They quietly removed the bar and outfitted the salon with eight deuces serving a cutting-edge menu of ingenious, often witty, small dishes. It’s a soft opening of sorts—no publicity. Half the 10-item menu is caviar based and the rest is listed under a “Savory” heading. “Spectacular” describes most of them, though they’re not what you’d call flamboyant. The spectacle comes from lively flavors, contrasting textures, and exotic technique…and the luxury of choices between Italian farmed osetra, Iranian wild osetra and golden osetra caviar (of uncertain parentage, apparently). Several of the creations are mind bending, calling for a rethinking of culinary terms, or at least a sense of humor. A “slow-poached” egg (it cooks for 90 minutes!) develops a unique consistency. It’s turned loose in a creamed-Champagne sauce with osetra caviar and brunoise-size croutons that comprise a symphony of textural variances, with the satiny sauce and delicate caviar beads do battle with the crunchy bread as salty roe, umami-rich cream, unctuous egg, and elemental toasty baguette have their own food fight in your mouth. It’s a wonderful bunch of mouthfuls in one. “Clear gazpacho” is a mosaic of quarter-inch tiles of sliced fruits and vegetables of varying heights, over which is poured intensely flavored tomato water kicked up with dabs of chile oil and a roasted tomato-olive oil emulsion. You can’t believe how watermelon, raspberries, and cucumber keep their individuality amidst tomato and spice. A basic portion of Russian osetra takes on new dimensions when contrasted with a test-tube filled with tiny “tomato pearls.” They appear to be a sort of pointy, translucent white roe, but are delicate membranes filled with zesty tomato water. They’re accompanied by teensy toasts less than 1/32 of an inch thick—you can see through them—and a dollop of crème fraîche. Chef Rick Tramonto’s signature glass “caviar staircase” is predictably available, with choices of sturgeon caviars accompanied by three lesser roes (more interesting, though less luxe) and condiments. The new creativity, though, comes from other hands: James Beard Award-winning Laurent Gras, who was Chef de Cuisine for Alain Ducasse in Paris and Monte Carlo, and Tru’s Chef de Cuisine Joel Dennis—who was Ducasse’s sous-chef in New York. The salon menu is served every night, giving you a chance to try Tru’s creativity and slick service at less than the $110+ degustation prices. (Dishes range from $12 to $42, not counting Tramonto’s Caviar Staircase.) A $22 glass of Pascal Doquet brut rosé is a suitably luxuriant accompaniment.
