My Favorite dish in NYC
Gabriel Kreuther
Alsace has a special place in my heart for some reason, I have never been there in person, but I have drunk more than my fair share of the incredible wine, consumed more tarte flambees that I care to admit and will never say no to sauerkraut! Chef Gabriel Kreuther at his namesake restaurant in Bryant park NYC has been cooking some of the best food in the country for a very long time. After making The Modern one of the most consistently great meals in New York, he ventured out to make his own dream come true. With deep roots in the cuisine of his upbringing he balances the classics of Alsace with incredible talent and modern touches. A brand-new restaurant built to his every desire glistening with beautiful design has to be one of the best built outs I have ever seen. In the ground floor of the iconic Grace building, he has made a home for himself for as long as he wants to be there.
Easily one of the most anticipated openings back in 2015, I made sure to put that reservation on the top of my list. Walking through the park on the way to dinner or after will make for a memory that you won’t soon forget. What is that old saying? LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!!! From the moment I sat at my table and saw the unique silverware on a long slender mat made from leather I felt that the meal was going to be a very special one.
The whole reason for writing this is based on one thing, my favorite dish in NYC. The smoked sturgeon and sauerkraut tart. I have to keep myself from drooling every time I think of this dish. It was just stunning, a super flaky crust as if it were made by that one friend we all have that can never seem to commit to anything, the master flaker. The filling was the perfect combination of buttery cooked fish, acidic kraut and of course to help things out, covered with the most yellow hollandaise I have ever seen, oh and caviar don’t forget the huge quenelle of caviar!!!! It comes to the table under a huge smoke-filled glass dome that is then placed in front of you and professionally waffed, filling the air with clean tender smoke and revealing the instantly satisfying drama of this tart. It took me a solid minute to remember that I was allowed to eat it, not just gawk at it like a construction worker on a Friday. Unlike the construction worker, this dish did not disappoint, and I will travel any distance to get my hands on another one!
The menu had other amazing highlights, the foie truffle and Hamachi terrine, lobster, the bread service, so many wonderful bites. But after that tart the only thing that truly captured my attention was there take on one of my top 3 all-time favorite desserts, the mille-feuille! Why am I such a sucker for flaky pastries and creaminess??? His version of this classic was a welcomed surprise, with just small dots of pastry cream scattered between paper thin crisps of puff pastry it made for a much more enjoyable eating experience. The classis has always been evenly covered with the pastry cream layer by layer, but unless it is super fresh there is always a concern of soggy puff pastry! A sin by any other name. So this version constructed to order by the pastry team was, simply stated, perfect. The one critique I have personally is get rid of the other garnish, no berries, no anglaise, just the fat quenelle of pastry cream and the leaning tower of greatness.
Chef Gabriel has since continued his reputation for consistency and deliciousness, also he has opened up next door a hand-crafted chocolate shop that I have not yet visited. Needless to say if it managed anything like his restaurant, it won’t be disappointing! I will be keeping a close eye on everything he touches, and also anyone that comes out of that restaurant, a truly exceptionally talented team across the board.