Last weekend I had the most amazing meal at Gabriel Kreuther to celebrate my birthday. Chef Kreuther honed his chops in top restaurants across Europe before moving to this side of the Atlantic, where he worked in kitchens such as Jean-Georges and The Modern (both of which are DELICIOUS!). In 2015, Chef Kreuther opened his eponymous restaurant, which has gained a AAA 5 Diamond Award, 3 Stars from the NY Times and a Michelin Star. So, I knew I was in for a treat.
The first thing I noticed was the down-to-earth, approachable service – despite my fanatical love for food, tasting menu meals are more a special occasion than the norm for me. I still sometimes feel “not fancy enough” for some of the more exclusive restaurants in NYC! The staff at Gabriel Kreuther made us feel right at home – professional yet approachable. A personalized greeting was waiting for me at our table.
We were presented with the beverage menu:
I was drawn right to the non-alcoholic menu, since I’m allergic to alcohol (I know, sad!). The Au Revoir stood out to me – a refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail with cucumber, celery, lemon, mint and chamomile:
We then perused the menu, where we had a choice of a 4-course prix-fixe, a six-course tasting menu, or a nine-course tasting menu. I’m sure you could guess which one I chose…thankfully, I ate strategically earlier in the day so I’d be ready for the night of eating!
Without further ado, let’s jump right in!
We started with the first of three bread courses – a savory scallion kougelhopf with chive fromage blanc. The kougelhopf, a mini-bundt bread, reflects Chef Kreuther’s Alsatian heritage.
Siberian Sturgeon Caviar with quail egg, vadouvan curry cracker and buttermilk mousseline:
We then were presented with a selection of sweet and savory starters:
Papas Frittas with comte and housemade hot sauce, and roasted tomatillo pastry with marinated rice and sour orange:
Pina Colada with lime and espelette:
One thing that was unique about this tasting menu was that for several courses, my eating buddy and I received different dishes, which means we really had many more than 9 courses! (I’m a sharer). I received the Fois Gras Terrine & Pistachio Praline with medjool date jam, strega, and fennel pollen waffle. This may have been one of my very favorite courses of the meal, though it is hard to choose…
I just had to take a photo of the savory waffle, which was styled like a mini flower bed. SO CUTE.
My eating buddy was served the Hamachi, Black Truffle & Foie Gras Mille-Feuille with celery, grapes, and truffle vinaigrette:
Next up, I was served the Langoustine Tartare with flying fish roe, salty fingers, and cauliflower macademia puree:
While my eating buddy was served the Marinated Yellowfin Tuna with macerated watermelon, fresno chile, and mandarin vinaigrette:
Our second bread course was a wholegrain Ficelle with bobolink farm’s cultured butter:
The Green-Walk Hatchery Trout with scallion crema and rye cracker had the most amazing champagne cream and caviar sauce:
Another two-course course! I was served the roasted Atlantic Black Bass with multigrain crumble, bouchot mussels, and yellow tomato bisque:
My eating buddy devoured the blue shrimp a la Plancha with tomato confit, eucalyptus, and artichoke nage:
Our third bread course – the rosemary Buckwheat Rolls with whipped lardo, chili and garlic:
We then were served Variations of Corn – which happens to be my favorite vegetable, so yay for me! The main variation was corn with leeks en croute, crispy sweetbreads, and pearl onion marmalade:
Accompanied by Chef Kreuther’s take on Mexican elote:
And finished with a sweet corn bisque:
Our last savory course was this mouthwatering Black Angus Beef Tenderloin with green asparagus, roquefort, and red wine jus:
And winding down before dessert with peach (our menu said eggplant, but I think it was peach?) with cashew panna cotta and lemongrass-rosemary granita:
Now onto the dessert courses! My eating buddy was served “Decadent” – Chocolate Caramel with mixed media crumble, chocolate mousse and caramel ice cream. This was perfect for a chocolate fiend like him!
I’m more a fruit dessert person myself, so the “Ethereal” was perfect for me – Strawberry Herb with fresh strawberries, herb sphere, and coconut panna cotta:
And, since it was my birthday, I was also presented with this delicious birthday cake!
You would think that would be enough dessert, but we finished off with chocolate (Gabriel Kreuther also has an amazing chocolate shop next door!):
and Petit Fours (cheesecake macarons – yum!):
We were presented with our customized menu upon our departure, which is fantastic to peruse and daydream about this amazing meal 🙂
Gabriel Kreuther presents a fantastic, special-occasion meal with exemplary service and delicious, beautiful food. If you pay a visit, come back and let me know what you think!
