. And also it's going to be about fame and celebrity. So I'm thinking to myself, are you going to play yourself?
- [25:58]
Heather Graham
No, I'm not playing myself.
- [25:59]
Bobby Flay
You gave it away.
- [26:00]
Heather Graham
No. Well, I mean, no. He's writing characters for people they're not playing. But, I mean, maybe you're playing characters that are. I don't know, like. Could be a little bit similar. Yeah. A piece of you. Maybe.
- [26:10]
Bobby Flay
It has to happen, right?
- [26:11]
Heather Graham
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
- [26:12]
Bobby Flay
Are you a New Yorker or you live in la?
- [26:14]
Heather Graham
I have a place here and a place in la.
- [26:15]
Bobby Flay
I just sold my house in la.
- [26:17]
Heather Graham
You did? Okay.
- [26:18]
Bobby Flay
My daughter.
- [26:18]
Heather Graham
Where were you living?
- [26:19]
Bobby Flay
I was living in West Hollywood Hills and my.
- [26:21]
Heather Graham
Great place.
- [26:22]
Bobby Flay
Yeah. I just didn't use it enough. My daughter is from the east coast and she went to school at usc. Okay. And then she graduated, and then she stayed there for. She's in. She's in news. She's an anchor for ABC News.
- [26:37]
Heather Graham
Yeah. Because I read that you wanted to be a news anchor. Right? And then she became one.
- [26:40]
Bobby Flay
Yes, exactly.
- [26:41]
Heather Graham
Yeah.
- [26:41]
Bobby Flay
I mean, when I say I wanted to be one, it's like, you always want to do something that you're not doing.
- [26:46]
Heather Graham
Right, Right, right.
- [26:47]
Bobby Flay
Nobody ever wanted.
- [26:48]
Heather Graham
That's like, I work with Eddie Murphy and he's like, I want to be like a rock star. And I'm like, you're like one of the first people of all time. Are you happy? Like, that's incredible. Yeah.
- [26:55]
Bobby Flay
I mean, it's just one of the things. It's like people that have success in one place want to do some other things, and so they never let me.
- [27:01]
Heather Graham
I think it's cooler that you're, like an awesome chef.
- [27:03]
Bobby Flay
You do.
- [27:03]
Heather Graham
Than a newscaster. I don't know.
- [27:05]
Bobby Flay
Okay.
- [27:05]
Heather Graham
They're both cool. No, no, no. Shade on. Take down the newscasters. But I love food more than the depressing news that that's happening. Also, I'm kind of thinking of. I'm working on possibly doing a cooking show. So I'M kind of getting. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [27:18]
Bobby Flay
I'm your person. I can do that.
- [27:19]
Heather Graham
No, that's the thing. Oh, really?
- [27:20]
Bobby Flay
Yes.
- [27:20]
Heather Graham
Oh, okay.
- [27:21]
Bobby Flay
Yes.
- [27:22]
Heather Graham
Well, so I. A friend of mine, we just have this idea of, like, you know, it's like a food travel show, but it has to do with, like, the conversations people have around dinner tables like that you can get really intimate about your life and your relationships and sex and just like. And have. Food is such a seduction, and in different cultures, what it means, like, dating and relationships and just, like, the juicy conversations you have when you're eating good food with people.
- [27:45]
Bobby Flay
All right, so I have a production company called Rockstrum Productions.
- [27:47]
Heather Graham
Oh, really?
- [27:48]
Bobby Flay
I produce all my shows.
- [27:50]
Heather Graham
Wow.
- [27:50]
Bobby Flay
And I would. Let's. Let's talk about this seriously.
- [27:54]
Heather Graham
I want to get more in the food world because not only do I love it and it's so fun meeting people that I admire, but it's so fun. Yeah. I would like to do some kind of cook cooking show, too.
- [28:03]
Bobby Flay
No, no. I mean, it's perfect for you because it's something that you're really passionate about. You know, you don't want to do it just because you think there's a void in the. In the world.
- [28:10]
Heather Graham
No, I am obsessed with food. You know, you nurture each other with food and just. Just how beautiful food is and how it creates just amazing, like, bonding relationships and. Yeah. Like, when you have a great meal with someone, you bond on a level that's different.
- [28:24]
Bobby Flay
Well, it's really interesting because I don't talk about politics and stuff like that. The only place I talk about it is at my dinner table with my friends and my family. Yeah, everybody has their own. Some people like to be really outspoken about it. I think my dinner table is the place that everything happens. I have conversations with you. I have conversations with my friends. I talk to my daughter about life issues. But food is always the thing. I can always get people to the table by feeding them. I mean, you're a good example.
- [28:53]
Heather Graham
No, I'm the same too. I'm like, I don't want to leave my apartment. It's like, I like it. So I'm like, everyone, come over and I'll make you food, you know? Yeah.
- [28:59]
Bobby Flay
Are you a good cook?
- [29:00]
Heather Graham
I'm a good cook, yeah. I mean, I'm not gonna put myself on your level, but I'm a good enough cook that I can, like, have dinner parties and have friends over and make dinner for, like, 14 people and then people. I do have one friend who was like, you remind me Of Martha Stewart, which I don't think that's true, but at least I feel like I can entertain where people are like, this is fun.
- [29:17]
Bobby Flay
The dish I made you today, so simple. You can make that too.
- [29:19]
Heather Graham
I'm like, yeah, the low and slow.
- [29:21]
Bobby Flay
Low and slow season.
- [29:22]
Heather Graham
That's the key. I gotta try that.
- [29:23]
Bobby Flay
But it has to be.
- [29:24]
Heather Graham
It's juicy.
- [29:25]
Bobby Flay
It has to be that.
- [29:25]
Heather Graham
For salmon, don't use avocado oil. Not. Not olive oil.
- [29:28]
Bobby Flay
Yes. To cook it. Yeah. Because. Because the olive oil is too thick and viscous. So I use avocado for the most part. I use avocado oil to cook with.
- [29:38]
Heather Graham
Yeah.
- [29:38]
Bobby Flay
And I use olive oil to dress it after. Exactly. I think of it as like a finishing sauce or something to.
- [29:45]
Heather Graham
I didn't realize this, but I guess I'm learning. But like, you can put put nonstick pans in, like the oven. But what about a certain degree? Do they start melting? It depends.
- [29:52]
Bobby Flay
It depends on which pan it is. But you want to make sure that the handle is oven.
- [29:57]
Heather Graham
But I thought like over like 4 or 500. Like, it melts, like, certain points that are like. Yeah. So would you put a nonstick pan in the oven at like 500 degrees?
- [30:05]
Bobby Flay
Probably not.
- [30:06]
Heather Graham
No.
- [30:06]
Bobby Flay
Probably like under 400 degrees. But like, you know, stainless steel pan works perfectly fine. Yeah. Do you use stainless steel pans?
- [30:12]
Heather Graham
No. Because they're so hard to clean. It's like a drag. I know. I get it. You're supposed to use stainless steel. But I'm like, no, thank you.
- [30:18]
Bobby Flay
What about cast iron?
- [30:19]
Heather Graham
I have cast iron. Yeah, I use cast iron.
- [30:20]
Bobby Flay
Cast iron's key.
- [30:21]
Heather Graham
I do. Yeah.
- [30:21]
Bobby Flay
I love baking cat like cornbread and cast iron pans because it gets really crusty on the outside.
- [30:26]
Heather Graham
Yeah. I mean, I love a non stick pan. I know we're not. I feel like it's like you're not supposed to like non stick pans, but they're awesome.
- [30:31]
Bobby Flay
No, but there's safe pans now. I have a deal with a company called Green Pan.
- [30:35]
Heather Graham
Yeah. I bought some of their pans in the past. So your pans are made by green pan.
- [30:39]
Bobby Flay
Yeah.
- [30:39]
Heather Graham
Interesting.
- [30:40]
Bobby Flay
Yeah. Stanley Tucci has a line as well.
- [30:42]
Heather Graham
I know. That's cool. You guys are probably friends, right?
- [30:45]
Bobby Flay
I mean, we're acquaintances, but Stanley stealing my thunder. Like, like, I want to go to Italy.
- [30:51]
Heather Graham
I mean, who doesn't want to be in, like a food show where you travel to, like, amazing places and eat food? Like, I'm friendly with Phil Rosenthal and like, he's has awesome. And then I Went to Max and Helen's the other day. I'm sure you've been there.
- [31:01]
Bobby Flay
I haven't been.
- [31:02]
Heather Graham
Oh, you haven't been.
- [31:03]
Bobby Flay
What did you have?
- [31:03]
Heather Graham
Okay, so you got to get the waffles at the diner. Okay. So, like, I try not to eat things like waffles, really, on a daily basis. But, like, as a splurge, their waffle is mind blowing. I don't know. I recommend that the highest. Yeah, it's like.
- [31:14]
Bobby Flay
I know. I've seen pictures of it every day.
- [31:15]
Heather Graham
No. I even asked the chef. I'm like, why is this so good? And I think he said he, like, uses beer in it or something like that or. I don't know why it's so good. But we ordered a bunch of things, and then we had to order a second waffle because all of us were, like, loving the waffle.
- [31:27]
Bobby Flay
I know. There's, like, a three hour wait to get into the place.
- [31:29]
Heather Graham
I'm sure you can get in.
- [31:30]
Bobby Flay
I know you. So you're gonna.
- [31:32]
Heather Graham
Yeah, no, I'll. I'll get you in.
- [31:34]
Bobby Flay
Phil, can you get by?
- [31:35]
Heather Graham
You're not friends with Phil. Why does he not know you?
- [31:37]
Bobby Flay
I don't. You know, we never met. Interestingly enough, we have a mutual friend.
- [31:41]
Heather Graham
I'm sure he would love to meet you.
- [31:42]
Bobby Flay
I'm an admirer of his work.
- [31:44]
Heather Graham
You should also be on his podcast or have him on your podcast. Right? Yeah.
- [31:47]
Bobby Flay
Everybody's on everybody's podcast. I know. I'm excited for everything that's happening with you. Thank you. I'm so happy to meet you.
- [31:55]
Heather Graham
Yeah. And go see. They will kill you if you feel like it. It's very fun. It is kind of Kill Billish.
- [31:59]
Bobby Flay
It is Kill Bill.
- [32:00]
Heather Graham
And watch White Lotus Season four.
- [32:02]
Bobby Flay
All right. Thank you so much.
- [32:05]
Heather Graham
Thank you for the salmon.
- [32:06]
Bobby Flay
Very touched that you actually ate all the salmon. So thank you so much. Next week we have Eva Longoria. I have to tell you, I am so envious of her jobs. She discovered Spain, discovered Mexico, and now she's discovering France. All on cnn. Can I get one of those countries? We'll see you next week, Bobby. On the Be.