Cookshop

[oakapple]

Cookshop (156 10th Avenue, at 20th St, in West Chelsea) has been open for several weeks. There was a good Sunday night crowd in the restaurant last night, but my friend and I were pleased that we could still hear ourselves talk.

The restaurant features a market menu that relies heavily on local produce. The menu is printed on loose paper, and I suspect it is re-done every day. To start, I had the smoked bluefish. My friend had a pizza, which our server warned "is one of our larger appetizers." Indeed, for many people it would serve as an entrée. We both had the duck main course, an ample portion of juicy medallions with a luscious layer of fat around them.

Main courses are generally between $20 and $30, except for the aged rib-eye ($34); appetizers are generally under $15. The wine list fits on a single page, but is not organized according to any system I could perceive. Nevertheless, I was delighted to find a modestly-priced cabernet that topped off the evening nicely.

I suspect Cookshop will be a hit, and deservedly so.

[alacarte]

Is it terrible that I feel like I've waited so long for it to open...reading about its imminent arrival...then reading glowing reviews from the "soft open," ...calling and being told it's not open yet.... then reading more reviews....that I've since lost interest in going? I'd even forgotten about the place until I read oakapple's post.

Soft opens drive me crazy.

[chefette]

As serendipity would have it we stumbled upon Cookshop last night. Wow!

What a really solidly great meal

We just noticed it and it looked attractive, got the menu and stopped in

They didn't seem happy that we did not have reservations but seated us - probably at their least desirable table so things could have gone sour really easily

BUT

Really competant attentive, professional and friendly service

Great bread

good water refills

Incredible food - could not have been more perfect

So, why isn't anyone talking about this place.

I guess its new - two months old yesterday but still - I though eGers were soooo on top of this stuff

Anyone else lucky enough to eat here?

If you haven't you really should

I would recommend calling ahead though

http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=4380

[docsconz]

Well, what did you have that was so good? Where is it?

[tan319]

Andrea Strong was buzzing about it a week or so ago in her 'Strong Buzz'.

Strongbuzz

Scroll down a bit once you click, you'll see it...

[raxelita]

Hal Rubenstein loves Cookshop:

http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/food/revie...staurant/15051/

Haven't been yet myself, but I like Five Points. It's solid food, relatively inexpensive and friendly. I support them, in a political sort of way: the owners are both so warm and genuine that I go out of my way to patronize thier restaurant over others.

Cookshop is on my shortlist.

[chefette]

Doc, since you asked:

we started with a flatbread,

troutlings, and duck taquitos from the snacks menu

deviled eggs with caviar

montauk island squid grilled

for main courses we tried

Vermont pork chop with sausage some salad thing (AMAZING!)

Lamb: small chop, patty , braised, on a bed of mashed potato and greens (Also AMAZING)

gruener veltliner

red wine from long island

fantastic breads - rolls from Sullivan St bakery and house made breadsticks

[BryanZ]

Does this place have a website or a Menupages listing. I can't find much info. on it.

[Bond Girl]

I went to the opening of the place, but that was not a good judge of anything since (1) it was the opening and (2) they had no gas that day. Last week, I returned for drinks and apps., now I know to sty away from the vegetable fries which was greasy and tasteless.

[SobaAddict70]

Among the snacks, the deviled egg is not as good a bet as sautéed chanterelle, oyster and maitake mushrooms on grilled rye toast, or as slices of smoked pork tenderloin with persimmon.

Both times I had the chicken, its skin wasn't crisp, and the one time I sat near the open kitchen the heat from that rotisserie made me feel as if I should be wearing SPF 45.

Because Cookshop has made the rounds of small producers, acquiring wines that aren't easy to find in retail stores, you can spend $30 to $40 and get an interesting, hugely enjoyable bottle. Try the 2002 Mas des Chimères from Languedoc, made primarily of syrah.

Cookshop (Frank Bruni)

Related discussion regarding Mr. Bruni's style of reviewing and the New York Times star system can be found here.

Discussion relating to Five Points can be found here.

Soba

[gaf]

Chelsea Lullaby New York Entry #65

A lot of good cooking is to be had. As a critic with but eleven months of New York eating before my retreat to Chicago, I select restaurants others recommend. They are my tasters. Sometimes I am brazenly disappointed - as at Spice Market - but typically my meals waver between very good and excellent with a handful of outstanding restaurants. The challenge is not to produce pleasant food, but to be transcendent. I average about one such dish a week.

Proprietors attempt to gain attention by constructing a narrative to differentiate themselves from the competition. This is certainly true at Cookshop, a new restaurant on Chelsea's restaurant row from the creators of Five Points. Chef Marc Meyer (and Chef de Cuisine Joel Haugh) have persuaded themselves - and they may be correct - that we diners desire indigenous American foodstuffs. When ingredients combine authenticity and moral virtue, so much the better. This is "honest" cuisine. The website asserts, "‘The butcher and the baker were the first chefs, if you ask me,' states Chef Marc Meyer, whose culinary passions run deep for sustainable ingredients, humanely raised animals and the support of local farmers and artisans. The menu . . . stays true to Meyer's respect for the earth and its bounty." Well, gag me with a spoon. Cookshop's niche is the Virtuous Gourmet, a category that apparently captures Frank Bruni of the Times, who asserts that Cookshop is "a place where eating well and doing good find common ground." Oink.

Fortunately for my appetite this syrupy benevolence and honied amity was not pushed by our waitress, whose service was as winsome as it was casual. Yes, clues were on the menu and chalkboard, but we didn't let decency spoil our evening. And one could not read the chef's ideology from the room, a modernist L-shaped space that was a symphony in whites, tans, and burgundy, but with a noise level that matched. Diners on the long side of the L had an open view of an efficient display kitchen, where ducks were eviscerated with respect.

We began with one of Cookshop's famed snacks, fried spiced hominy. The dried corn kernels were expertly fried and bravely spiced: a sonorous chile popcorn. The first bites were astonishing. But as we talked, these pellets became increasingly stale and pulpy. Our first bite was transfixing, our last disheartening, and perhaps half the plate remained. A lot goes a short way.

Starters were first-rate. I selected Grilled Montauk Squid, White Runner Beans, and Salsa Verde. I am not sure that I am comforted to learn that squid reside off the beaches of Long Island, but after tonight there was one less. And it was sweet and tender: essence of squid. The salsa verde had a mild but dense spiciness. The salsa was short on the chile, but long on the garlic and onion. It modestly called out the flavor of the squid. I expected runner beans that resembled green beans, but these were closer to lima beans or perhaps lupini. They had a slight snap to them, and I enjoyed them quite as long as beans deserve to be enjoyed.

As a second starter, we selected wood-roasted razor clams, fingerling potatoes, green olives, and preserved Meyer lemon. The idea of cooking razor clams over wood was a puzzle. Nothing wrong, but I couldn't taste mesquite or maple. The choice seemed more poetic than practical. What made this dish successful was the pungency of the preserved lemon and green olive, added to the tender clams. This dish was flavor-full. Perhaps the fingerlings were excess, but the dish was satisfying-plus.

The most appealing entree was "Chile Braised Grass-Fed Short Ribs, Georgia White Speckled Grits and Fried Onions." Ah-ha, Cookshop was going global. No so. The ribs were braised in Chile, not from Chile. The spice, however, was so tamed that I was unawares of its heat until I taunted our waitress about the Southern Cone. The barbeque sauce was tangy and thick, although not complex. I slurped the creamy grits, mixing easily with the sauce. The airy fried onions began well, but like fried food generally, had a fleeting perfection.

The other entree, Black Trumpet, Maitake, Hedgehog Mushroom, and Root Vegetable Pot Pie, may have been morally uplifting, but not uplifting as cuisine. A disappointment.

For dessert, I chose Meyer Lemon Marmalade and Almond Frangipane Tart. Normally this is served with Mascarpone Ice Cream, but I pleaded for Blood Orange Sorbet. The tart was straight up marzipan with a tinge of citrus; it was candy pie. The sorbet did not equal its companion. Not silky smooth, the scoop was icy and not bloody acidic. No one to blame but the blogger.

As we were leaving, the women at the next table, seeing my note-taking, provided a evaluation, "Good, but didn't knock my socks off." (She was wearing stockings.) Her conclusion had a non-blogger's truth. With the exception of the pot pie, I enjoyed the dishes, and particularly admired the early minutes of the hominy and the two appetizers. Yet, Cookshop is much like many other medium-priced restaurants found throughout New York neighborhoods. The food is creative, fun, and satisfying, but is limited by constraints of cost and inspiration. Without its moral narrative Cookshop is what much middle-level food has become. An ingredient here, an ingredient there, blanketed in a lullaby crooned by a weary chef.

Cookshop

156 10th Avenue (at 20th Street)

Manhattan (Chelsea)

212-924-4440

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

[Pan]

Based on your report, this doesn't sound like a place I'll be rushing to go to, but I'm trying to understand this:

[...]The other entree, Black Trumpet, Maitake, Hedgehog Mushroom, and Root Vegetable Pot Pie, may have been morally uplifting, but not uplifting as cuisine. A disappointment.[...]

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As a mushroom-lover, I'm trying to figure out how could they make something full of mushrooms a disappointment. Was it too heavy with root vegetables? Cooked too long or not long enough? Perhaps the ingredients themselves just weren't good enough?

[oakapple]

There are many restaurants in New York that I want to try, so a restaurant has to be pretty damned good for me to rush back. If it is merely good, I move on to the next destination. After our first visit, Cookshop had made it into that rare pantheon of places my friend and I felt we had to rush back to.

Alas, early promise wasn't fulfilled. On our second visit, my friend ordered a "humanely-raised" veal chop. We supposed that meant that the young animal received plenty of coddling in its short life, but in the end they still slaughtered it anyway. All of that made no difference. The chop was inexpertly cooked, lacking any char or texture on its outer surface.

I ordered the suckling pig, another animal that had died young. Its final stop before my plate was a rotisserie, which is perhaps a gimmick to persuade the diner that he is getting something special, but in the end it was just bland. I had a far superior version of the same dish a few days later at the TriBeCa restaurant Dominic.

So our enthusiasm for Cookshop has dimmed somewhat. We'll probably give it one mor try one of these days, but this time we won't be rushing back.

[gaf]

Pan,

I'm a mushroom lover as well, and if I had been given a plate of sauteed mushrooms, I would have been in heaven. Indeed, one of my most memorable dishes was a plate of mushooms in cream sauce and dill, served in a Polish restaurant that had entirely run out of meat.

However, I found the dish (of which I had twp bites - it was my companion's - to use a technical term, gloppy. But I don't much like pot pies (Swanson's or others) very much in any event.

[Lreda]

Thinking of going here for lunch tomorrow. Haven't heard much about it recently. Passed by about a month ago and it was closed at 2:30 pm when it's supposed to be open til 3. Any thought or suggestions?

[oakapple]

Thinking of going here for lunch tomorrow. Haven't heard much about it recently. Passed by about a month ago and it was closed at 2:30 pm when it's supposed to be open til 3. Any thought or suggestions?

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I've been twice (see posts here and here). We loved it the first time; we were somewhat disappointed the second.

[Lreda]

Well all that did was confuse me some more . I've got an hour to make up my mind where to go today.. Thanks anyway.

[BanjoDan]

Well all that did was confuse me some more . I've got an hour to make up my mind where to go today.. Thanks anyway.

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Ate there last night for the second time in 2 weeks. I think it's a fantastic restaurant. Had the braised shortribs which were delicious on top of the best grits I've ever tasted. Duck Confit Tacquitos to start were also very good.

[Lreda]

I posted last night in NJ that I found the meal medicore but after rethinking on the train this morning that it was better than I thought originally. Started with a nice welcome by George the bartender. Given a minute to dry after walking 8 blocks in the slush, I order the Tocai by the glass, a little small, 4 oz for $10 but George poured me alittle larger on glass #3. Ordered the salt cod cake with sauteed spinach, onions a chili mayo. The mayo had no chili but the cake was very good with potato and cod. I'll be making this dish tonight on my specials. Had the Buttermilk chicken on the bone with romaine and honey. The honey was for dipping but served in a small metal thing you would normally use for shrimp cocktail making it difficult to dip the chicken and after dipping the 1st time realized the honey added nothing to the dish. I'll have to try again for dinner as the potential certainly is there.

[raji]

I finally got to try Cookshop tonight - had 4 friends in from out of town (Japan), wanted to get a nice dinner for around $60 per person, they mentioned French or Italian but I figured why not see them off with an Americana seasonal menu that would be impossible to find over Japan. I've also biked by the space dozens of times and I really wanted to try it out.

I echo the sentiments above; nothing blew me away or amazed me, everything was as advertised, cooked well, but nothing particularly memorable. GAF's commentary is spot on.

Our waiter was very nice and prompt, but didn't couldn't tell me much more than what was written on the menu. I asked for a dry Riesling to start out with and the one he recommended was actually on the sweet side, a little embarassing for me because my friends from the far east assumed I knew my wine. For a red with the meal, I went with a Shiraz from a region I had visited, which my friends liked so much they ordered additional glasses of it.

For appetizers we ordered the oyster mushroom pizza, which was very creamy with extremely tasty mushrooms, but succeeded in part due to prodgious amounts of olive oil... an apple, bacon, walnut salad, which was somewhat pedestrian, and chicken-fried duck livers, which were good but not great...

For mains we all shared the trio of lamb, (loin, chop, meatballs), arctic char, a NY strip steak, and the duck breast. The steak and duck were the best of the bunch. The artic char, which the waiter described to me as tasting somewhere in between salmon and trout, was good, but made me want a proper salmon steak! The lamb was good but nothing to write home about.

I love the space, and the sparse, almost zen-like decor and tableware. The staff is for the most part friendly, and the place was packed when I got there, although we managed to close it out.

So, "good but didn't knock my socks off". However, I will be back, for several reasons. It's affordable enough to go back multiple times and find the apps and sides and desserts that I can call my own, and/or try out the seasonal rotation. Only great restaurants can succeed with everything on the menu. For a party of 5, we had 3 apps, 4 mains, 2 bottles of wine, dessert wines/desserts, all for $310 + tax and tip, thus fulfilling the original price requirement. It's got a great wine list with many great affordable options in the 30-45 range, as well as lots of options for pre/post drinking and dessert, which helps a lot if the mains are underwhelming.

It's also a welcome addition to what is still a bit of a culinary black hole, West Chelsea. The 7th and 8th Avenue strips from 14-23 don't really have any destination restaurants that I can think of, and it gets worse moving west. With little to no desire to take part in the Meatpacking district economy, it's nice to have a "safe" restaurant to go to when you're surrounded by Stephen Starr superduperworld, the Maritime snootfest, and, when we reach the cobblestones, enough bluetooth-headsetted aholes (think the recent SNL sketch) to fill a stadium.

So I'll be back a 2nd time, with camera, but if I don't see some more inspired cooking going on, I may have to give up on it...

[Sneakeater]

It's also a welcome addition to what is still a bit of a culinary black hole, West Chelsea. The 7th and 8th Avenue strips from 14-23 don't really have any destination restaurants that I can think of, and it gets worse moving west.

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It's a few blocks north of your geographic limit (and maybe not quite as good as its fans claim), but don't forget the Biltmore Room.

[Daniel]

Has anyone been here recently.. Thinking of going this weekend...

[raji]

hey daniel I went there last week, and very similar experience to my review, I had a steak that time, I should remark that the bread service is good too, but I had some side with cheese and jalapenos that was wayyyyyyyyy too spicy

[flinflon28]

It's also a welcome addition to what is still a bit of a culinary black hole, West Chelsea. The 7th and 8th Avenue strips from 14-23 don't really have any destination restaurants that I can think of, and it gets worse moving west.

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It's a few blocks north of your geographic limit (and maybe not quite as good as its fans claim), but don't forget the Biltmore Room.

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I'm pretty certain Biltmore is closed for good. I live two blocks away and it hasn't been open in a few weeks. Eater also says that the space is up for sale.

[Daniel]

Thanks Raji.. Your post got me wanting to go there.. I am going to stay away from the steak cause I got a rib eye in the works... But after a week of horrific dining, I am looking for some food made with love.. I think this place will do it for me..