Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart reveals a passion for butter and brussels sprouts.
By Victoria Abbot Riccardi
Boston Common MagazineTIES TO BOSTON
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1959, Keith Lockhart first visited Boston at the age of eight, when he dined at Durgin-Park with his father. It was a memorable lunch, not because of the clam chowder or rude waitresses, but because "after we left the restaurant, we found out our car had been broken into." Undaunted, Lockhart returned to the Hub in 1995 to serve as the 20th conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
TINY GOURMET
"As a kid, I ordered everything. In fact, I always wanted brussels spouts on my birthday." But not cake. "It was too sweet. I don't particularly like chocolate, either. I'd rather have another french fry."
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Between travel and performances, Lockhart rarely dines at home. "My classic favorite is No. 9 Park. [Barbara Lynch] does a mean foie gras. I sometimes order the truffle macaroni and chees as an entree." During Tanglewood season, Lockhart favors Cafe Lucia in Lenox, partly because he's friends with the owners, and "I love their Bolognese."
KEY INGREDIENTS
"I could eat a stick of butter every day. I also love cheese." While his significant other goes for "stinky, soft cheeses," Lockhart prefers hard, sharp varieties like aged Gouda, "probably because I grew up eating really good Vermont Cheddar."
PASS THE BATON
"I don't like uni [Japanese sea urchin]. It's mainly the texture." In terms of vegetables, "I've never been a huge fan of artichokes or okra."
THE LUNCH
Lockhart, who stays fit and trim by rehearsing and conducting ("Basically, I sweat through my tux each performance."), came to Cafe Fleuri in the Langham Hotel in black tie, on his way to shoot a video for the Pops. To accompany his cup of carrot-ginger soup and crab-stuffed tomato salad, he chose the Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc Alexander Valley 2005. "I love good wine, single malts, and Belgian beer."
PRE/POSE-CONCERT ROUTINES
Not a breakfast eater Lockhart begins his day with coffee at home (Mocka Sanani is his bean of choice. "Three and a half hours before the concert, I'll nap for an hour and have a bite to eat." Sometimes it's a small steak and pasta. Lately, it's all about speed and nutrition. "I'm a slave to Stouffer's," admits Lockhart, whose current favorite is Grandma's Chicken and Vegetable Rick Bake. After a concert, "I like a good steak frites or cassoulet."
IDEAL CULINARY COMPOSITION: FROM SOUP TO MUSIC
At his cabin near Cutler, Maine, "probably because it has the best-equipped kitchen," Lockhart, who likes to cook, would make butternut squash soup "with a big dollop of sour cream-you know me and butter"; a perfectly steamed lobster or pork tenderloin "in an Indonesian marinade that's sweet and spicy, with peanuts and apricot preserves"; and to finish, "a liquid dessert [Cognac]." As for music, "There would be no music. I don't listen to music for recreation. It's too distracting."
FOOD PLAY
We say: Rodgers & Hammerstein's "June Is Bustin' Out All Over."
Lockhart says: "A clambake."
We say: Gershwin's "Summertime."
Lockhart says: "Barbecue. I'm from the South." (Lockhart earned two degrees from Furman University in Greenville, South Caroline.)
We say: Glenn Miller's "In the Mood."
Lockhart says: "Oysters...let's just leave it at that."
THE CODA
"What I love about dining out is that it's a shared experience, versus a solo one like a concert or a movie...Yes, it's ephemeral, but then again, so is music."
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