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*All photos provided courtesy of Todd English Enterprises
 Superstar chef Todd English has been praised for more than 20 years by the food industry’s most prestigious media, won numerous awards, established some of the best-known restaurant brands in the nation, published three critically acclaimed cookbooks, and was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” in 2001.
English’s original restaurant, Olives, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, was a 50-seat restaurant that opened in 1989. It quickly drew national and international applause for English’s interpretive rustic Mediterranean cuisine. Still a Boston icon, Olives is now housed in a larger space down the street from its original location. In recent years, English has established Olives as one of the most prestigious names in the country by opening six other locations: in the W Hotel in Manhattan’s Union Square; at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas; in the heart of Washington, DC; at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen, Colorado; and most recently in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the newly renovated Beau Rivage Resort and Casino.
English also has two Figs restaurants in the greater Boston area, as well as a location at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The Figs’ menu features traditional and eclectic pizzas, as well as handmade pastas. Among English’s other restaurants are Tuscany at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, which serves Italian-inspired foods that pay homage to his Italian roots; Bonfire, a steak house in Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel, which also has locations in New York’s JFK and Boston’s Logan airports. KingFish Hall, Todd’s first seafood eatery, is in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall. Todd’s second seafood concept, Fish Club, located at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, opened in the spring of 2003, and in 2004 bluezoo opened at the Walt Disney World Resort’s Dolphin Hotel. The high seas host two locations of Restaurant Todd English on the Cunard Line.
 One of his most recent endeavors is a partnership with Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria. Along with veteran L.A. restaurateurs J. T. Torregiani (also Paula Abdul’s ex) and Jonas Lowrance, they recently opened Beso, a 150-seat restaurant in Los Angeles. English is excited about the venture—as is his star partner.
“I’m not simply attaching my name to Beso,” Longoria says. “I have a genuine love for the art of cooking and an intense appreciation of the warmth and cultural experiences of the meals I grew up with.” Lowrance and Torregiani note that “Eva brings her love of cooking and a few of her classic recipes, adding a unique twist to the menu and a universally appealing nuance for diners.”
The focal point of Beso’s dining room is the dramatic open kitchen, which allows diners a peek into the culinary “theater” of chefs working their magic. The wood-burning oven, custom designed to English’s specifications, fires up nightly, and a ceviche (classic South American citrus-marinated seafood) bar serves up creative preparations of the freshest fish. The menu features flavorful dishes such as artichoke guacamole, English’s twist on the Mexican classic, as well as his signature paella with lobster and chorizo.
A prominent open bar serves up a menu of fresh, authentic cocktails. Loosely interpreted as a “juice bar with a strong shot of alcohol,” Beso’s concoctions feature fresh tropical juices, such as papaya and guava, mixed with traditional cocktail ingredients.
Your signature style first earned rave reviews at your original Boston restaurant, Olives. Do you still think of Boston as home?
Boston is my home. I just bought a new brownstone on Beacon Hill and this is where my children live. I generally split my time between NYC and Boston, but I do consider this my home.
 With the incredible expansion of the Todd English empire, how do you maintain the kind of quality and consistency that warrants the Todd English brand?
I surround myself with talented people whom I trust. I am very lucky to have such a gifted team that is able to operate the restaurants if I’m not present. I’m also very hands-on and I visit every location frequently and I am calling every day.
How did your affiliation with Cunard come about? Will there be Todd English’s on the new Cunard vessel?
I was lucky enough to have a few fans of some of my restaurants who happened to work for Cunard. When the Queen Mary 2 came about, they actually approached me and it was a perfect match. We just opened another Todd English on the newest Cunard Ship, the Queen Victoria.
You just opened a restaurant with Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives. What brought the two of you together? How did you arrive at the concept?
A mutual friend introduced me to Eva and told me that she was passionate about food and was interested in opening her own restaurant. I knew that she had wanted a South American/Spanish feel to the restaurant but she really liked the Mediterranean cooking that I am known for, so we were able to incorporate both techniques and really make it work.
 What’s the most exciting thing you are working on at the moment?
There are a few ventures that I am currently working on that are exciting to me. I have a line of cookware on HSN that includes a GreenPan, an environmentally friendly cooking pan that I am really excited about. I am also in the process of opening new Bonfire restaurants inside airports and they are doing very well. Also, getting Beso up and running is also taking up a lot of my time these days.
You are just back from a trip to Asia. Should we be looking for a new Asian-influenced project?
Every time I travel, I always look for interesting ingredients and dishes to bring back home with me. A lot of my dishes are influenced by my travels. I love to learn about other cultures and their cooking methods.
Fresh Tuna Tabouli
Serves 4
1⁄3 cup coarse bulgur wheat
1⁄2 cup boiling water
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 shallot, minced
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
11⁄2 cups (about 3⁄4 pound) finely chopped very fresh bluefin or yellowfin tuna (this must be done by hand)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1⁄2 lemon)
1 to 2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 4 thick slices
1. Place the bulgur and water in a large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes, then stir and cool to room temperature. The bulgur should be soft but not mushy; it should still have some bite. Add the cucumber, ginger, shallot, mint, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, oil, and tuna and stir well.
2. Just prior to serving, add the lemon juice. Place one tomato slice on each plate. Using a one-cup “dry” measuring cup, scoop up the tabouli and place 1 cup on each of the tomato slices. Serve immediately.
Arugula Salad with Tomato and Cucumber Juice
Serves 4
Arugula, similar to the radish leaf, is one of my favorite bitter greens. At Olives, we make this salad when someone wants a salad with no fat at all. It’s delicious served with Ginger Mustard Chicken.
3 bunches arugula, well washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and pureed, or 1⁄2 cup cucumber juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
2 beefsteak tomatoes, finely minced
1 red onion, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves or
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
1. Place the arugula in a large serving bowl.
2. To make the dressing: Combine the cucumber juice, vinegar, lemon juice, tomatoes, onion, garlic, rosemary, basil, thyme, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well and pour over the arugula. Toss and serve immediately.
Ginger Mustard Chicken
Serves 4
Easy to prepare and low in fat, it’s an ideal weekday dinner. Serve with Arugula Salad with Tomato and Cucumber Juice.
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, split
1 to 2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 8 slices total
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place the ginger, garlic, and mustard in a small bowl and mash together with a fork to form a paste.
3. Place the chicken in a baking dish and coat the top of the chicken breasts with the ginger mixture. Top with the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, bread crumbs, parsley, and rosemary, place in the oven, and bake until tender, about 15 minutes.
Jean Kerr is the editor of Taste, the author of three cookbooks and two-time Book of the Year Award nominee.
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