Aquavit

[vivin]

I went a couple of years ago. Worth going.

[ulterior epicure]

The following is an excerpt from my blogpost. You can read the entire review at the ulterior epicure.. You can see all the photos on my Flickr account.

Needless to say, expectations have a lot to do with one’s dining experience. Regarding Aquavit, mine were heavily guarded, which probably explains, in part, why I was floored by my recent meal there. Far and away, that lunch left a deeper impression on me than any other meal I had on my recent trip to New York.

But bested expectations shouldn’t undermine the worth and merit of the food. This is especially true of Aquavit, whose food, on this occasion, proved the restaurant deserving of every accolade and praise it has received. Everything was perfect; not a single flavor ran askew, no texture was misplaced, temperatures were spot-on, and presentations were beautiful.

Admittedly, I’m a complete Scandiphile; especially when it comes to the cuisine, which I adore. And, I’ve long admired Chef Marcus Samuelsson and have cooked out of the Aquavit Cookbook numerous times with great success. So, I’m not sure why I had bothered positing much importance in the many reports condemning his repertoire as being outdated...

Although I toyed (briefly) with the idea of ordering á la carte, for a first-timer, the five-course lunch Chef’s Tasting seemed like a no-brainer. Not only does it include some of Samuelsson’s signature dishes, many of which I have read about in his cookbook, but at $58, it’s a very good deal. The wine pairing is an additional $30...

Thinly cut, the waxy, yet supple fish is piled on a bed of cold fingerling potato salad (very lightly dressed) and sided by two sauces. One was a sweet Port wine reduction, the other was Samuelsson’s famous espresso mustard sauce. Neither are particularly or traditionally Swedish (although the Swedes love their coffee, I suspect the espresso is an expression of Chef Samuelsson’s Ethiopian roots).

But, the elements and flavors of Swedish cuisine were there, down to

the crisp flatbread on which I stacked the gravlax. And, herein lies

Samuelsson’s ingeniousness. Borrowing Mario Batali’s self-described approach to Italian cuisine, I would say that where Samuelsson’s cooking isn’t authentically Swedish, a Swede would recognize it and, more importantly, accept it as Swedish. They would like it too.

The other thing I like about Swedish (and Japanese) cuisine is that although the components of a dish may intermingle, each element remains distinct throughout. Flavors are clean and compartmentalized. Our third course in the tasting, a lightly hot-smoked filet of trout (ruby or sea, I’m not sure which) on a bed of sunchoke puree, is a good example.

Barely cooked, the fish had the consistency of custard and just slightly perfumed with smoke (not sure what kind of wood was used). As if this wasn’t brilliant enough, the fish was topped with a silky tangle of enoki mushrooms and finished with a subtly sweet-tart warm apple-horseradish broth, poured table-side. Savory, sweet, tart, and earthy, it was a concert of flavors that could be picked apart, or enjoyed as a whole. I could see this dish being equally satisfying in the summer as in the winter...

I'm sure that I'll be back. Sadly, not in time for the annual herring extravaganza going on this week (June 16-20). (I can't deep link into Aquavit's (annoying) Flash-driven website. I'm very envious of those of you who can go. It sounds like an amazing experience and a fantastic deal. I would appreciate field reports from those of you who do go. In the meantime, I'll satisfy my cravings by cooking out of his cookbook.

I recognize that it's hardly legitimate for me to pass any sort of definitive judgments on Aquavit based on one lunch. However, if this meal was par for the course, I'd say Aquavit should easily be shooting a 1 star Michelin. Along with Eleven Madison Park, I think it's undeservingly overlooked. I would encourage all of the naysayers and cautious to reconsider Aquavit for what it is.

Again, you can read the entire review at the ulterior epicure..

[Fat Guy]

Just back from the herring lunch buffet at the Aquavit Cafe. All the different herring preparations were terrific, especially the curry and the herb-garlic, but that I sort of figured would be the case. Pleasant surprises were the Swedish meatballs with anchovy sauce (the sauce is on the side so you add as much or as little to the meatballs as you like, and there's also a berry garnish you can add), the smoked and poached salmon offerings, the beef liver pate, the anchovy pizza and the nice bread selection.

Perhaps most enjoyable were some of the items that incorporated anchovies for umami flavor -- you wouldn't have guesses anchovy. For example, the "gentlemen's delight" was the best egg salad I've ever eaten, pumped up by barely detectable sweet anchovies. Also the "Janssons temptation," creamy potatoes-and-onions enhanced by anchovies. I also loved the names of those dishes. And there was a terrific Caesar salad, though not called that.

Actually, nothing was called anything. There were no signs or other indica of what was on each platter, so we had to keep interrogating the servers who were refilling the bountiful and gorgeous buffet. That's peeve number 1. Peeve number 2 is that they overbooked so everybody got seated late. You just can't make people wait 20 minutes to be seated for lunch. Peeve number 3, related, is the it was really crowded so we sort of had to fight to access the buffet, though the crowd thinned out later and we had the place basically to ourselves.

Still, an awesome deal for $27.

[rlibkind]

"From eight to nine,

Ulla like to have big Swedish breakfast.

Many different herrings."

[rlibkind]

I believe Herring Festival, which started Monday, has been extended through next week. It's still $27 for lunch, and a great deal. Same menu as previously, every bit as good. The paté with anchovy is also excellent.

I accompanied mine with a Carlsberg and a Aalborg Taffel Aquavit (carraway and orange).

We got there with a 12 noon reservation in the cafe, and there was no waiting. Marcus Samuelsson even made a few appearances in the room.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Had a fine meal in the main dining room of Aquavit last night. Under chef Marcus Jernmark it continues to offer a mix of traditional nordic flavors presented in modernist ways. The two of us each ordered the four-course prix fixe, so we could try a variety of things--about half the menu. We let them know we would be sharing, so they brought us two clean plates with each course and put the dishes in the center to serve from.

The main dining room is small, maybe 11 or 12 tables, and if some don't care for the decor, I think that may just be because of the way Scandanavian design has fulfilled such utilitarian functions in America, so if you eat at the Smörgås Chef restaurant at Scandanavia House, you feel a bit like you're in a school cafeteria or an airport food court, and at Aquavit you may be having a meeting at an advertising agency.

I think the thing I liked most was the second amuse (the first being four cheesy gougeres)--a hot smoked salmon served in a clamped jar, so that it released a puff of smoke when opened before the waiter drizzled it with a cold white asparagus soup.

Breads were a traditional rye crispbread, which I've been making a lot of lately myself, with fennel and sea salt, finger loaves of dense rye, and white sourdough rolls, which I didn't get around to. I should have had less of the crispbread. It's more filling than one thinks.

We tried three infused Aquavits between us--horseradish, ramp, and fig & cardamom.

The gravlax seems to be cut into triangular strips, reassembled with transglutaminase into a torchon, and delivered elegantly like an orange slice with a whole mustard and dill sauce. Also had the Picked and Spiced Herring, which was subtle, and might bring us back for the herring festival. The herring was like the horseradish infused aquavit, in that it revealed enough of the flavors that make it interesting, but not so much as to be overbearing or wipe out one's tastebuds for the rest of the meal.

There are a couple of truffle dishes on the menu right now worth sampling. I particularly liked the corn and barley with shaved white truffle on top. There is also a "slow roasted" (seemed maybe sous vide and then charred actually) duck breast with foie gras, a thick black truffle and pumpernickel sauce, and tiny roasted turnips.

We ordered the Vanilla Infused Pears and the Chocolate with Texture for dessert, both nicely done and interesting, but it was getting to be a bit too much food. We would have been fine with the selection of closing amuses, particularly the dulce de leche beignets and the tray of eight or so little bites of various sweets.

All in all a good experience, and I'd add it to my nicer midtown lunch options.

Edited June 17, 2012 by David A. Goldfarb (log)