Marc Forgione rarely gets a minute to relax. But when he’s not cooking up a (delicious) storm in the kitchen, the Food Network Iron Chef is jetsetting, surfing and/or snowboarding. His synonymous restaurant in NYC isn’t just serving spectacular suppers – they’re pairing plates with Kaleb’s Cola (sparkling water, cane sugar and kola nut extract). We recommend a glass with the lobster chili… but with such an amazing menu, you really can’t go wrong.
Read on for our exclusive chat with the culinary king.
Galavante: What New York restaurants do you love?
Marc Forgione: I found a great brunch menu at The Cleveland. I just went by there to go to brunch a week ago, and it was closed. It was great though.
Galavante: What about other staple brunch spots you love?
Marc Forgione: I’m not a big brunch guy, but in my neighborhood I have PUBLIC, which does a great brunch. I’ve been a couple times.
Galavante: What do you order there?
Marc Forgione: All sorts of stuff, but I like their fried oysters with eggs. If it’s a hangover day, I’ll go to La Esquina. You get the veal tongue tacos and put a tremendous amount of hot sauce on them.
Galavante: How about dinner spots?
Marc Forgione: I just had dinner at Per Se. They just got a bad review from Eater. I just ate there a month ago.
Galavante: Do you think the rating was fair?
Marc Forgione: I don’t want to start a war, but I think it’s worth a hell of a lot more than two stars.
Galavante: What are your go-to coffee spots in the city?
Marc Forgione: There’s a place called Laughing Man – great coffee. They always have a cool quote by Garfield on the wall, about smiling, which I appreciate, especially in the morning. There’s Gasoline Alley in my neighborhood. I usually go with a shot of espresso with a cup of coffee.
Galavante: What do you like to do if you have a weekend off in the city?
Marc Forgione: This is going to sound crazy, but I’m not making this up – I can’t even tell you the last time I had a weekend where I was like, “Oh yeah, I’m not working and I’m in New York.” I’m not complaining. I’ve been in Napa, Vegas, Atlantic City. I just got back from Miami. When I do have a weekend in New York, I really like to just chill out: cook dinner or go out to dinner at somebody else’s restaurant. And Sunday’s just a lazy day with the lady and the family.
Galavante: Do you have a favorite museum?
Marc Forgione: I live two stores away from the Italian-American Museum. I’ve been there once. I’m an Italian dude. The fact that they have this homage to Italian people [on Mulberry Street], I think is cool.
Galavante: What fun activities do you like to do in your spare time?
Marc Forgione: I like to snowboard, wakeboard, meditate. I bought a surfboard this year. Kind of like a mid-life crisis [thing]. I have a hard time sitting still for a long time! I’ve always wanted to surf. I got up once this summer, which is a big thing.
Galavante: Where do you surf?
Marc Forgione: My family has a house in Atlantic Beach.
Galavante: Where’s your next vacation and what will you do there?
Marc Forgione: I’m going to Anguilla to celebrate the New Year. I’m going for eight days, right after Christmas. The itinerary is: there is no itinerary. You literally get to your room, put your shorts on, put a shirt on, and put your flip-flops on. That’s all you do for seven to eight days.
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