wd-50 2004 - 2007

[iheartoffal]

So a little more about my experience at WD-50...

I remember getting out of the cab and protesting to the driver that this, in fact, couldn't be the right area. It didn't seem like the place where you'd find anything other than bodegas, much less one of NY's hippest eateries. Sure enough, though, the cross streets were right--I was in the right spot. I could tell that I was in for an entirely different experience than the one I had at that 10 Columbus Circle place...

I arrived about 45 minutes early for my reservation, so I sat down at the bar for a cocktail. I picked their Haru no Sake martini, which--if I remember correctly--contained aerated sake, shiso, citron (I think), and cubes of aloe gelee. It reminded me of a similar martini I had at Bar Masa, but it was much more complex and yet very refreshing. Sitting at the bar also gave me chance to talk to the bartender about the restaurant, etc. Occaisionaly other members of the floor staff would come over and join the conversation. What struck me was how laid back everyone was--even at their high level of professionalism. Being a waiter myself, I was jealous! Not that I dislike my job or anything, but this place just seemed like a blast to work.

Once my friends arrived, we sat down at our table. I laughed when I saw that the tables were set with almost home-style placemats. There were lots of little touches like that that added to the feeling of unpretentiousness. We hadn't even begun to eat when we all agreed unanimously that we loved the place.

As much as I wanted to go for the tasting menu, out of deference for my friends, I opted for the a la carte menu. In the end though--between tasting eachother's food and the cool little extra courses that came from the kitchen--it felt as if we had had a tasting menu. Anyway, here's what we had:

Apps:

Mussel-olive oil soup, water chestnut, orange zest

This was potent yet subtle. At first all you can taste is overwhelming essence of oyster, but after a second or two you can taste the bite from the orange zest. The olive oil tied the flavors together nicely.

Octopus, celery pesto, pineapple, mojama, marcona almonds

I ordered this strickly based on the fact that it was, well, octopus. I had never had it up to that point. The meat had such a great texture and flavor..an instant favorite. The almonds added a nice counterpoint to that texture.

Foie gras, grapefruit-basil crumble, nori caramel

This was the dish I was most looking forward to (being the foie gras nut, I am). For some reason the foie gras dish is always my litmus test of a restaurant. Not that it's an accurate gauge or anything. It just seems that chefs really try to put their signature touch on it more than most other dishes. This dish was great. To me, it showed how the odd juxtapositions present in Wylie's dishes are simply means to an end and not meant for shock value. The nori caramel, while a lot stronger in flavor than I imagined it, didn't overwhelm the rich foie. I thought it was so cool how it came rushing out of the tourchon. I want to know how he did that! The brioche croutons were a nice touch, but I found myself wanting a little more of the grapefruit's acidity to cut through the nori flavor a bit.

Slow poached egg with parmesan broth, chickpea noodles and tomato powder

This was one of the tasting menu courses that the kitchen sent to our table, much to our excitement and gratitude. The slow poached egg (poached for an hour at 147 degrees, if I remember correctly) had the most luxurious, melt-in your-mouth texture which was contrasted nicely by the crunchy chickpea noodles. Depth of flavor was added by parmesan broth. To me, this showed better than any other dish Wylie's subtle mastery of flavor and texture. We all had ear to ear smiles.

Mains:

Monkfish, oyster mushroom, squash, pumpernickel cocoa, pear consomme

I didn't get to try too much of this dish, but what I had worked nicely. The natural sweetness of the monkfish was echoed nicely by the pear flavor. I'm not sure what effect the pumpernickel cocoa was supposed to have, though.

Wild King Salmon, quinoa, blood orange puree, toast oil

Wow. Man, this was one of the best things I've ever eaten, period. I normally don't order salmon when I go out to eat, but when I saw "toast oil" listed as one of the accompaniments, I simply had to see what the heck it was. I didn't think it was literally going to be a toast-infused oil. By golly, it was! And it was good! It tied all of the elements of the dish together in a way that, well, only toast oil could have. It tempered the brightness of the balsamic-poached salmon beautifully. Later on, Wylie and one of his assistants who came up with the idea explained it to me. The oil was made from toasted sourdough and grapeseed oil, and the idea behind it was to echo the flavors of orange marmelade on toast (hence, the blood orange puree). I guess it was originally concieved to go with vegemite (!) paper in another dish. Needless to say, I've been irritating everyone with endless accounts of this dish lately.

Short ribs, smoked flatiron beef, kimchee spaetzle, papaya ravioli

I'm a big fan of kimchee and, well, short ribs, so I knew from the beginning I would love this one. It didn't disappoint.

Desserts:

Grapefruit in grapefruit

This was the other little extra taste that came from kitchen. The name pretty much sums it up. It was basically grapefruit foam around a scoop of grapefruit sorbet with a little bit of struesel on the bottom. It had a great refreshing, cleansing effect after the savory courses.

Olive Clafloutis, tangerine sorbet, cherry-walnut emulsion

I ordered this one mainly because I wanted to see how they could manage to work olives into a desert. I thought the olive would completely overwhelm the entire dish, but it dovetailed beautifully with the tangerine and cherry flavors. Truly an engaging dish.

Lemon curd, basil meringue, blackberry chutney

I love basil in sweet courses and it really added another dimension to the otherwise lemon-heavy dish.

French Toast, brown butter ice cream, raisin puree

I want to eat this every day for the rest of my life.

Afterward, I got to spend a minute or so in the kitchen and meet Wylie and some of the other staff. I was a bit star struck and at a loss for words, but everyone was so cool and willing to answer questions. It was a great way to cap off an amazing evening. While I have a giant list of restaurants in New York that I want to visit, I have a feeling this will become a regular destination.

Edited April 18, 2005 by iheartoffal (log)

[raxelita]

Compelling descriptions, thanks.

Edited April 17, 2005 by raxelita (log)

[Weissman]

I have not been to this restaurant yet. However, reading iheartoffal's menu descriptions, I had an orange sorbet course at per se on easter sunday that was paired with carmelized nicoise olives, finely chopped that matched perfectly with the sorbet and the accompanying yogurt creme.

Where is this information of this restaurant. I have not heard of it before.

Adam

[melofunk]

iheartoffal - great descriptions - your enthusiasm and enjoyment read loud and clear. I enjoyed reading that the toast oil and blood orange puree are a play on orange marmelade on toast. That's pretty cool.

By the way, what did you think of the lemon curd in the lemon curd/basil dessert? I haven't tried it. When I dined there last, the waiter described it as an eggless curd (similar in concept, I guess, to the fried mayo).

[iheartoffal]

Where is this information of this restaurant. I have not heard of it before.

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wd-50

By the way, what did you think of the lemon curd in the lemon curd/basil dessert?  I haven't tried it.  When I dined there last, the waiter described it as an eggless curd (similar in concept, I guess, to the fried mayo).

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The only other version of real lemon curd that I've had is Thomas Keller's version. This one was not quite as rich but was very well balanced...not too sweet and not too acidic. I didn't know that the WD-50 version was eggless. Do you know what they used instead?

Edited April 18, 2005 by iheartoffal (log)

[melofunk]

I didn't know that the WD-50 version was eggless. Do you know what they used instead?

I don't know what they used, but it sounds like a nice, light finish to the meal....not too heavy.

[Andy Lynes]

Thoughts on my meal coming soon, but in the meantime, you might like to book mark this page for future reference. Launching next month I believe.

[melofunk]

...very intrigued by the website. You mentioned that you interviewed Chef Sam. Could you provide any further details with regards to the website?

[Andy Lynes]

As I understand it, it will contain a bio, pictures, recipes etc but we'll just have to wait and see.

I have hesitated in reporting about my meal at WD50 for the simple fact that I have been commissioned to write a piece about the restaurant and I cannot risk spilling words here that belong in a paid-for article.

What I can say is that I told chef Dufresne that my inaugural meal at the restaurant was like listening to Captain Beefheart for the first time. There was something on every plate that confounded and bewildered me. I told him that I had been reduced to a child-like state; that, despite having eaten my way around a good part of the planet, I couldn't really understand what it was that I was putting in my mouth.

It was an intruiging experience, one that made me wonder about Dufresne's and Mason's creative processes, about where all this stuff came from. It made me question modern cuisine and my reaction to it. It wasn't a simple meal. But maybe that was because I was over complicating it - many tables around me seemed to be simply enjoying it.

I'll get back to you on this.

[Bux]

. . . . - many tables around me seemed to be simply enjoying it.

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Were they ordering a la carte, or having the tasting menu? I'm curious about this because, as at some other restaurants, the nature of the tasting meal is quite different. The dishes are a bit more intense. Their small size not only allows them to be more intense, it almost demands that. It's not just an intensity of taste or flavor, but one of concept. The focus on each bite is bound to be greater when you have only a few bites on each plate. I'd like to go back and have a three course meal simply because I'm curious about it, as I'm curious about the same experience in other restaurants where I know the chef too well to insult him by not letting him feed me. I'm only half serious about that. The temptation of the tasting menu is always too great to pass up, but I am left with a kind of curiosity about the "normal" menu, even in a place such as WD-50 where the tasting menu seems to be the normal menu.

[Andy Lynes]

A couple on my left had a la carte and were big fans of the restaurant (they told me that they preferred it to Per Se where they said they had recently had an expensive and disappointing meal); the table of two on my right had the tasting menu with some substitutions for the fish-eating vegetarian half of the couple. I got the impression that the chap was a chef who was there to check out the food. When each dish was delivered, he would sit back, look at it for a bit, and let out a sigh of what sounded like extreme boredom. Each time it seemed as though he wasn't interested in eating the dish, then all of a sudden he would demolish the whole thing with not a scrap left on the plate.

There was a table of 5 opposite that I'm pretty sure had a la carte, I definately remember them having large portions of the shrimp noodles (one of the highlights of my meal) so it was a mix of the carte and tasting menus, but probably heavy on the tastings.

It's just a very buzzy, informal sort of place and my impression was of people dropping in for a bite to eat rather than to embark on a culinary adventure. I found that odd, because I ate some of the most challenging and unusual food I've had anywhere, and it therefore wouldn't be my first choice for a casual meal out. But then we are talking about New York and this is the 21st Century after all.

[iheartoffal]

I think I was there the same night as you. 4/14, right? You might have seen us...we were a 9pm three top sitting on the right side of the restaurant and closest to the kitchen. We made our enjoyment pretty apparent to those around us.

Edited April 23, 2005 by iheartoffal (log)

[Andy Lynes]

I was there Friday 15 April, just last week in fact.

[Bux]

A couple on my left had a la carte and were big fans of the restaurant (they told me that they preferred it to Per Se where they said they had recently had an expensive and disappointing meal); the table of two on my right had the tasting menu with some substitutions for the fish-eating vegetarian half of the couple.  I got the impression that the chap was a chef who was there to check out the food. When each dish was delivered, he would sit back, look at it for a bit, and let out a sigh of what sounded like extreme boredom. Each time it seemed as though he wasn't interested in eating the dish, then all of a sudden he would demolish the whole thing with not a scrap left on the plate.

There was a table of 5 opposite that I'm pretty sure had a la carte, I definately remember them having large portions of the shrimp noodles (one of the highlights of my meal) so it was a mix of the carte and tasting menus, but probably heavy on the tastings.

It's just a very buzzy, informal sort of place and my impression was of people dropping in for a bite to eat rather than to embark on a culinary adventure. I found that odd, because I ate some of the most challenging and unusual food I've had anywhere, and it therefore wouldn't be my first choice for a casual meal out. But then we are talking about New York and this is the 21st Century after all.

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I've only been there once, but I had some of the same impression you had. I think it was a Sunday night and I think there was a cook/chef next to us on a night off, and a couple to our other side that seemed to be regulars. Regulars treat restaurants differently. It's an odd restaurant for NYC, but odder yet for the neighborhood which is changing.

As for the couple who preferred it to Per Se, I'm sure there are many who can afford either, WD-50 is not exactly cheap, who prefer WD-50 and many more who prefer Per Se, but who cares what onyone's subjective preference is. The trouble with online groups, and eGullet suffers this as well, is that personal taste is often presented as if it's objective criticism. People present their subjective point of view based on limited experience as something we all need to hear to make our own decision as to whether to make a visit or not. For what it's worth Raphael Garcia Santos, one of Spain's well known restaurant critics has said the Wylie is the best chef in NY. He may have said the only restaurant in NY worth eating in is WD-50, his opinion is so strong. Unfortunately, RGS has a reputation in Spain not just as a champion of creative cooking, but of ignoring the great traditional cuisine as if a chef is letting down the national image by not trying to be creative. A balanced view would have to assess the quality of cooking against that of restaurants cooking more traditional fare. WD-50 can hold it's head high in that regard and a preference for or against dining there is very likely to be based on style for those who insist on good cooking. I would say the restaurant is a must for anyone who loves avant garde creativity. This is as good as it gets in NY, but it's probably also a must at least once, for anyone in NY who really loves food and has the budget to give it a try. It would be a shame not to have the first had information to make one's own mind about what one prefers.

[iheartoffal]

Personally, I don't like it when people speak in absolutes about a topic as subjective as restaurants, especially when it's someone as influential as the spanish critic mentioned above. To say that any restaurant is the only place worth checking out in a city as big as NYC is egregiously ignorant, even if you happened to have eaten at every one of the thousands of restaurants in the city.

I'm guilty of making the obvious and over-used comparisson with Per Se, but that's only because that happened to be the last restaurant I had eaten at previously. Ultimately, I find I enjoy eating out more when I'm not always drawing comparissons, that way I'm more able to enjoy every meal on its own terms.

[Andy Lynes]

Although I haven't eaten at Per Se, from what I understand, it doesn't really warrent comparison with WD50. Where Per Se appears to be upholding the traditions and ambience of fine dining, WD 50 with its funky interior and denim-clad front of house staff has stripped away all those trappings. In addition, Keller's food seem's to me to be a world away from that of Dufresne and Mason's.

The Per Se remark was made in casual converation, but I thought it was worth passing on because the couple (at least the male half) seemed so excited about their food. When the main course arrived, the guy said to his partner "Isn't that the best pork dish you've ever seen" (or words to that effect), and he was very keen to know which dish I'd enjoyed the most.

[tan319]

Speaking of wd50, some great stuff here on starchefs. Pastry Chef Sam Mason is featured http://www.starchefs.com/chefs/rising_star...o_s_mason.shtml along with Wylie Dufresne.

Also, in the May issue of FoodArts magazine, a couple of Masons desserts are featured, including a more or less classically prepared chocolate consomme.

FoodArts doesn't have a strong online presence yet, meaning you can't read the mag online but it's always worth seeking out on your newstand, a great mag.

You can also get a free subscription if you're in the biz in some form by going to foodarts.com

[iheartoffal]

Going back tomorrow again! Getting the tasting menu this time.

[tan319]

WELL?

HOW WAS IT???

Sorry, I was yelling

Did you have the chocolate consomme?

All ears (and eyes).

Thanks in advance!

[iheartoffal]

woops... I'll try to get around to posting something this weekend.

No, I didn't have the consomme, but Sam was nice enough to send out some pretty phenomenal desserts, including a grapefruit-jalapeno "push pop" that just about made me fall out of my chair.

[tan319]

Would love to hear all about it, the dessert end naturally getting my attention...

woops... I'll try to get around to posting something this weekend. 

No, I didn't have the consomme, but Sam was nice enough to send out some pretty phenomenal desserts, including a grapefruit-jalapeno "push pop" that just about made me fall out of my chair.

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naturally

[tan319]

Just wanted to bump this back up, 'cause I don't want to get it all forgotten about

Would love to hear all about it, the dessert end naturally getting my attention...

woops... I'll try to get around to posting something this weekend.  

No, I didn't have the consomme, but Sam was nice enough to send out some pretty phenomenal desserts, including a grapefruit-jalapeno "push pop" that just about made me fall out of my chair.

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naturally

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[fiftydollars]

Is the dish with the shrimp noodles still on the menu?

I have a reservation in a couple of weeks and I was wondering if I might finally get a chance to try it.

[Weissman]

Grapefruit and jalapeno!!! One extreme to the other: sour and spicy green raw pepper. That might make me fall out of my chair too! Was it awesome or was it awful?

Hey, I give the pastry chef credit for producing bold flavors. Not for the timid at heart. Hell, I'll try anything once!

What else did you have on your most recent vist, iheartoffal???

[Bux]

. . .  the shrimp noodles . . .

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At one of the butcher shops I frequent in Chinatown, I've noticed some noodlelike seafood product. It appeared freshly made, rather than packaged. I think there's been something in this thread or another about Wylie's noodles bearing some resemblance to surimi, the Japanese process that brings us "sea legs" and other ersatz crab. There's a whole range of traditional Japanese and Chinese fish and seafood products and to some extent they share a family resemblance to to fish pates and gefulte fish.

Anyway, I had and enjoyed that dish at WD-50 but was mildly disappointed in the fact that the "noodles" didn't act very noodly. That is to say, the didn't slither on the plate, but were rather stiff and stuck together. They formed a mass rather than acting like strands that could be twirled on a fork.