The Kitchen Counter (and more) at Beacon

[Nathan]

Had an very good meal here last night and it's a fabulous value.

our meal was as FG describes (and photographs) up the thread, except that the trout has been subbed out and replaced by bass cooked in a corn husk with fennel. it's quite good.

the finely diced jalapeno on the scallop was a new pairing to me...and it worked brilliantly. a little too much butter in the cabbage unfortunately.

the squab was terrific. very nice prep with the parts cooked differently allowing for some textural contrasts.

the bone marrow was one of the best preps of this sort that I've had. they also cut them in half lengthwise (a lot easier for the diner)...which I'd only seen before at the late Lonesome Dove.

foie and short rib was exactly as good as that sounds. and the Kobe? there's nothing more blissful than eating seared fat. great stuff.

[Fat Guy]

Nathan, how were the wines? Also, was there opportunity for interaction with Waldy? Did you give him a hard time? I was looking forward to a thorough test of his social skills.

[Nathan]

Waldy was quite personable. thought the wines generally worked quite well. liked the chianti a lot.

the most interesting pairing was the pinot noir with the kabocha raviolo....the saltiness of the capers really made this work.

[raji]

A couple of notes --

(1)  you'll need to give them a credit card to confirm the reservation.  I believe they charge the card the week of your reservation.

(2)  48 hour cancellation policy for a full refund

(3)  $85 + tax + 20% gratuity

Really looking forward to it -- wish it was before January, but at least something fun to look forward to after New Years!

Not surprising that it's booked up so fast, given only 6 seats per week!

Yeah, it comes to $218 for 2 people, can't complain about that, really looking forward to it, still have no idea who I'm bringing. Maybe I should auction off my 12/7 rez although I'm pretty happy about it, squarely between the holidays.

Am I supposed to give Waldy a hard time?

[Fat Guy]

the trout has been subbed out and replaced by bass

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One of the accounts I read of an earlier press preview dinner than the one I attended mentioned bass in the fish position. I imagine Waldy was switching things around and judging reactions. Likewise, for us the marrow bones weren't split, but in earlier previews they were. Sounds like he's made the right call on both.

Am I supposed to give Waldy a hard time?

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I was making more of a prediction than a suggestion.

This is making me hungry. Maybe I'll try to go in for a burger.

[raji]

Am I supposed to give Waldy a hard time?

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I was making more of a prediction than a suggestion.

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I guess I could lecture him on wagyu and ishiyaki...

[oakapple]

Apparently they're now booked through February 2008 for Thursday nights. Looking forward to the reports from tonight's group.

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I have to figure that if the demand continues at this torrid pace, the offer will be extended to other nights.

[Fat Guy]

Apparently they're now booked through February 2008 for Thursday nights. Looking forward to the reports from tonight's group.

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I have to figure that if the demand continues at this torrid pace, the offer will be extended to other nights.

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I think a big component of the attraction for Waldy is that he thinks this is fun. The amount of profit can't be significant. He might not think it's fun to do it several nights a week. That consideration could easily trump demand. There's also a marketing benefit to exclusivity. Also, the small-plates menu served at the kitchen counter on the other nights may very well be more profitable and easier on the kitchen team. We'll have to see what happens.

Yeah, I think I'm going to go get a burger.

[johnder]

Had some luck in being able to attend the chef's table last night with a few other eG people. First off, the meal is probably the second best deal in the city after the $12 soup and sandwich at GT. The amount of food and pairings you get for about 120 bucks (including T&T) is pretty amazing.

After looking through the dishes from FG almost everything was the same with a few minor changes. The trout was replaced with a smoked sea bass wrapped in corn husks with fennel.

The bone marrow was also done differently, it was a long (6") bone, sliced in half lengthwise and topped with some breadcrumbs and garlic. I have never seen marrow presented that way and it was definitely a lot easier to eat.

All the dishes were prepared with great care and were all very good. One dish did stand out, mainly the squab. It was cooked perfectly, the breast rare and the leg well done. Excellent flavor and texture in the meat as well.

The one area that I think could use some improvement is the wine pairings. I understand they can't possibly pair a wine with each course and as a result have carryover on the wine for a few courses, but I didn't really find the wine pairings to hit on all cylinders with any particular course. Also the smoking kir royal although impressive to look at, does have the unfortunate side affect of causing the champange to go flat. The carbonation that is coming off the dry ice sucks all the carbonation out of the drink and when you are about 1/2 way through it is flat.

The other thing is I would really like to see some sort of bread with the meal. A lot of the dishes had amazing sauces that would have been amazing to sop up with some bread. Especially if they could crank out some amazing flatbreads from that oven they have.

Aside from that it was a great night. The interaction between the table and Waldy is great and he seems to be having a blast with it. The oven is amazing and given that almost all the dishes came out of it really makes it a unique experience. I wouldn't hesitate to go back in a second for another round.

[weinoo]

What johnder said - a very enjoyable evening - loved the squab. John's not a big oyster fan, but I thought the roasted oysters were outstanding. Really liked the wild mushroom pizza...the marrow was a treat and the kobe beef really stood out. Totally agree that we could have used some more bread - plain flat breads out of the wood oven would be awesome, but perhaps Waldy's thinking is that there is already so much food.

BTW, Waldy is a great host - I greatly enjoyed the interaction with the chef - I even asked him to yell at some of the kitchen staff a la Ramsey - he got a good laugh out of that. And he seems like sincerely a nice guy.

Total, all in, was actually $109 per person - what a deal.

[johnder]

oh and when they tell you a dish is hot and be careful not to touch it, they mean it. Right Mitch?

[Fat Guy]

Had a burger at the kitchen counter just now, but I'm going to go back again and try the other burgers -- maybe get a couple of photos -- before posting a report. Just as I was about to leave Waldy arrived and we chatted for a couple of minutes, and I also spoke to big Mike. Apparently the trout situation was ingredient-driven: the bass has been the go-to dish all along, but the day I was in for a preview they had rejected a bass shipment and fell back on trout. I also asked if there was any chance of other nights opening up for the 12-course experience and Waldy was not totally opposed to the idea. One possible plan we chatted about was making it available on a non-Thursday night if somebody wants to book the whole table. Sorry I didn't see the beverage comments before going down. I too think they could tweak the beverage aspect a bit, and I should have pressed that point.

[weinoo]

oh and when they tell you a dish is hot and be careful not to touch it, they mean it.  Right Mitch?

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LOL - well, it's only a little blister. That damn dish was HOT, and i just always have to check.

I do have to say, it's great to bring women with you (John and I were accompanied by our wives) because by the time the foie/short ribs and then the kobe come, they're usually full - I had 2 pieces of foie and I think I had 4 or 5 slices of kobe.

Don't know how differently (at this price point) they might do the beverage aspect - they're serving 5 different bevs with the 12 courses (4 for 9 savories, 1 for the 2 dessert courses, not counting the kir and app at the bar). Perhaps an additional beer or a sauvignon blanc.

Defeating the purpose, I wouldn't mind bringing along a bottle of something myself.

[SusanGiff]

I do have to say, it's great to bring women with you (John and I were accompanied by our wives) because by the time the foie/short ribs and then the kobe come, they're usually full - I had 2 pieces of foie and I think I had 4 or 5  slices of kobe.

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I believe that would depend on the women you bring. We went with another couple on Friday night (the restaurant made scheduling snafu with our Thursday reservation and kindly made up for it with a Friday seating), and neither woman would have parted with a bite of that kobe. I may have given my husband a little bit of my short rib, minus the fois gras. Unfortunately, being full doesn't always stop me from eating.

I missed having bread a little bit, but I think that might have put me over the top. At a certain point, I appreciated it's not being there.

The menu was largely still as described, with the addition of an undistinguished duck course from a visiting chef from Friulia (one of the few I didn't finish). The food was excellent; we particularly enjoyed the squab and the kobe, but that bass was fine. All I can add is this: what with our conversations with Waldy Malouf, chef Michael Smith, our gregarious waiter, and our friends, it definitely was one of the most fun nights I've ever had in a restaurant.

[weinoo]

I believe that would depend on the women you bring. We went with another couple on Friday night (the restaurant made scheduling snafu with our Thursday reservation and kindly made up for it with a Friday seating), and neither woman would have parted with a bite of that kobe. I may have given my husband a little bit of my short rib, minus the fois gras. Unfortunately, being full doesn't always stop me from eating.

I missed having bread a little bit, but I think that might have put me over the top. At a certain point, I appreciated it's not being there.

The menu was largely still as described, with the addition of an undistinguished duck course from a visiting chef from Friulia (one of the few I didn't finish). The food was excellent; we particularly enjoyed the squab and the kobe, but that bass was fine. All I can add is this: what with our conversations with Waldy Malouf, chef Michael Smith, our gregarious waiter, and our friends, it definitely was one of the most fun nights I've ever had in a restaurant.

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Thanks for this report, Susan - and I totally agree with your last line - they're really good hosts.

What did you think of the beverage pairing/program?

[SusanGiff]

Hi. Sorry for the late response--I got swept up in Thanksgiving mayhem.

Also, unfortunately, I'm not a good person to speak to the pairing situation. If I drink more than a small amount of wine during dinner, something wicked happens to my sinuses or my palate or something (probably the sinuses). Sometimes I've been unable to taste my dessert after a lengthy tasting menu, and for me that's a real tragedy. That said, the stuff I tried didn't blow me away, although I loved having the little beer shots with the pizza.

I asked my husband, who says he thought it was fine. Not a rave, but I don't think he missed having additional choices. Although he certainly would have enjoyed them.

Still, for that amazing price...

[allister]

i have reservation for 2 at the kitchen table at beacon for tomorrow 11/29 @ 7PM. Need to give it up. please pm if interested. first come first serve.

Edited November 28, 2007 by allister (log)

[Mayur]

Had a lovely meal here last night with fellow eGer raji and a few other nice folks; dishes were as described by FG (and wonderful!), although raji's lecture on ishiyaki was too short.

In general, I agree with johnder's comments, both positive and negative. Certainly, I'd like to see more wines in smaller amounts (I'd have no problem with rationing to small glasses rather than top-ups), although the Beaune would have needed to have been wrested from my cold dead hands! More specifically, the Cab Sauvignon that gets trotted out with the kobe beef should really only be poured with the short rib/foie gras dish (since that's one of the few dishes that can stand up to it), and the ice wine served with dessert is flat out too sweet.

One thing I found strange about last night's dining experience (and it may have been a fluke of the palate) was how much more I liked the strong flavor accents than the subtler ones. The richness and aggressiveness of the short/rib foie pairing, the rustic simplicity of the pizza, and the smoky, bacon-like aroma clinging to the striped bass are what stand out in my mind; the scallop dish seemed mostly about a buttery richness from the apple and cabbage. The squab was the one dish that most successfully married richer/bigger and lighter/subtler flavors on my palate.

I thought the smoking kir was sufficiently visually impressive to justify the anti-carbonation effect, although that said, I did drink it a lot faster than most of the other diners.

Sadly, I did not experience the "price performance" element of it since I ended up having to pay for two (the g/f cancelled about five minutes before we were due to arrive!) 'Twas a reasonable attitude on the part of the restaurant, though, and Waldy and the staff were very gracious about it, to the point of his giving me an "IOU" for dishes on a non-Thursday.

[Fat Guy]

Has anybody noticed: has there been mention of the kitchen counter in either the New York Times or New York Magazine?

[raji]

Has anybody noticed: has there been mention of the kitchen counter in either the New York Times or New York Magazine?

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I haven't noticed that - but the captain at Beacon commented that they were booked up through March by almost exclusively Egullet users and their friends...

[Fat Guy]

I've now been back twice to the kitchen counter: once for the lunchtime burger bar menu and once for the non-Thursday-night small-plates menu. I confess in both cases I didn't have particularly high expectations. The Thursday-night kitchen counter dinner struck me as an obvious triumph the moment I encountered it, but I thought the other two concepts would basically just be ways to keep the space utilized between Thursdays. But Waldy wanted me to check out the burger bar and small-plates menus, and he was paying, and I figured it was worth a shot on the strength of the Thursday-night menu. And, since there seems to be an old-media blackout on the kitchen table, I felt I had to complete the kitchen-counter investigation for the benefit my fellow eGullet Society members.

The burger bar, which I tried a few weeks ago, turns out to be a good thing. If you're in the area at lunchtime it's a no-brainer. You get a first-rate hamburger made from Niman Ranch beef, or equally good mini-burgers (there's also a tuna burger that I didn't sample). The kitchen-counter format lends itself well to a quick burger stop, and prices are reasonable: $12.95 for the big burger (which comes with fries; add-ons like bacon and cheese are extra, and there are plenty of choices -- you can even get foie gras or caviar as a topping) and only $8.95 for the mini burgers. The burgers come with a nice selection of condiments too: house-made pickles, fennel coleslaw, Waldy's ketchup, spiced honey-dijon mustard, tomato mayo. The burger bar has, not surprisingly, found an audience: they fill most of the seats most of the time.

The surprise, for me, was the small-plates menu. Available every night other than Thursday night, the small-plates menu doesn't exactly jump out and proclaim its greatness. Indeed, I think the way it presents itself is flawed. It's just a big long list of dishes, there's no indication of portion size, and prices are all over the map (and don't really correspond to portion size). So it's hard to sit down with the menu and put together a coherent meal unless you already have a lot of Beacon experience under your belt or you're able to spend the day emailing with the chef about what you're going to have for dinner. I think they need to reconsider the presentation, perhaps offer some 3- and 5-course tasting flights that are balanced as meals. For me at least, it just doesn't communicate well as a straight tapas menu.

That being said, the food is excellent. Many of the dishes we chose were every bit as delicious as the Thursday-night offerings. The meal didn't represent the same overall level of experience, but it came close. And now that I have a grasp of the dishes I can steer you towards what I think would be an ideal -- and very economical -- dinner at the Beacon kitchen counter on a non-Thursday night.

So, what I did was I picked 10 dishes and asked for them to be brought in 5 courses. We shared everything. So right away you can see that's an advantage over Thursday. On Thursday everybody gets the same 12 courses. On the other nights, though, two people can go and order 6 courses but have different things for each course -- so you can still taste 12 dishes if that's what you want to do. Plus you get to pick them all, which is great for non-omnivores. In addition to the 10 dishes I specified Waldy sent out 2 others plus some desserts. It wound up being a surprising quantity of food.

We started with little snacks of wonderful-as-usual wood-oven-baked mushroom pizza:

Then, for the first course, we had Beacon's signature wood-oven-roasted oysters with shallots, verjus and herbs. I've got to say, on a list of the best restaurant dishes in New York City, this is a strong candidate.

And for the other dish in that course, lobster soup with fennel and cognac. The soup has no cream. It's thickened with a rice puree. Cream is great but it does have the unfortunate property of dulling flavors. The rice trick allows the high notes of the lobster, fennel and cognac to come through. The lobster is roasted in the wood oven before being added to the soup.

Second course was crabcake with spicy slaw and citrus remoulade. Tasty but not legendary:

And I'm sorry this dish doesn't photograph well because I thought it was arguably the dish of the evening. No, it's not asparagus season in this hemisphere. Presumably this stuff came from Peru or somewhere. But it was damn good, and was improved by being topped with a fried egg. In addition, while many of the small-plate prices are very low, this dish had the most shockingly low price of any dish I've seen anywhere in awhile. The price tag is just $5.

Third course, wild mushroom ravioli, quite good:

And bourbon-brushed acorn squash, which was about as good as acorn squash gets:

Fourth course: Beacon's excellent roasted marrow bones. One of the best items this kitchen produces. Split lengthwise, served with toast.

And foie gras on toast. Good but not unique -- not the best use of your Beacon stomach-space allotment.

Fifth course: sliced New York strip.

And a single grilled lamb chop:

Both meat items were based on first-rate product. There was disagreement at the table over which was better. However, I felt that neither worked all that well in the small-plates format. There was plenty of meat in the New York strip portion, but at $19 it's sort of a half-a-steak entree. It didn't strike me as a good solution. The single lamb chop, on the other hand, felt like too little, and at $13 also doesn't quite fit the format comfortably. Part of the problem, I think, is that Waldy is trying to populate the small-plates menu with a lot of stuff that doesn't require extra prep over what the restaurant does on any given day. So, they always have steak and they always have lamb. But not everything works in the small-plates format. Not for me at least. There may be someone out there for whom that $19 half-steak portion is the ideal dinner.

This got me thinking a bit about the impact of the small-plates format on the enjoyment of food. There's a lot of overlap between the small-plates menu and the regular Beacon menu, and I've had several of the dishes in both formats. There are also dishes that are reconfigured, such as the asparagus with egg: you can get asparagus as a vegetable side on the regular menu, but the with-fried-egg preparation (which takes the dish to a whole 'nother level) is only on the small-plates menu. Anyway, the point being, some dishes are -- for me at least -- enhanced by being served as tasting portions. For example, when you just get that little cup of lobster soup or those three oysters the dishes really sing. Whereas, a full portion of lobster soup is not as exciting and enjoyable. A steak, however, is something I enjoy more in its whole format. It's something you work on. It's diminished by being served in the small-plates format. You get the idea.

Waldy also sent out some garlic fries:

And, the surprise hit of the evening, roast suckling pig. Top and side view:

The suckling pig is very powerful stuff. It's rubbed with mole, cumin and coriander, stuffed with citrus, wrapped up and cured for about a week. They roast a small pig -- about 18 pounds -- every day. It's only $8 for the tasting portion of suckling pig, by the way. I'm not sure if what's pictured here is a tasting portion or a double portion -- I forgot to ask.

The dessert sampler changes every month. Today's was "candy-cane ice cream," which really tasted like candy canes and was delicious; an excellent ginger-bread bread pudding; and some other thing that was unmemorable. Beacon's pastry program is competent but not outstanding. The desserts get the job done but aren't the restaurant's main draw. This photo was taken after some melting had occurred, sorry:

So, like I said, prices are all over the map and the menu is challenging. So until Waldy comes up with something, here's the five-course tasting menu I'd recommend for maximum flavor and value:

1. Roasted oysters ($6)

2. Roasted asparagus with fried egg ($5)

3. Mini burgers ($7)

4. Bone marrow ($7)

5. Roast suckling pig ($8)

All those plates would total up to just $33 -- the price of an entree at a lot of not-particularly-great restaurants. I think you'd find yourself quite satisfied after eating those five items. And I can't really think of anyplace else you could eat dinner at this level for $33. If you're there with two or more people you may want to branch out and try some other things. (I haven't tried them in the small format but can predict with some confidence that the roasted mussels-and-clams, and the seared filet mignon "tartare" will be great -- maybe throw the mushroom ravioli into that progression and you're on your way to something.) You can also get the whole regular Beacon menu at the kitchen counter, so if you go as a group of three or four it's also worthwhile to share a whole mushroom pizza at $16. I imagine talking everything through with Waldy or Mike, if they're available, could yield additional ideas.

Here's a look at the oven that makes so many of the dishes taste as they do:

It's a Wood Stone oven made in Washington. It uses a hybrid of gas and wood. Underneath the oven floor are infrared burners that keep the floor at a constant 600 degrees F (well, 601 when I looked). The burning wood in the actual oven cavity raises the dome temperature into the mid-700s. It was 772 when I was there.

Edited December 18, 2007 by Fat Guy (log)

[weinoo]

I wonder if Beacon had opened within the past six months if it wouldn't just be rocking?

[mjr_inthegardens]

How's the drinks situation at Beacon?

I am thinking this might be a good place for a Boxing Day small-plates boozeup?

Cheers,

MJR

[Fat Guy]

I wonder if Beacon had opened within the past six months if it wouldn't just be rocking?

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Right, what's most unusual about the kitchen counter phenomenon, to me, is that it's a rare restaurant-world example of radical late-stage evolution. Restaurants don't usually change all that much. Certainly, absent a chef change and renovation, they tend to remain within category. But here you have a relatively staid Midtown chophouse all of a sudden busting out with a totally contemporary restaurant-within-a-restaurant concept: Minibar meets Momofuku meets Malouf. Same chef, same restaurant, they just decided one day to start doing this kitchen counter thing. I don't think anybody really knows what to make of it.

For what it's worth, though, the restaurant was rocking last night. When we entered the place at 6:30pm we walked into a wall of sound and energy. They had two private parties going on, one of which was about 60 and the other about 30 people (both law firms, I think). And the dining room and bar were quite full. It was a pretty amazing moment, which of course we witnessed up close while sitting at the kitchen counter, when the kitchen put out 60 plates all at once. It was the first time I'd ever seen Waldy get annoyed with the staff. And during the few minutes it took to finish and pick up those 60 plates, a ribbon of order tickets from the dining room was slowly developing out of the POS computer and reaching down to the floor. So nobody got a second to breathe: the moment plate number 60 got picked up, Waldy grabbed what must have been 20 tickets and called all the orders out rapid-fire. The entire kitchen crew just looked at him like, "You've got to be kidding." By 9pm, when we were winding down, they'd done 240 covers and were still sitting people. That's the thing about New York that, once in awhile, you get a glimpse of: there can be a whole crazy-busy scene going on somewhere that you had no idea was happening. It's just that Beacon is being populated by a non-foodie population that doesn't join the eGullet Society and post daily Momofuku updates. (Of course it's December. I've been in the place in August and it has been slow.)

[Fat Guy]

How's the drinks situation at Beacon?

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I'm not up on the latest and greatest cocktail destinations, trends and happenings. But I think Beacon has a good bar. Not like Pegu level, but way better than the average Midtown restaurant bar. The bartenders are well schooled. There are always interesting seasonal cocktails, most of which aren't too sweet. They have Brooklyn beer. The wine list is extensive. One of the cocktails we had last night -- called a gingerbread something -- was particularly tasty and the presentation was downright irreverent: