HOTTIPS for Good Grilling
What’s cooking?
That can be anything from an informal
greeting, to an inquiry about work, to trying
to find out what’s for dinner.

In this case, what’s for dinner this summer?
According to some top area chefs, if you take
the proper time to prepare and season your food —
and pay enough attention so it doesn’t overcook or
undercook — you just might be able to put
something on your table as tasty as they do.

There’s a certain art to summertime cook-
ing, especially since much of it will be on
the grill.

“Grilling should be about simplicity,”
said Michael Solomonov, renowned chef
from Zahav in Society Hill, who just re-
turned from a trip to Israel. “It’s about high-
lighting the product that you’re working with.

“Over-complicated sauces aren’t necessary.

Marinating your product is important, as are stur-
dy skewers and, of course, charcoal.”
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Yehuda Sichel
That brings up an important debate: What if
you don’t have a charcoal grill — only a gas one?
“There are pros and cons,” replied Yehuda
Sichel, chef at Abe Fisher, a sister restaurant to Za-
hav. “Charcoal is harder to maintain and harder to
clean, but the flavor is better because you’re getting
flavor from the charcoal and not just the gas.

“But whatever you use, make sure the grill is hot and
clean and the meat is seasoned with salt. And the important
thing is to pay attention. A lot of people just overcook
their meat because they don’t pay enough attention.

“I’ve been cooking 15 years, and I still pay
attention.” So does chef Erin O’Shea of Percy Street Bar-
becue, who loves making the seasonal transition.

Erin “Cooking in the summer is quite different from
O’Shea cooking in the winter,” she explained. “It’s a whole
different feel, as the food we prepare is lighter in
every sense. Think of lots of salads and fish — gen-
erally dishes that require less cook time with simpler,
cleaner flavors than a long winter braise.

“At the restaurant, we always tease the cold-side crew
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