I like to go hear jazz late-night up in Harlem.

If you aren't born here, to be a real New Yorker, you have to bring your talent, be a successful mentor, and support the New Yorkers who made the city by giving back.

Loyal customers, or customers who recommend their friends, give me the most pride. I think that is the biggest compliment I can get. I think in the restaurant business, it takes patience from the customer to spark up a relationship with the restaurateur, but it takes also work from the restaurateur to spark up a relationship with his customer.

We are in the top five restaurants in New York. Daniel is about luxury. It's a luxury where when somebody has never come they maybe expect to be intimidated, but once they have the experience I think they feel this is a welcoming, fun and great experience to have. The menu, the price point, the level of service, and class we offer to people... I think it's incredible. Not every restaurant can be like that - it's a commitment, in terms of dedication to excellence.

A lot of chefs don't have a natural sense of economy. I was with one guy the other day and I had to show him how to peel a turnip, because the way he was peeling turnips, he was throwing half of it in the garbage. It's not about being cheap. It's about being proper.

I appreciate the constant evolution in refining food, but not in making food gimmicky.

I learned from my grandmother, because we were cooking a lot for the farm. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.