Union Square Cafe’s lamb chops scottadito — seared hot, eaten off the bone — is one of those rare restaurant dishes that is genuinely fast to cook at home. The prep is nearly all in the marinade and the waiting. The cooking is under ten minutes. If you’ve ever wanted a fine-dining centerpiece that doesn’t require a roasting pan or a three-hour braise, this is it: a high-heat dish that delivers restaurant flavor through technique, not complexity.
The name tells you the intent. Scottadito means “burnt fingers” in Italian — you’re meant to pick these up off the grill and eat them immediately, while they’re still searing hot from the fire. Union Square Cafe, which Danny Meyer opened in 1985, has made a version of this dish for decades, and the scottadito technique itself never changes: thin rib chops, a quick marinade, maximum heat, four minutes per side. The Dijon-balsamic-basil marinade is the restaurant’s own interpretation of the Roman original. It adds sweetness and creates a caramelized crust that a straight olive-oil-and-garlic version doesn’t achieve.
The Marinade: What Makes the USC Version Different
A traditional Roman scottadito uses olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and sometimes lemon. Union Square Cafe’s version replaces the rosemary with fresh basil and adds two acidic elements: Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, blended smooth.
The Dijon does two jobs. It emulsifies the marinade so it clings to the chops rather than pooling in the bottom of the dish, and it creates a lacquered crust on contact with the hot grill. The balsamic vinegar adds a background sweetness and depth that the wine-free Roman version lacks. Blended together with fresh basil, the marinade is bright, slightly sweet, and faintly sharp — a combination that hits every flavor note as it caramelizes.
Marinate for at least 4 hours. Above 12 hours, the acids begin to break down the thin chops and change the texture. If you’re making this for a dinner party, start the marinade the night before and you’ll have chops ready the moment guests sit down.
The Cook: Maximum Heat, No Patience for Timing
Lamb rib chops cut ½ inch thick need 3 to 4 minutes per side over the hottest fire you can build. That’s it. Every minute beyond that takes you from medium-rare pink to medium-well dry, and there’s no recovery.
Heat your grill or broiler to its maximum setting and give it 10 to 15 full minutes to reach temperature before the chops go on. For a gas grill, all burners on high. For a broiler, the rack on the highest position with the element fully on. The grate or broiler pan should be hot enough that you can’t hold your hand near it for more than a second.
Shake off excess marinade — the thicker the coating, the more it steams rather than sears — and set the chops down without crowding them. Don’t move them for the first 3 minutes. When they pull cleanly from the grate (or have a visible dark crust), flip once. Pull at 130°F to 135°F for medium-rare.
The Plate: Yogurt, Pistachios, and a Squeeze of Lemon
The current Union Square Cafe plating — the one executive chef Lena Ciardullo demonstrated on Good Morning America in 2024 — pairs the chops with a smear of full-fat Greek yogurt (seasoned with salt and lemon) and a rough pistachio relish — chopped nuts, olive oil, fresh herbs, lemon juice. The contrast between the hot, charred chops and the cool, creamy yogurt is the point. The pistachios add texture and a grassy sweetness that echoes the basil in the marinade.
Arrange 2 chops per plate, lean them against each other bone-side up, spoon the relish over and around, and bring the plates to the table immediately. This is not a dish that waits.
For a Christmas dinner plate, add roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled broccolini. For Thanksgiving: roasted root vegetables or a simple arugula salad with Parmigiano. The chops work beside anything clean and mildly bitter — avoid heavy cream sauces, which compete with the Dijon richness already on the plate.
Looking for more Union Square Cafe classics? Try the Union Square Cafe Butternut Squash and Apple Soup — a fall menu fixture from the 1994 cookbook. For other holiday lamb options, the Beatrice Inn Rack of Lamb is Angie Mar’s orange-marmalade-glazed rack, a showpiece winter entrée.
