WEBVTT - Sarah Jessica Parker 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.880 You're listening to Ruthie's Table four in partnership with Montclair. 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:13.400 Hi. 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:16.320 Everyone, Welcome to the River Cafe. I can't think of 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:18.880 a nicer place to be on the sunny spring morning 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:21.680 than here. We have a live audience for this very 0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:26.280 special episode that features Sarah Jessica Parker, hosted by Pause 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:30.120 Lucy Rogers. Enjoy the interview and we'll be taking questions later. 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:37.479 The first time that Sarah Jessica Parker and I spoke, 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.839 the tables returned. She was on the phone in the 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:44.559 River Cafe kitchen and I was on a beach in Mexico. 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:47.960 It was really hard to hear her with the noise 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:51.839 of pots and pants, the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean, 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:56.200 but her dazzling warmth travel the six thousand miles. If 0:00:56.200 --> 0:01:02.400 the phone connection was poor, the friendship connection instant. Last Sunday, 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:04.800 she was in the River Cafe with her family and 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:07.600 I was there with mine. They were sitting on Table one, 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.440 just a few feet from the pink wood oven, close 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:13.360 to the drama of the kitchen, and there she was 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:17.240 dazzling and warm. How does all this work, Ruthie, How 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:20.080 do you make sure that Matthew's ravioli comes out at 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:22.040 the same time as my asparagus. 0:01:22.080 --> 0:01:22.759 Banya Kouten. 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:27.000 This kitchen, she said, feels like the inside of a 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:32.880 pinball machine, with energy bouncing between the different stations. How 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:36.319 do you all have the energy to do both lunch 0:01:36.840 --> 0:01:42.360 and dinner? Now? I suppose if I went backstage to 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:45.360 Plaza Suite, the play that Sarah is doing here with 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:50.400 her husband, Matthew Broderick, I would have similar questions. How 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:53.640 does this work, Sarah? What do you do if someone 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.880 forgets their lines? And how do you all have the 0:01:57.080 --> 0:02:00.560 energy to do a matinee and an evening performance? 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:01.640 Today? 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:06.280 We're here, not miles apart, inches apart, two friends together, 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:08.640 surrounded by all of you great people. 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:09.760 What a connection? 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.280 Thank you? 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:17.239 So here we are. Did you ever work in a restaurant? 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:17.960 No? 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:20.600 But I say this knowing how hard it is. I 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:22.600 think I would really love to be a server. 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:28.680 Like I really think that at this summer she is, 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:30.200 and you're I. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:32.840 Was, we were really admiring your service the day because 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:34.600 I said to the girls, I was like, I'm not 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:39.440 sure that I've seen servers move this fast a long time. 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:43.120 Because Sunday is a very busy day for you guys, right, 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:44.480 like a specially. 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:46.000 That day was a really busy day. 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:48.880 And I was saying to somebody and I said, you know, 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.440 I don't get to come to the River Cafe very often. 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:55.600 I don't live in London, and to myself, to Matthew, 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:58.760 it's like a very it's a it's like a special thing. 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.880 It's like something you earn or maybe you work toward 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:05.560 or you pine about, and then you visit it and 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.520 you're not sure if you made it all up, like 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:12.600 is it possible that you joined a sort of cult, 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.160 like a kind of thinking about it? 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:16.240 Can it be? 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:20.399 And then you come here? My hand got it is? 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:25.120 And the kitchen really is. It's extraordinary to watch. It 0:03:25.160 --> 0:03:28.160 is like a pinball machine, but it's like there's such 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:29.320 precision about it. 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.280 And I love watching the. 0:03:31.280 --> 0:03:34.280 Chefs talk to each other quickly and passing or actually 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:35.880 come together to speak. 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:37.200 I don't know. 0:03:37.480 --> 0:03:40.960 It's amazing and it's it's glorious. We were thrilled to 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:41.920 be here, really well. 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:42.840 We're thrilled to have you and I. 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.360 When we first did the completely open kitchen, you will 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:49.960 remember after the fire, Richard Air, who's a director of 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:53.640 theater came in and I said, Richard, isn't it just 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:56.640 like theater watching everyone around? 0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:59.000 And he said, actually, with me, it isn't. 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:03.320 It's like ballet m and he said because watching people everybody. 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:04.960 You can't shout in an open kitchen. 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:09.400 I mean, sometimes raise your voice, but basically you're moving 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:12.160 around to speak to people about if you need to. 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:14.680 Usually there's a kind of communication. 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:18.120 And this time I had the ravioli with the spinach 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.880 and the ricotta and those tiny gorgeous porcini mushrooms that 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:22.760 are like a surprise. 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:24.240 They don't talk about that as much. 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:28.960 And we ordered two and I was like, my daughter said, 0:04:29.560 --> 0:04:30.720 do you think we can order another one? 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:32.640 James Welk said, can we order another one? Which just 0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:33.440 seems so like. 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:40.200 Gluttonous and decadent and greedy. And then I was like, 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.400 you know what, yes, And if anybody says anything, I'll 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:46.839 just say we'll take it like I'm sorry that we're 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:52.719 being so like real like animals about this, but it's 0:04:52.760 --> 0:04:54.600 a kind of it's good to think of it as 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:56.360 this kind of once in a lifetime. 0:04:57.200 --> 0:04:58.719 It's just incredible. 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:01.360 One of the things I think that you'll probably everyone 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:04.200 in this room would think about was that in Sex 0:05:04.240 --> 0:05:06.839 and the City and the way you talk about food 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:11.120 the joy So many conversations were over food, and it 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:13.800 was the pleasure of food. It was enjoying food as 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:17.560 a way of communicating and being together, which we you know, 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:20.159 we all feel here that we a restaurant is a 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:23.400 place where you share, you know, food you're sitting down 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:25.440 at the table or at home with your children. Yeah, 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:28.000 and so how is that working in Sex and the 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:30.240 City and doing was that from you? 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:32.120 I always love food scenes. 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:36.680 I think it initially it was initially in place I 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:42.960 think probably from either Candice's original source material or Darren 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:45.760 Starr wrote that first coffee shop scene, which I think 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:49.039 was just a great meeting place to sort of talk 0:05:49.040 --> 0:05:51.720 about the themes of the of each episode, like get 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:54.760 the headline out, and then each person, those kind of 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:58.000 archetypal characters would share points of view, so we knew 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:03.640 where where everybody stood, and it allowed for controversial conversation 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:09.680 or titillating conversation. But I will say this that Cynthia Nixon, 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:12.720 who is a dear friend of mine and we've been 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:15.600 working together since we were little girls. We've known each other, 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:19.479 so we were eleven or ten. She was a child 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:24.159 actor also and we would always audition together. She often 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.120 got the part. But we played siblings when I was 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:31.280 very young. We played sisters on records. They used to 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:36.000 do records of stories, and we played Laura and Mary Ingalls, 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:39.320 and then we played siblings of We played children of 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:41.479 Vanessa Redgrave in a movie. 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:44.359 But Cynthia and I in those coffee shop scenes, we 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:45.120 always eat. 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:50.000 Yeah, we always eat, and we always need to like 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:55.360 reprop our plate, and then when we finally wrap, they'll 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.479 always they always said to Cynthia, me and Cynthia, do 0:06:58.520 --> 0:06:59.799 you guys want to take. 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:02.560 It to go again today? Yes, we do. 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.719 So we really like those scenes, and we very much 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:08.520 go back and forth about what you could they'll send 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:10.680 the menu in advance now now that we all have 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:14.080 the phones and things, and because they want you to 0:07:14.160 --> 0:07:16.360 order an advance for props to have everything ready and 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:18.240 multiplee you know, multiples of it. 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:20.480 So we'll go back and forth. Would you order are 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:22.200 you going to order? The all order that? So you 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:25.360 ordered that and we can share. So the food is 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:27.040 the lines are blurred. 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:28.200 The joy of food. 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:34.520 Yes, eating, Yes, was something that we are all thinking about. 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:37.920 How we combine, you know, food, and I think it's 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:40.280 it's changed. You find that your daughters are different now 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:41.600 in terms of their attitude. 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:46.040 Yeah, I mean I I never was very disciplined about it. 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:47.520 I just wasn't. 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:54.560 I think I'm not really good at like denying myself something. 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:57.840 And I think also I was a dancer for so 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:00.880 long and running around, so it was I was able 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:03.280 to be that way. It's certainly not the same now. 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:08.000 But I also just I had girls. I just was 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:12.240 so I didn't want them to have a relationship with 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:16.880 food that was antagonistic or they felt like this was 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.360 their enemy and that they were going to have to 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:22.360 sort of like stake out a position with food. 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:24.120 So when I was growing. 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:25.480 Up, we weren't allowed sugar in the house, and we 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:27.840 were allowed to cookies, and we weren't allowed the chocolate. 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.240 And of course all we did the minute we moved 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.920 out was buy Entimate's cakes and cookies, and you know, 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.320 and I didn't want that. So in our house, we 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.680 have cookies, we have cake, we have everything. And I 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:43.000 think as a result, you kind of have a healthier 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:45.480 relationship and my daughters will have the figures they have 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.640 and hopefully they'll be healthy in their athletes and they 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:51.400 enjoy food, and they have different palettes, and you can't 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:53.880 make someone like something they don't like or want. 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.240 And I hope that they. 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:01.960 I hope that they can maintain their affection for the 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:08.000 experience and their delight in taste and find their own 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.439 ways to have that be healthy for them. 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:16.520 And your son. For food, it was fantastic to beat. 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:19.600 All three of them are just you know, involved in 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:22.559 the food and talking about the food and asking questions 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:23.200 about food. 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:26.200 On Sunday, Matthew cooks. 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.600 We both cook every single day, every day, every single day. 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:34.920 Every day. We probably eat dinner as a family every night. 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:37.640 If I'm shooting or he's doing to play, obviously that 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:38.439 shifts around. 0:09:39.040 --> 0:09:40.520 We always have dinner Sunday night. 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:45.439 But one of us, if we're home, cooks every single day, 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:47.959 and we love to cook. 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:50.760 And it's boring to keep saying to each other what are. 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:52.200 We gonna eat? What are we gonna eat? Are you 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:53.520 going to go to the grocery store? Am I going 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:55.920 to go to the market. But it's kind of just. 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:57.400 What we do. 0:09:57.559 --> 0:10:02.280 Yesterday, I what did you last night? Last night, we 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:04.720 went to a restaurant in Chinatown. 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:05.760 Really quickly after the show. 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:09.040 But I had made during the day, I made lamb 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:13.920 stew and Matthew made a white bean soup, so we 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:17.080 knew we have that. I'd actually was bringing some to 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:19.680 my son, but I like to have it in the 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:25.199 fridge for matinee days. And but we cook every night 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:29.880 because I don't know why we never we never understood order. 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:32.160 We didn't get ordering in in time, and now we're 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:34.000 too old to under We. 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:37.320 Don't have I don't know how to use a a thing. 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:41.319 And every now and then we're really beat more say 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:42.600 should we you know? 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:43.960 But I'll still call. 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:48.320 A restaurant order, we pick it up or they deliver it. 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:50.680 But but we love cooking. 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:51.400 I don't know why. 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.160 Do you think that's part of the drama. Do you 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:55.600 think it's part of theater, part of being an actor 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:58.559 that it's separate from what you do? 0:10:58.679 --> 0:10:59.320 Is it a time? 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:01.800 I know that when I was working, I would always 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:04.880 come home and everybody says, sit down and relax. And 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:07.280 I found the most kind of relaxing thing to do 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:08.000 is to cook, to. 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:09.800 Be in the kitchen. It is. 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:14.440 It's we always wonder about the post meal part, like 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:16.319 we're always like, wow, now we have to do all this, 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:19.760 you know, all the cleaning and stuff, so that that 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.640 kind of punctures some of the kind of healium of it. 0:11:23.720 --> 0:11:28.760 But I don't know if it's so much relaxing as it. 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:31.680 It's just kind of what we do. It's like what's expected, 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:34.120 what else? What else is the family going to do 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.040 if we don't get in the kitchen. And in New York, 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:39.559 like here in London, you can run out at the 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:40.280 last minute. 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:41.840 You can make a meal quickly. 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:47.600 It's not as like it doesn't seem as such a 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:53.400 big effort in a way, and often things just taste 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.520 better than if you're ordering it. In our opinion, we 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:58.560 I mean not that we don't think of ourselves highly 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:01.520 as like chefs or anything like that, But I don't know. 0:12:02.040 --> 0:12:05.360 Our children always, I will say, they always say like, wow, 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:08.200 we're really lucky. We get to eat have dinner every night. 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:11.080 When you're in a play, do you eat before you 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:12.439 before the performance? 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:12.920 Are after? 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:14.280 I enchurge? 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:17.839 So is it? Did you go on stage hungry? 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:19.160 I mean a little bit. 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:23.440 I'll have yogurt, bananas. There's these eggs here that I'm 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.400 in love with that I go mad for the ones 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:28.120 I want to put my suitcase, but I know I'm 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:28.600 not allowed. 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:31.079 They're called burfer. 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:31.520 Yeah. 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.679 They have those orange yolks that are just oh my god, 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:36.040 oh my god. 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:38.760 So we go through a lot of those. I eat 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:39.920 those bananas. 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:44.120 I'll have some lamp stew or barley and some meat. 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:50.880 I love your rashers. Here, your bacon, streaky bacon and kofta. 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:53.960 From our local butcher is really nice. 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:57.160 I think it's time for our first question from our audience, 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.160 which said is going to read. 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.280 I used to work at the River Cafe and every 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:05.679 night I felt like customers had a different collective character. 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:09.719 Saturday night was different from Tuesday night, and it was 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.040 not the same every Saturday night, but it would become 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:15.360 a kind of dominant vibe. And then I started working 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.880 in theater and in my mind it was exactly the same. 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:22.880 And I wondered what your experience of London audiences has 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:25.400 been and are the different to American audiences. 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:30.120 Well, you've described it so beautifully, whether it's in America, 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:33.000 in New York City or here. This sort of I 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:35.440 always say, like what time did they all get together 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:37.280 and decide who they were going to be tonight? Like 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:40.560 it's a conspiracy that they work so beautifully together. And 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:43.920 it is a range and a Saturday night can be 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:48.360 boisterous and civilized or boisterous and out of control and 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:51.280 sort of behaving I'm going to say poorly in quotes, 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:53.079 but not really but just more talkative. 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:54.319 And but. 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:59.440 Generally speaking, the audiences here have been really, really lovely 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:00.599 and very hospitable. 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:03.079 And we weren't sure because this is a very American 0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:08.680 play by a real American playwright writing about kind of 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:13.520 cultural familiarity to Americans, especially New Yorkers, but they've been 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:14.720 absolutely wonderful. 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:19.080 I think they've They've proven. 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:23.480 To be really great listeners, like sincerely great listeners, but 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:28.520 they do seem to have psychically agreed upon something and 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:32.120 I don't understand it, Like these people probably couldn't agree 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:34.640 about anything else. If you remove them from the theater, 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:36.760 like as a whole, maybe they could. 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:37.200 I don't know. 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:40.520 But it is unique, and that is in a restaurant. 0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:42.760 Don't you think that we can say, Yeah, you can 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.600 sort of put the same food at the same time, 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:48.680 the same with the same team. Yeah, you can go 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:51.440 home at ten o'clock and think I'm a failure, you know, 0:14:51.640 --> 0:14:54.680 because it did you really think this was one of. 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:55.840 The greatest nights in my life. 0:14:55.960 --> 0:14:59.000 Yeah, this is so hard to it is, and it's 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:02.960 I think the human part of all of this is 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.800 the thing that's just hard to pin down. Like you 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:11.400 can't do the same show. You have a good show 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.080 and you're trying to sort of always mimic that, or 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:17.160 in the kitchen you'll have a great and you're always 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.880 trying to but it is human, So it's never going 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:20.400 to be the same. 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:21.800 It's never going to last as long. 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.440 The pause isn't going to get a laugh or maybe 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:30.440 it will or And I think that's what makes it 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:34.880 so exciting for a diner or hopefully for an audience. 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:36.720 Is they are very much. 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:41.760 A part of it. They are a significant fifty percent 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:45.080 of the relationship. Is the diner to your chefs and 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:48.720 your servers and you and us with our audience, our playwright, 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:51.960 our words, our director, and this audience like they have 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:55.080 to be our partner for the night, and they show 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:58.840 that in various ways. 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:05.120 Did you know the River Cafe has a shop. It's 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:09.440 full of our favorite foods and designs. We have cookbooks, Linen, Napkins, 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:13.520 kitchen ware, Toad bags with our signatures, glasses from Venice, 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.760 chocolates from Turin. You can find us right next door 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:20.120 to the River Cafe in London or online at shop 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:37.920 Therivercafe dot co dot uk. So, Sarah, you've just made 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:40.200 punterourel lmada with Sean. 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:45.320 There is something to me about Puntaurel salad that it 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.680 really it blows my mind. And it's very hard to 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:50.480 get in New York. For anybody who lives in New York. 0:16:50.920 --> 0:16:54.920 Puntrell is like contraband, like apparently it's not allowed or 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:57.160 and when it is, there's like you have like four 0:16:57.240 --> 0:17:00.920 days to enjoy it. And to have it here sort 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:04.200 of like at your whim to meet is such decadence. 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:09.800 This is the print role. 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:15.320 But I've never seen it in its natural state to 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:16.000 be smaller. 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:18.959 Because we went you in last week were were they 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:20.080 were huge. 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:21.600 Massive heads of it. 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:23.840 It's actually checorea, you know what. 0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:26.920 It's like a checorea plant, and so you can either 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.639 use the outside leaves and just chopp them up and 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.280 boil them as a vegetable and then this is like 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:33.399 the bulb in the middle. 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:39.360 Oh wow, it's interesting. Wow, the whole plant, Oh my god, 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:40.280 inside it is. 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:42.719 These things are live fingers, so what you generally do, 0:17:42.760 --> 0:17:43.600 it's just well you can. 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:44.640 Cut them off or pull them off. 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:46.520 Do you have to soak them or anything? 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:50.520 Yeah, so it's all in the soaking, right. This goes 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:52.720 in ice water, and it goes in ice water for 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:57.080 about an hour and then it turns into bear. 0:17:56.920 --> 0:17:58.680 With me, call that. No you're okay, Oh you're here. 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:01.960 It's kind of will crunch you like this and. 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:05.399 See I see you cut it. 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:06.480 Just put it in nice water. 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.120 So the dressing, I'll make the dressing for one. 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:14.120 I'll put a tiny bit whatever you want, don't don't, 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:16.400 don't change anything on my account. 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:18.920 What is that beautiful chili? Chili? 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:21.440 Gorgeous fine chili, like a tiny bit. 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:23.600 And then. 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:26.800 These anchovies are really. 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:28.800 Chovies are so beautiful. 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:29.880 A bit more peppering. 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:30.520 I'll just touched my. 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:34.560 Hands probably about that much olive. 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.560 This is actually making it's going to be super well dressed. 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:39.040 Oh my god, it's gorgeous. 0:18:39.280 --> 0:18:40.600 Yeah, this is just your dressing. 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:42.199 Oh so gorgeous. 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:43.440 And it is literally simple. 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:45.320 Now how dry? Did I get them dry enough? In 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:46.240 your estimation? 0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:47.360 Okay? 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:51.359 But I mean, heavens you like as much vinegar as 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:51.639 you like. 0:18:51.680 --> 0:19:01.000 Really, yeah, So Sarah read the recipe and I just 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:04.359 tell you that it's absolutely divine. 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:08.239 And it was on Sunday. Two heads of puntarell. Am 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:12.919 I saying it correctly? Puntarell, five salted anchovies cleaned, and 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:18.120 your wonderful chef used Spanish anchovies, two tablespoons of red 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:21.080 wine vinegar. One garlic clove chopped. And then she did 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:23.679 this gorgeous thing with her knife where she sort of 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:27.760 Smearede's right, Sean, I'm sorry, Sean. She sort of took 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:32.800 her knife and mashed it and made it a wonderful 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:35.840 kind of misery. One garlic chrove chopped as I've had, 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:39.360 two dried chilis, one teaspoon of black pepper, four tablespoons 0:19:39.400 --> 0:19:42.960 of extra virgin olive oil. And then to prepare the puntarell, 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:45.280 fill a bowl with ice cold water, adding a few 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:49.320 ice cubes. Pull the hollow buds from the puntarel heads. 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:52.639 I guess once they're out of that and nice and 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:56.239 clean and crisp, slice the buds very thinly lengthwise and 0:19:56.320 --> 0:19:58.800 place in the water to crisp until they curl up. 0:19:58.920 --> 0:20:00.320 This will take about an hour. 0:20:01.520 --> 0:20:04.240 Add the garlic to the anchovies with the crumbled chilis 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:07.280 and the pepper at the olive oil. Spin dry the 0:20:07.320 --> 0:20:11.040 punterrell and place in a bowl and mix with the 0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:12.000 anchovy sauce. 0:20:12.800 --> 0:20:15.560 Per perfection, per perfection. 0:20:17.200 --> 0:20:20.680 I'm curious about when you first had pontourel that purel 0:20:20.800 --> 0:20:22.200 was Cincinnati. 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:25.320 In Cincinnati and no, well, I moved to New York 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:29.160 when I was a very little girl. But we can 0:20:29.160 --> 0:20:31.520 talk about the vegetables that were available in Cincinnati. But 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:34.880