Some of the best meals begin long before they reach the table.
They start with quality ingredients, years of experience and the right tools to bring it all together. That’s exactly what we found inside Restaurant Iron, where Executive Chef Alex McPhail showed us how one of the restaurant’s signature dishes comes to life and why natural gas plays such an important role in the process.
For the first feature in our Where Great Energy Meets Great Chefs series with Pensacola Energy, Chef McPhail prepared one of Restaurant Iron’s classic favorites, fresh, locally caught Gulf redfish and shrimp served over a Florida citrus and fennel salad, finished with basil oil and a warm key lime and vanilla saffron butter poured tableside.
It’s a dish that celebrates the Gulf Coast, highlighting the local seafood and fresh ingredients that Restaurant Iron incorporates into its menu whenever possible.
As Chef McPhail moved through the kitchen, it became clear that precision matters.
Whether he’s searing fresh Gulf redfish or flambéing shrimp, every second and every degree of heat makes a difference. During our visit, Chef McPhail demonstrated just how much control professional chefs have when cooking with natural gas.
As the shrimp hit the pan, a dramatic flambé sent flames soaring above the skillet. “Instant gratification” is how Chef McPhail described it and we couldn’t agree more.
“The absolute control is what a chef is looking for,” McPhail explained. “You can adjust the flame instantly and get exactly the temperature you need.”
That responsiveness is just as important when cooking the restaurant’s fresh Gulf redfish. Using a cast-iron skillet over natural gas, Chef McPhail was able to achieve the high, even heat needed to create the perfectly crisp skin that defines the dish.
For professional chefs, that combination of immediate heat and precise control isn’t just convenient, it’s essential.
Watching Chef McPhail in the kitchen is a reminder that great cooking is equal parts creativity, technique and consistency. While fresh Gulf seafood and locally sourced ingredients provide the foundation, dependable natural gas gives chefs the confidence to execute every dish exactly as they envision it.
Executive Chef Alex McPhail, Restaurant IronAt Restaurant Iron, that commitment to quality is evident in every plate that leaves the kitchen.
This feature is part of Where Great Energy Meets Great Chefs, a Local Pulse series in partnership with Pensacola Energy highlighting the talented chefs, restaurants and culinary professionals who help make Pensacola’s dining scene one of the best on the Gulf Coast.
