Anthony Paone

CHEF—20 SPOT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

“I like that old-school aesthetic. I prefer pencil sharpeners to word processors.”

—Anthony Paone

Coming from an Italian-American family, Anthony was inspired to start cooking because of the enjoyment he found in it at home. He says, “I enjoyed the time around the table and just pursued interests that revolved around that conviviality.” And pursue a culinary career he did.

After graduating from the New York Restaurant School, Anthony Paone, a Staten Island native, felt satisfied that twenty-one years on the East Coast was sufficient and, with the encouragement of friend and fellow chef Erik Hopfinger and the promise of a job, he moved to San Francisco in 1997. Once settled, Anthony worked at small restaurants, eventually working his way up to become the executive chef of both Sea Salt and T-Rex Restaurant & Bar, two of many popular Bay Area restaurants owned by restaurateurs Haig and Cindy Krikorian’s K2 Restaurant Group. Anthony amicably parted with the group in 2011, and worked toward opening his own restaurant.

Anthony says, “I truly love just about every part of the job. The beginning of the day with ingredients and energy, tackling all of the tasks and obstacles to making that night’s offerings the best they can be. I am also quite passionate about buying and cooking with ‘clean’ food. The best in animal husbandry, ocean stewardship, and organic produce are at my disposal, and I take full advantage.” While he was working at both Sea Salt and T-Rex simultaneously, he developed relationships with meat, fish, and produce purveyors that continue to this day, as does his dedication to sourcing the best possible product.

Anthony is now the proud owner of wine bar 20 Spot, which opened in March 2013. The restaurant has Anthony working creatively using mainly raw food and serving well-planned and thought-out bar snacks since the wine bar doesn’t have a full kitchen.

Anthony is as passionate about his ink as he is about his cooking. He says, “I just really love tattoo culture, so tattoos may have always been a given for me.” Many of his tattoos are food-oriented. A large wooden-handled sashimi knife, a replica of a favorite of his, adorns his right forearm. He had originally intended to have the actual knife to scale on his body, but it would have run from his wrist to his shoulder. On the opposite side of his right forearm sits the word “cafone,” Italian for a person who is ill-mannered or uncouth, and below that is “nullius in verba,” which is Latin for “on the word of no one” or “take nobody’s word for it.” Across Anthony’s left forearm is a large yellowfin tuna. Sea Salt was a completely sustainable seafood restaurant, and Anthony’s time there led him to have a fascination and respect for the fish. Anthony laments that tuna is not really a sustainable fish: “Most tunas are going to be fished to extinction. Unfortunately, they’re analogous to lions or tigers on the land.” While it’s not quite as endangered as the tuna Anthony also has a crawfish on the back of his right arm, and a large squid on his bicep. On the inside of his wrist is a naked man eating a sandwich. He says, “In 2000 I was in Holland and I bought a pencil drawing, 2" by 2", of this image. I liked it and kept it and put it near my computer for years until the drawing started to wear. I decided to get it tattooed cause I liked it so.”

Anthony describes his nonculinary tattoos as embodying a spirit of “recently deceased Americana.” These tattoos include a pencil sharpener, a one-cent stamp, and a cassette tape. Anthony says he’s the kind of guy who’d love a coffee table book of “things people born after a certain date don’t know what they are.” Hopefully, the tuna won’t go the same way as these tattoos.

Chef’s Day-After Breakfast

How did this recipe come about? Anthony says, “I had taken a chicken home from work the night before, and because a bit of wine was consumed, the chicken was only picked at before I fell asleep. When I woke up and saw my wife off to work, I rolled a smoke and settled in for a bit of pre-shower recovery in the form of a cup of strong coffee. What I cooked to finish my recovery is pretty much what I have written here.”



  1. For Chicken: Preheat oven to 300°F. Place chicken leg and stock in an ovensafe cast-iron pan and put in oven, uncovered. As the chicken leg heats through, it will go from leftover and cold, to hot and braised. This should take 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. For Grits: While the chicken is in the oven, combine water and milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Whisk in the grits. Season with a little salt and pepper and reduce heat to very low. Cook, whisking the whole time, until creamy and delicious, about 30 to 40 minutes if you are using Anson Mills grits. If you are using “quick cook grits,” follow box instructions. Remove from heat, whisk or fold in cheese, and set aside. (Since we regularly have cheese around, I usually add some, but it is more of a gilding of the lily than a necessity.) In truth, you can cook the grits in a rice cooker while you shower and wait for the chicken, or you could use instant grits, which are easier but less satisfying.
  3. For Salsa Verde: First, pound garlic, salt, and anchovy in a mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. Then add kale, parsley, mint (you can use any green herbs here, except cilantro or dill), and pepper (I use marash, but chili flakes, Aleppo, etc., are all acceptable) and grind until it is a semi-homogenous paste. Taste. Add a little vinegar. Taste again. (It shouldn’t be very vinegary, but rather balanced with the herbs and garlic.) Then add enough olive oil to make the mixture “spoonable.” Taste again, adjusting seasoning to your liking.
  4. For Pickled Onion: Slice onion and place into large bowl. Bring vinegar, water, spices, and sugar to a boil. Pour boiling liquid over onion. Let sit for 10 minutes before using. I usually make these in batches and keep them in the fridge for moments like this. The liquid can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 months. Serve cold.
  5. For Poached Egg: Fill a small pot 34 full with water. Bring water, salt, and white vinegar to a simmer in an uncovered pot and poach egg to your desired doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes. (I like mine quite runny.) Remove and set aside.
  6. To Complete: Put a large spoonful of Grits on the plate and top with chicken leg, spooning some of the reduced chicken stock from the pan over the chicken (it’s nice to squeeze a little lemon in this stock just before). Place your Poached Egg alongside the chicken and spoon some of your rustic Salsa Verde on top. Then sprinkle with Pickled Onion slices and maybe drizzle some good California extra-virgin olive oil on top. Garnish with arugula (because I live in California, and we have to garnish everything with arugula—it’s the law). Serve immediately.

NOTES FROM THE CHEF

Making Salsa Verde is a very versatile thing. You can make any variation (add capers or nuts) for any number of dishes. Making a sauce can help you use up small amounts of leftover herbs or greens. Use it for meat, fish, eggs, or vegetables.