Andy Nusser

The Climb

Formal kitchen training came through Culinary Institute of America, followed by a non-linear professional route that included work as an engineer in San Diego before Andy Nusser returned fully to restaurant cooking. The engineering detail matters only insofar as the later cooking depends on control: heat, timing, reduction, and the decision to leave a plate direct. New York technique was sharpened in the Chef de cuisine role at Babbo, where Andy Nusser worked within a restaurant culture built on bold seasoning, recognizable references, and wine-aware food. The later move to Tarry Lodge in Port Chester, N.Y. (from 2008) extended that vocabulary into classic dishes meant to sit naturally with classic wines. Restaurant longevity is part of the craft record. As Executive Chef and partner of Casa Mono (since 2003) and partner of Bar Jamón (since 2003), Andy Nusser has kept Spanish cooking in New York tied to repetition, appetite, and a stable point of view rather than trend cycles.

Today

Since 2003, the chef/partner role at Casa Mono and Bar Jamón (New York City) has kept Andy Nusser’s work close to Spanish formats: tapas, hearty fare, and a cosmopolitan style built for a New York dining room. The cooking does not rely on copying Spain; it holds the working signals in place: salt, heat, wine, small plates, offal, seafood, and directness. A la plancha cooking sets much of the restaurant’s grammar. The method rewards contact, restraint, and timing: surface heat, charred edges, concentrated juices, and plates that do not need excess garnish to make their point. Within that frame, Casa Mono’s range includes arcane offal such as cockscombs, alongside Spanish dishes including bacalao croquettes and pan con tomate. The named dishes show station range and sourcing choices. Octopus à la plancha with fennel and grapefruit is noted among the plancha dishes for its contrast of char, tenderness, bitterness, and brightness. Cockscombs with a rich reduction of red wine and cepas give an uncommon ingredient a serious sauce treatment rather than using it only for shock value. For Gastrotour New York 2020, the special Cinco Jotas dish of Carabinero Prawn WITH White Asparagus AND Cinco Jotas Ham brought land and sea into a compact composition built from a few forceful elements.

Signature

The signature set—Carabinero Prawn WITH White Asparagus AND Cinco Jotas Ham, cockscombs, octopus, and bacalao croquettes—maps a Casa Mono vocabulary through Andy Nusser: shellfish with ham, offal, plancha work, and the croquette as a disciplined Spanish staple. The range moves from snack to specialty while staying inside the same table logic.

In Their Words “The food that we have here at Tarry Lodge is a collection of greatest hits from Babbo, Otto, Lupa [the group's Roman trattoria] and even Casa Mono. They're classic [dishes] and they're played with classic wines.” “Going into a restaurant in Spain and being able to order a 1960 Rioja—the vintage of my birth year—was great. They keep those [older] vintages forever. That's a recent highlight.”

Recognition

The recognition record places Andy Nusser’s work in both competition and restaurant-guide contexts: Copa de Jerez; award-winning chef (2007), One Michelin star for Casa Mono (2009), Best of Award of Excellence for Casa Mono, Best of Award of Excellence for Babbo, and Three stars for Casa Mono.