The 10 Dishes That Made My Career: Jonathan Benno of Lincoln Ristorante

From grandma's eggplant parm to Escoffier-style frogs' legs, the Per Se vet gives us a peek inside his culinary mind.

Alia Akkam

Until Lincoln Ristorante—which was recently awarded a Michelin star—opened in the shadows of Lincoln Center three years ago, classical music fans were deprived of spot-on modern Italian cooking within spitting distance of the performance. Now, pre-ballet Negronis and pristine pastas at Lincoln are mainstays of their evening ritual.

The two-story building, with its green roof and glass façade overlooking throngs of arts revelers, is as noteworthy for its architecture as it is for the presence of executive chef Jonathan Benno. Since leaving his prestigious six-year post at Per Se, where he was Thomas Keller’s handpicked chef de cuisine, Benno carved out his own lane here, meticulously crafting dishes like squid ink spaghetti with Florida shrimp, San Marzano tomatoes, Calabrian chile, mint, and bread crumbs using farmers’ market ingredients—and proving that dining in a convenient location can be a refined, transcendent experience.

Lincoln is the manifestation of Benno’s culinary dreams, fueled by a childhood that exposed him to pure, simple pleasures, like freshly plucked tomatoes dusted with salt. “I grew up in rural Connecticut, surrounded by farms. We had a big garden,” he says over the phone just before a hectic lunch service begins. His grandmother, the primary cook in the family, also inspired Benno: “I was lucky to grow up in a family where we sat down to dinner at 5:30, all the way until my teens, when of course I didn’t want to be home.”

At 15, Benno launched a life in the kitchen by washing dishes at the now-shuttered Oxford House in Connecticut. Three years later he was an eager line cook in Hawaii, where his desire to become a chef crystalized. As a student at the Culinary Institute of America, he landed an externship at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia and worked at the Mayflower Inn and Spa, in his home state, under the tutelage of John Farnsworth. “My dad was a carpenter and like a young apprentice looks up to a master, John was a tremendous teacher,” he recalls.

What unfurled afterwards reads just as impressively: Michael Mina’s Aqua in San Francisco, the French Laundry under Thomas Keller, and then—after clamoring for a New York run—Daniel, Les Célébrités in the Essex House, Gramercy Tavern, Craft, and Per Se, where he was renowned for executing Keller’s vision while creating dishes that were distinctly his.

“I made good choices, had a bit of luck, and I worked for some great people,” he says of his notable career thus far. From homemade pie to the joys of luxe solo dining (even when you don’t know how you’re going to pay for it), here are 10 meals that have stuck with Benno through his celebrated life in food.

Grandma's Eggplant Parmigiana

My grandmother, on my dad's side, did most of the cooking in the family. She was of Italian descent and I vividly remember her eggplant parmigiana from when I was a little kid–especially in the summer, when she used eggplant from the garden. She dusted it in flour, shallow-fried it in oil, and used fresh basil.
Dad's Cucumber and Tomato Salad

My father knew how to make bacon, French toast, and this salad. To help out, he would walk around our garden and pick the cucumbers and tomatoes. I learned early on from watching him how good fresh produce can be. He used Newman's Own dressing. Since Paul Newman lived in Connecticut, I grew up on it. To this day, I have three bottles at home. They are staples.
Homemade Pie at Uncle Richard's House

My dad's brother Richard was a tremendous baker and made the best pies. Never mind apple and pumpkin—there were strawberry, blueberry, and rhubarb. He probably used Crisco or something bad, because the crust was so flaky. Going to his house and watching the warm pies cool on the counter, it’s nostalgic. They smelled great and we had to wait until after dinner to get into them.
Venison Stew

My father and uncle were hunters, and once in a while they would let me tag along. They would shoot a deer, follow its blood trail, eviscerate it, hang it in my uncle's garage, and butcher it. The whole deer went into stew meat and we'd keep it in the freezer chest so we could have venison strew throughout the winter. At age 10 or 12, there was nothing better than being out with my dad and uncle, just us. It was a guy thing.
Sashimi in Hawaii

When I was 18, I moved to Hawaii. I was lucky enough to have a friend whose mother did public relations for the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows on the Big Island, one of the premier properties. Alan Wong was a young chef there at the Canoe House at the time and he introduced me to sashimi. We had fish sticks growing up, or bass or trout if my dad caught it. I didn't know raw fish in the '80s, but in Hawaii, you had it for breakfast.
Bread at the Mayflower Inn and Spa (Washington, CT)

While I was in culinary school I got a job at the Mayflower Inn and Spa, in Washington, CT, and it was the first time I worked for a truly great chef: John Farnsworth. John has a culinary command of baking and pastry, too, and his breads are an example. I remember coming into work and watching him, between lunch and dinner, bake the breads. It's 4pm in a small kitchen and all this bread is coming out of the oven—rustic white, wheat, multi-grain, with nori—and it was an inspiration as a young cook, something to aspire to while I was still in school.
Frogs' Legs at the Culinary Institute of America's Escoffier Room

At the end of the CIA you go through restaurant row. The Escoffier Room at the time was classical French, serving sole meunière and canard à la presse. I was the maître d', wearing a tuxedo, and I had never seen frogs' legs before. You talk about Escoffier, read about Escoffier, and here are the frogs' legs, dusted in flour and finished with capers, the way Escoffier made them.
Potato Agnolotti with White Truffle at the French Laundry (Yountville, CA)

Nearly 20 years ago, Ron Siegel was opening sous chef at the French Laundry. I was working as a cook at Aqua and remember driving up to Napa in the cold and rain four or five months after it opened. In the dining room, white truffles were under a cloche, and I had never had them before. Ron created an agnolotti with potato puree, mascarpone cheese, and truffle oil in a butter sauce with white truffles. I remember having that dish at that moment and not knowing how to pay for it. I can still taste it.
Filet of Veal at the French Laundry

A few months later I got to work at the French Laundry, except this time I drove up on a motorcycle. Chef Keller sent me a couple of dishes–salmon coronet, tuna tartare–but it was the filet of veal with glazed carrots, gnocchi, and watercress sauce that had me. Chef Keller, on the meat station, made it himself and then gave it to me to try. I remember him making the watercress sauce with white veal stock and watercress puree, and that sealed the deal. A restaurant that made white veal stock and allowed me to work closely with Thomas Keller? I knew I wanted to work there.
Solo Dining at Bouley (New York, NY)

Chef closed the French Laundry to renovate, so I came back to Connecticut to visit family and New York to trail around different restaurants. You couldn't get a reservation at Bouley but without budgeting for it, somehow I got one for lunch. I had to borrow a jacket and tie and I must have looked homeless. I remember the maître d', Dominique, looking at me and saying, "One moment, sir." The restaurant was filled with Wall Street guys and Japanese diners and I was so nervous. But I was treated like a prince. I ordered the lunch prix-fixe, two glasses of wine, and sat for a couple of hours as they sent out courses. It was a remarkable meal and I always remember it. It's when I knew I had to work in New York.

The 10 Dishes That Made My Career: Jonathan Benno of Lincoln Ristorante

Grandma's Eggplant Parmigiana

Dad's Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Homemade Pie at Uncle Richard's House

Venison Stew

Sashimi in Hawaii

Bread at the Mayflower Inn and Spa (Washington, CT)

Frogs' Legs at the Culinary Institute of America's Escoffier Room

Potato Agnolotti with White Truffle at the French Laundry (Yountville, CA)

Filet of Veal at the French Laundry

Solo Dining at Bouley (New York, NY)

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