When it comes to iconic celebrity chefs, few tower taller than Wolfgang Puck. He owns dozens of restaurants around the world, including his flagship restaurant, Spago. He was hosting culinary shows long before food TV became a thing, and he's cooked the legendary Oscars Governors Ball dinner for 21 years. Much has been written about the man, the myth, and the legend, but we had a few burning questions of our own. We caught up with Puck by phone to ask him about his ideal dinner date, his favorite pizza, and his thoughts on food in tiny spoons—hey, it is Oscars season. Here's what he had to say.
Champagne, but only if it's Krug. If it's bad Champagne, give me a martini.
Bruschetta, with ricotta cheese and a little bit of white truffle.
Bradley Cooper, because I know him better.
Oh, boy.
In a tiny spoon, but you've got to make it spicy. Give it lots of big flavor, because it's a small portion.
Pesto. There's garlic in pesto—basil, too. But no red sauce.
Black truffles in the winter, and white in the fall.
Summer truffles are boring.
My wife!
Dark chocolate pudding. It's got to be intense.
A sit-down dinner, if it's at my house. I hate how, at a buffet, people load up their plates with so much food. And then everything touches, and I don't like that. The food should be separate.
I'm Austrian so of course the Grand Budapest Hotel.
Well I really like my coffee. I have the same espresso machine in my house that we have at the restaurant.
Wearable gold.
I like mints. And also, I'm not good a chewing gum. My wife tells me I do it with my mouth open.
Oh, well kale will be easier to see. With poppy seeds, it's tricky to see the little bastards.
In the winter, soup. Salad for the summer.
What is Speculoos?
Oh, then Nutella.
I like chocolate-raspberry.
I like really thick Greek yogurt, but with black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.
Juice. We do a fresh orange juice every morning. Today we did a blood orange juice, but we usually get our oranges from a farmer who lets them hang on the tree for longer, so they're sweeter and less acidic.
I think you can do more with farro.
I like harissa.
Oh, olive oil.
Chicken thigh. Always. That might be because when I was younger, my father would eat the breast and we had to eat the dark meat. He got to pick first.
Baked.
Brussels sprouts, but I like them roasted, caramelized, with a tangy vinaigrette. Like a little lemon, lemon peel, mustard, and olive oil. But just a little; you don't want it to taste oily. And you have to cut them in half.
Scrambled eggs with caviar for dinner.
Ha, yes. And Krug.
Vegetarian, I think. You can eat a lot as a vegetarian.
Waffles, but they've got to be crispy. The edges have to be crispy. I like a little syrup. For Jennifer Lopez's wedding, I did chicken and waffles with a little spicy honey, and that was pretty good.
Steak. It's easier to get a steak cooked right. Like, you can say, "Medium-rare," and you know your steak will be medium-rare. With lobster, it's almost always overcooked and rubbery.
Pie. Pecan pie, with bourbon in it. And unsweetened cream. And now you know everything about me!