With four-appetizer, four-entree menus, it's like, give me a break. That's not a restaurant, that's a dinner party.

Most people who open restaurants will fail, because they lack the fundamental understanding of restaurant math. Either they think they're superstar cooks or they think they're superstar hosts.

It's kind of like a midlife crisis kind of thing. When you turn 40, you have to run the marathon, while all the parts still work properly.

Although I love all the great foods of the world, my death row meal would have to be cooked for me by my mother and grandmother (they live together and this happens on most Sundays). More than satisfy our hunger, these dinners nurture the soul.

At home, I make a large batch of tomato sauce and freeze it in meal-size portions in freezer bags.

Classics can be phenomenal when done right. A simple roast chicken dish could be the best thing you ever eat.

Being general manager is like being the de facto owner. It's like wearing the crown of 'Restaurant Man' without being 'Restaurant Man.' You're trying to run the business, but you're running the ranch without riding the big horse.