The Dish: Markette's Braised Oxtail Gratin
This braised oxtail gratin straddles worlds
The Dish: I found Markette’s Braised Oxtail Gratin the way all good things are found (no, not Instagram), but through word of mouth. There are a dozen ways to find out what’s hot, but nothing beats a friend who eats out all the time and randomly tells you about this upscale but low-key European-slash-Caribbean restaurant in Chelsea called Markette. “Two words,” they say. “Oxtail gratin.” And so a seed is planted.
Markette is run by award-winning Chef India Doris, whose culinary imagination is on full display. The charred snap peas with spring potato, horseradish, and grilled scallions is an appetizer that pops. The African-inspired peri-peri chicken (Swahili for “pepper”) is a buzzy main. The lamb and roti with fava beans is another must-order. The oxtail gratin is too big for a starter and not quite a main. It’s the perfect bite between those courses. The gratin is already food media-famous: The Infatuation called it a glamorous “glow-up” of shepherd’s pie.
The Ingredients: Oxtail, scotch bonnet oil, polenta, cheddar, crispy shallots.
The Legend: Chef Doris grew up in London in a Caribbean household and describes the menu at Markette as autobiographical — contemporary European with Caribbean influence, built from twenty years of cooking in France, Spain, Scotland, and New York. “I’m not trying to do things that I’m not familiar with,” she says. “It can’t be replicated.”
And in her family’s kitchen, one dish ruled. “Every island has a thing, and ours is oxtail.”
The Origin Story: The gratin starts traditionally: oxtail braised low and slow, the way it was made in her grandmother’s house, where the extended family — and, on Sundays, half the neighborhood — ate together. Then it goes somewhere else. The meat is picked down, the braising liquid reduced into a dark, silky gravy with scotch bonnet oil, and the whole thing is topped with polenta blended smooth with cheddar, garlic oil, and brown butter — “I really don’t like the grittiness of polenta” — piped on like a shepherd’s pie, and run under the heat until it’s gratinéed, served in copper pans.
Her grandmother, she says, never saw the point of restaurants: “Why would I go to a restaurant when I could make the food that I want to eat perfectly?” So the chef doesn’t try to compete. “This is not my grandma’s restaurant; this is my restaurant. I’m taking things that I love and trying to build something else.”
The family’s opinion on the remix? “They like it. It tastes like what we’re used to tasting.”
The dish aims to please longtime fans of oxtail and diners who may be more familiar with classic French cooking than Caribbean home cooking. It’s a win/win.
The First Bite: Doris’ Oxtail Gratin should be heavy, but it’s light on its feet. Every bite is both familiar and surprising. All of the cultural influences harmonize: the crispy shallots recall comforting casseroles. Polenta is a classic rustic Italian dish. The drizzle of Scotch Bonnet oil adds a welcome, lively kick to what is a savory, soulful dish. The broiled cheesy top almost cracks like creme brulee. Then there’s the oxtail itself, a medallion of marrow and tender meat, melted down and melded with a simple mirepoix. It’s luxurious but a team player. The moment you tuck into the dish, somehow, no matter who you are, you’re home.
The verdict: This is one of the most graceful and filling plates in the city. It’s not news that oxtail has become a trendy protein. Chef Doris doesn’t get too precious with it. She respects it.
Go check in at Markette with Blackbird, earn some $FLY, and first things first: order the Oxtail Gratin, then peruse the menu (the Curried Scallops are also fantastic.)