Stacy Cogswell Is Shaking Up The Regal Beagle
Chef Stacy Cogswell of Regal Beagle. Photo provided
The Regal Beagle in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner is already feeling the effect of executive chef Stacy Cogswell’s weekly presence on Top Chef Boston. Sales are up and diners are clamoring for dishes featured on the show. For instance, on the episode, “Feeding Boston’s Finest,” Cogswell made a pan-roasted chicken that saved her team and had judge Tom Colicchio singing her praises. Since then, Cogswell says she can barely keep up with demand on her new chicken and spaetzel offering at Regal Beagle.
“I really think it’s because of Top Chef,” Cogswell says. “We’re just selling a ton of chicken. I’m going through a case of chicken from Savenor’s [Market] a day. It’s not even the same dish I prepared on the show. I guess I’m now ‘Stacy the chicken master.'”
Besides the added revenue, all that extra attention has also drawn in a new, more adventurous clientele that is making it easier for Cogswell to justify wholesale changes. Starting this week, the chef introduced a new menu that scrapped over 90 percent of the Beagle’s former offerings. Gone are the burgers and mac and cheese selections, which have defined the neighborhood spot for years. In their place are original dishes like Cogswell’s spin on chicken and waffles: duck confit on a sage waffle with whole-roasted garlic cloves and a caramelized onion jus “that’s so sticky it’s like a savory maple syrup.”
“I’ve been trying to change things up a lot since coming here,” Cogswell says. “I don’t have burgers on the dinner menu, even though we’re still offering them. We’re trying to get rid of the mac and cheese. We’re really trying to up the quality of the food here. I get it that people love mac and cheese, but me personally, I hate truffle oil. It seriously hurts me to buy truffle oil. And this isn’t my mac and cheese, it’s just a staple that’s been here forever.”
Other changes include the additions of a grilled one-pound ribeye with bone marrow butter; seared sea scallops served with a chestnut purée and mustard greens; and veal osso bucco resting on a bed of butter-braised Macomber Family turnips.
“We’re getting way more adventurous eaters,” Cogswell says. “For instance, I kind of assumed that when I introduced my pumpkin and bacon bisque with roasted garlic marshmallows, people might think it sounded gross. But I’m selling the crap out of that. I never thought I’d make so many marshmallows in my life. We brûlée the marshmallows and it melts into the soup with the puréed bacon. I’m looking at things that are comforting to me and make me feel like I’m at home. I’m finally able to put my own culinary spin on the menu.”
308 Harvard St., Brookline; 617-739-5151
