Cru

[tan319]

Are we to take this post to mean that Will is no longer pastry chef at CRU?

If so, my condolences, chef.

Edited January 25, 2005 by tan319 (log)

[Bux]

I've been busy, but I trust it's not too late say what I said to the sous chef last week when we had dinner at Cru. We enjoyed our meal very much. While the lamb was very good, the best part of my meal was dessert. Mrs. B, who is trying to avoid desserts for a while and who intended to have me eat half of her dessert as well as mine, was, in the end, very reluctant to give up any part of her dessert and only willing to allow me a taste if I gave up an equal quantity or more, or my dessert. For the record, I had the dessert that wasn't a pear doughnut With Respect to its Inherent Nature, and my wife had the olive oil financier.

If whoever was making dessert last Tueday is in the kitchen, I'd consider stopping in just for dessert. On the other hand I know full well the joys and attractions of young daughters. I've got a grandson she'd like to meet someday.

[akwa]

Thanks for the kind words

It was indeed I, America's least wanted, accidentally making something enjoyable.

Looking forward to future playdates

W_akwa

I've been busy, but I trust it's not too late say what I said to the sous chef last week when we had dinner at Cru. We enjoyed our meal very much. While the lamb was impressively good, the best part of my meal was dessert. Mrs. B, who is trying to avoid desserts for a while and who intended to have me eat half of her dessert as well as mine, was, in the end, very reluctant to give up any part of her dessert and only willing to allow me a taste if I gave up an equal quantity or more, or my dessert. For the record, I had the dessert that wasn't a pear doughnut With Respect to its Inherent Nature, and my wife had the olive oil financier.

If whoever was making dessert last Tueday is in the kitchen, I'd consider stopping in just for dessert. On the other hand I know full well the joys and attractions of young daughters. I've got a grandson she'd like to meet someday.

←

[akwa]

for the record, I am in the kitchen for two more weeks

and am certain that whatever direction chef Shea Gallante chooses to go, the results will be excellent.

[tan319]

Sorry to hear this!

When you consider your next move, and for the record, I have a 7 and a half year old daughter I can BARELY tear myself away from to go to work, maybe a dessert place of your own is something to ponder?

You know I'm a food geek, dessert geek for sure, and thru numerous googles, etc., I know you're kind of a lightning rod for controversy.

I'm sure it plays with ones psyche at times but, what I'm trying to say is, ( I want to say screw 'em but that's not exacly cool) get your own place and follow your instincts, etc.

[snausages2000]

I thoroughly enjoyed my dessert at Cru, Will.

I hope that you're not leaving the restaurant feeling discouraged.

I imagine the blandness of mainstream American culture leaves

the most creative people feeling like misfits.

If you're going to remove your talents from the public sphere,

would you consider mailing me a homemade dessert sometime?

Kind of like mom sending a care package to sleepaway camp...

[rich]

I'm sure there's a Cru thread, but several searches didn't turn up any. If it does exist, please combine.

My wife and I had dinner there last evening for our anniversary. After looking at the menu, we decided to have the five-course tasting menu ($78) with one change. We opted for a cheese course instead of a chocolate cake dessert. They were very accommodating.

The food was outstanding, highlighted by chicken breast baked in buttermilk. It was so moist and tender I thought it was prepared sous vide. The waitress said she heard that comment on many occasion.

There were four amuse "courses" before dinner - each more flavorful then the next. The best was a beet cone cracker filled with beet mousse - and I'm not a beet fan.

I decided not to add the wine pairings with the food but went on my own. I started with a half-bottle of Austrian wine. The name/producer escapes me now, but the predominant grape was chenin blanc - made very dry and crisp. An outstanding wine. Next I had a 1999 Mauritson Zinfandel - Sonoma, Dry Creek. I chose this because at six years old, I knew it wouldn't overwhelm the food. It was perfect and served at cool castle temperature - I was impressed.

After the cheese, we tried two glasses of dessert wine - a German auslese and an Italian moscato. Both had terrific fruit, subtle, yet distinct tones of apricots and, most importantly, were not cloying. After tax and tip - $360. Certainly a place to visit again.

Bottom line - food was outstanding; wine list incredible with very low pricing.

One thing about the service - it was professional with little interaction or banter unless you wanted. However, I think the oldest staff person was about 11.

Post merged by jogoode

[Cornellrob]

i also went to cru recently, this past week, for a belated v-day with my girlfriend. rather than getting the 5 course tasting menu, we opted to get a variety of the crudo appetizers to start, then we each had an appetizer, a pasta course, and then a main course. by dessert we were too full to finish.

like rich, we too received the 4 amuse "courses. i was pleasantly surprised to receive such an elaborate array of treats to start the meal.

there wasn't a single dish that we didn't like, so no point in making specific recommendations. some dishes that stood out for me was the langoustine crudo, the skate appetizer, and duck main.

wine list is very impressive. we asked for tasting wine portions with each of our courses, and left it up to the staff to make selections. i'm not really a wine expert, but we both enjoyed our wine pairings, and many of them were on the inexpensive side - $4-5 per 3oz tasting.

overall -- food fantastic. service -- fantastic.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Cornellrob (log)

[adegiulio]

I searched for any comments on Cru and came up empty. Anyone been?

Admin: threads merged.

Note: It's hard to find the thread for Cru because the internal search engine only allows strings of four characters or more.

[SethG]

[Never mind-- merged]

The wife and I went there this past Friday, and had a great meal.

Edited February 24, 2005 by SethG (log)

[slkinsey]

We are reliably informed that Chef Shea Gallante of Cru is named one of the Best New Chefs of 2005 in food & Wine Magazine's upcoming issue.

[Poots]

Has anyone eaten here lately? i'm coming in from Denmark for a week and may only have one meal in New York(i'm going to be in Jersey). My friend made reservations here due to my nagging. Is Cru still putting out great food? Any don't miss courses? Tasting or a la carte? thanks in advance.

regards,

Brian

[adegiulio]

We ate there about a month ago...It was truly terrific (with the exception of one of our servers, who seemed like he was in training...we went the whole nine yards, crudo, apps and main course....glad we did. Shea is a terrific chef and we look forward to going back...Just try not to worry about the bill too much...it gets high quick..

[chopjwu12]

shea had a great spread on pasta in the latest issue of art culinaire. If anyone has a chance they should really check it out. Hes in great company in the issue as well with the likes of trotter, boulud, and blanc among others.

[SobaAddict70]

I have a reservation here next Tuesday evening. Looking forward to it.

Soba

[tan319]

I have a reservation here next Tuesday evening.  Looking forward to it.

Soba

←

Who's the pastry chef at CRU now?

If you get a chance, can you post about that part of your meal too?

Very interested to hear what they're doing now.

Thanks!

[SobaAddict70]

Dinner tonight at Cru.

Before I get to the meal, here is the menu for today, 24 May 2005. The menu changes every day apparently.

Crudo ($14 for two or $21 for three)

Fluke

Cucumber, mango and sturgeon caviar

White tuna

Olive praline, caper-espresso and chive

Arctic char

Smoked pepper, apple, endive and vanilla oil

Live sea scallop

Buffalo mozzarella, caviar and braised peach

Bigeye tuna

Snap peas, baby frisee and red apple viniagrette

Madai

Marinated red beets, golden whitefish roe and micro chervil

Langoustine

Green papaya-truffle salad, blood orange and gin sauce

Suzuki

Red salt, Monte Vertine olive oil and citron

Shima-aji, kanpachi and hamachi

Radish, micro celery and lime salt ($21)

Sayori

Marinated red and yellow peppers, citrus and baby sesame greens

Kisu

Micro purple radish, pickled rhubarb and 25 year old balsamico

Aji

Ginger-scallion salad, pickled onion and chili oil

Appetizers ($15)

Buffalo milk burrata

Caviar, roasted and marinated beets, cashew croquant

Cured spotted sardines

Green apple, white dandelion and hearts of palm

Pignoli dusted skate wing

Braised tat-soi and kohlrabi-sesame puree

Pike "quenelles"

Parsley root-spring garlic broth and tiny spring vegetables

Pasta ($23)

Tagliatelle

Washington State porcini, Dungeness crab and flat leaf parsley

Whole wheat fuzi

Eggplant, roasted garlic and baked ricotta salata

Tortellone

Stuffed with sweetbreads, braised lamb shoulder and spring garlic

Vialone nano risotto

Stinging nettles, zucchini flowers, borage and raschera

Main Courses ($37)

Black sea bass

Fava beans, sunchokes, currant tomatoes and morrel-sherry jus

Dayboat snowy grouper

Ramps, green asparagus, smoked peppers and port-olive

Columbia River sturgeon

Citrus puree, dandelion, English peas and black truffle sauce

Stone Church duck breast

Roasted eggplant, braised onions, leeks and swiss chard

Lamb rack poached in Gaeta olive oil

Baby carrots, artichokes and hon-shimeji

Spring Tasting Menu ($85)

First Course

Carpaccio of Avocado

Spicy spring greens, smoked pears and whipped buffalo ricotta

OR

Trio of hand cut tartares

Spanish blue mackerel, hiramasa and bigeye tuna

OR

Gently cooked Arctic char

Asian pear, water chestnut, chervil-dill broth

Second Course

Crisp Katafi crusted shrimp

Jumbo white asparagus and pink grapefruit

OR

Rouget "maki"

Baby squid, saffron emulsion and wild arugula

OR

Halibut

Diver scallops, warm potato salad and baby haricots verts

Third Course

Potato gnocchi

Rabbit sausage, ramps, sweet onions and toasted fennel

OR

Smoked poussin

Braised pork belly, hon-shimeji and pickled rhubarb

OR

Vialone nano risotto

West coast sea urchin and Florida frogs legs

Main Course

Maine soft shell lobster

Turnips and mango butter-poached salsify

OR

Roasted Vermont baby lamb

Lentils and braised lettuces with almonds

OR

Wagyu beef cheek "Sous Vide"

Cranberry beans, porcini and brussels sprouts

Pre dessert:

Clementine consomme, yogurt sorbet and raspberry cloud

Dessert

Steamed chocolate cake

Hazelnut praline and caramel-thyme ice cream

OR

Pearl tapioca

Coconut cream, curried passion mousse and sesame lace cookie

(continued in next post)

[SobaAddict70]

(continued from the post above)

Chef Gallante offered to cook for me, and it's a good thing I accepted. If the meal that followed is any indication of his talents, I'm definitely returning in the near future. I asked for six courses but somehow that managed to morph into eight. (There was an additional dessert sent out.)

Highlights:

Gently cooked Arctic char

Chervil-mussel broth, julienned Asian pear, micro greens

Soft shell crab

Mango butter, cassis sauce, passion fruit coulis (ok, well maybe not passion fruit coulis... My memory isn't what it used to be. The fruit sauces helped to accentuate the natural sweetness of the crab and harmonized beautifully.)

Halibut

Crusted with diver scallops, warm potato salad and baby haricots verts (I felt that this was the strongest course of the entire evening. I that potato salad. This dish was a textbook case of how separate elements on a plate can combine to form something that approaches magic.)

Wagyu beef

Brussel sprouts, fingerling potato puree (and one other element? can't remember. There goes my memory again. )

Tortellone

Stuffed with sweetbreads, braised lamb shoulder and spring garlic and lamb jus (this was served with another dish that contained the potato gnocchi from the tasting menu. This dish strongly reminded me of the Alejandro's pyramids in Babbo's pasta tasting menu. I preferred the tortelloni over the gnocchi which I thought had slightly too much salt, but perhaps that's just me)

Some of the amuses didn't work -- although the duck meatball crusted in Parmaggiano was actually pretty good. The pre-dessert only served to remind me that foam's status as a gastronomic "in"-thing is well overdue for a re-evaluation. An observation: Bread was not served until well into the parade of amuse-bouches. These, by the way, are extremely minor criticisms.

Out of 10? A strong 8, which only serves to reinforce the notion that the Times' star rating was on the mark. Cru also has a new pastry chef. I didn't catch her last name, but should have additional information forthcoming.

Soba

[johnjohn]

(continued from the post above)

Chef Gallante offered to cook for me, and it's a good thing I accepted.  If the meal that followed is any indication of his talents, I'm definitely returning in the near future.  I asked for six courses but somehow that managed to morph into eight.  (There was an additional dessert sent out.)

←

Thanks for the write up - I've been wanting to try this place for awhile. I'm curious about Chef Gallante offering to cook for you - was this arranged ahead of time, did the server mention this was an option when you were seated, or did Chef Gallante come to your table and suggest this himself?

[SobaAddict70]

The server mentioned that this was an option once I was seated.

In the interests of full disclosure, Shea knew that I was coming as a result of the post I made last Friday.

Soba

[iheartoffal]

Going to "Cru" with my "crew" on tuesday night. Actually, that's a lie...I'm going by myself. I'm sure it'll be a blast anyway. Anyone have any specific recommendations before I go?

[tan319]

Is there any chance that Donna (forgive me, forgot her last name) from Chick-A-Licous is the new pastry chef?

The desserts ( as well as the rest of the meal) read awesome.

Would love to know, Soba, when you get the info.

Thanks!

[iheartoffal]

Had dinner there last night by myself before going to visit a couple of friends. Overall, I found it to be a very enjoyable experience with only a couple of minor problems, none of them having to do with the food or the wine.

The service was friendly, knowledgable, and polished for the most part. One thing that bugged me in the beginning is that I felt a little too hovered-over. It wasn't just my waiter, but it seemed like at one point I was surrounded by several people, all of whom seemed to be watching me, some pointing and talking. It was a only a minor annoyance and a fleeting one at that. I guess solo diners are always a bit of a curiosity. My only other service gripe was that my waiter seemed to forget a couple of times that I was having the tasting menu. Two times during the meal he handed me a dessert menu, even though I had already ordered my dessert from the tasting menu at the beginning. Again, no big deal.

The food was excellent. I have never received so many amuses in my life. I'm not sure if they were extras or if everyone got them...doesn't matter. Needless to say, I left full.

I took some pictures of what I ate using my camera-phone. They're obviously not of the highest quality and a couple actually didn't come out. I've included what did come out. Anyway, here they are.

First amuse: Roasted Beet Puree with Gorgonzola in a Pistachio Tuille

Cute. Tasty, but I wish I could have tasted more of the gorgonzola to offset the sweetness.

Second amuse: This was a trio of bites given to every table, ostensibly. One was a parmesan crusted duck meatball which was quite tasty. Another was some sort of tiny tart with a sweet tasting crust and some sort of truffle cream. My favorite of the three was a lollipop looking concoction consising of toased brioche and gruyere wrapped with prosciutto. Wow! Give me about fifty of those and I'll be set. My server indicated that this was his favorite of the three as well.

Third Amuse: Red and White Gazpacho with Almond Foam, Avocado and Tapioca

Note: I'm doing these from memory, so there might be a few mistakes. If anyone knows of any mistakes, please correct me. Anyway, this was a refreshing little thing. It tasted like spring in a cup. I couldn't reach the nice bits with the spoon, so I looked around to see if anyone was looking and just took the rest down like a shot. Yum!

Fouth Amuse:

I can't remember all of the components to this dish. That was one of the other problems. A couple of times I was given descriptions by people and they rattled them off so quickly that I didn't catch everything. I guess I should have spoken up. At any rate, it was tasty. From what I remember, it contained sevruga caviar, peach, red beet, and maybe a goat cheese mouse (?). The flavors were in perfect balance with the mouse sort of bridging the sweetness of the the fruit with the saltiness of the caviar.

First Course:

Arctic Char with Water Chestnut, Asian Pear and a Dill-Chervil Sauce

I love arctic char and this dish was a perfect platform for its rich flavor and texture. The dill flavor was very strong, but it didn't overwhelm the fish. This dish also had a great visual appeal, with the bright orange-red of the fish against the striking green of the sauce.

Second Course:

Rouget "Maki" with Baby Squid, Wild Arugula, and Saffron Emulsion

I wish the picture I took of this one came out, because it was a sweet presentation. This was actually the first time I had ever had red mullet..I've always wanted to know what the fuss was about. Wow! Such a wonderful full flavored fish. It was wrapped in some squid ink noodles and served over the baby squid, which had a wonderfully satisfying texture. The saffron emulsion added an underlying mysterious flavor.

Third Course:

Smoked Poussin with Braised Pork Belly, Hon-shimeji mushrooms, and Pickled Rhubarb

When I saw this one on the menu, that Sesame Street song that goes "One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong" started going through my head. Rhubarb didn't seem to have any place in this dish as I tried to connjure up what the flavor would be like. I really did work. What really bridged the smoky poussin and the sweet rhubarb was the pork belly, which, to me, sort of acted like a foundation for the other flavors to ride up top.

Extra Couse:

This was another description I could barely make out. It was some sort of pasta cooked risotto style with rabbit sausage and what tasted like some sort of shellfish broth. It was out of this world, whatever it was.

Fourth Course:

Wagyu Beef Cheeks "Sous Vide" with Cranberry Beans, Porcinis, and Brussels Sprouts

In my best Homer voice: "Mmmmm. Beeeef Cheeks." The meat was melt in your mouth tender--not stringy like some beef cheeks I've had previously.

Pre Dessert:

Clementine Consomme with Grapefruit Sorbet and a Raspberry Cloud

I second the guy above me in regards to foam. Sure, it's cute, but that's about it. The course as a whole was a nice little palette cleanser.

Dessert:

Warm Olive Oil Cake with Spring Rhubarb, Mascarpone Cream, and Bitter Orange

Verrrrrry rich. The cake could have stood on its own without garnishes. I couldn't really taste the olive oil, but I'm not sure I was supposed to. For some reason, the kitchen sent out the petit fours before I was even halfway through my dessert. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but I felt ever so slightly rushed. Again, minor gripe.

I only had a couple of glasses of wine because I was meeting up with friends later on. I had an absolutely stunning cabernet from Leadmark Vineyards in Napa. Bold and smooth with a wonderful lingering finish. The other was red Burgundy: Volnay Premier Cru....I forget the year. It had a well balanced flavor that reflected the terroir more than it did the fruit.

Again, great overall experience. Hopefully next time I can get a look at the wine cellar and the kitchen.

Edited June 1, 2005 by iheartoffal (log)

[Luckylies]

man I'm so jealous. I still cant believe I have not had a full meal at Cru...shame on me...great description IHOFF. What was the price tag like?

[iheartoffal]

man I'm so jealous. I still cant believe I have not had a full meal at Cru...shame on me...great description IHOFF. What was the price tag like?

←

It was actually not too bad at all. I had the tasting menu and two $20+ glasses of wine. My total without tip was just over $150.