What’s New at Alexander’s Garden Restaurant

After a summer sabbatical, Naples chef and restaurateur Alexander Bernard is back in the kitchen with a host of ideas

Chef Alexander Bernard. Photo by Michael Caronchi
Chef Alexander Bernard. Photo by Michael Caronchi

Naples chef/restaurateur Alexander Bernard and his wife, Monika, work hard from fall through spring, then close their charming Alexander’s Garden Restaurant for the summer in order to replenish their creative juices. Last summer proved particularly inspiring for Bernard. For one, he met an iconic chef/restaurateur he greatly admires. Second, he developed a sandwich to thrill Chicago transplants and fans of the television show The Bear, in which the protagonist, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, leaves a job at one of the world’s best restaurants to lead his dead brother’s dysfunctional sandwich shop back home in Chi-town.

Scenes of Carmy precisely dicing vegetables for the giardiniera, slicing slabs of round roasts, and pulling fresh-baked rolls from the oven to create a much-prized Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich can cause serious cravings. Bernard aims to satisfy that longing with his version of the famous food. He smokes brisket, then finishes it in the oven. He has put the sandwich on the lunch menu, he says, and it has proven to be popular.

The highlight of Bernard’s summer vacation was meeting Nobu Matsuhisa, the celebrity fusion chef who now has dozens of restaurants around the world. During their stay in California, the Bernards were dining at one of Matsuhisa’s restaurants when the man himself walked in. Bernard called out his name, and to his surprise, Matsuhisa came over to introduce himself. They had a great conversation. “He was so nice,” Bernard says. “He’s a nice, humble guy. It was my highlight.”

If you’re inclined toward Japanese fare, check out Bernard’s rice cake with tuna tartare, shiitake mushroom salad, and bar bites such as a duck wrap and a sirloin taco, all inspired by Matsuhisa.

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