Changes At Grayz
[Pigging by Wilfrid: August 4, 2008]
The winds of change blow warmly through Gray Kunz's Manhattan empire.
Café Gray, his Time Warner Center flagship, ceased operation earlier this summer. And on August 10, Grayz will close its doors for refurbishment.
Anyone else remember the original plan for the Restaurant Collection, a portfolio of star-studded eating options in the Time-Warner development? Not only Thomas Keller, but Masa Takayama, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Trotter, Gray Kunz, all under the same roof.
Well, Charlie Trotter never opened his proposed seafood restaurant. A large, populist version of Tribeca's Landmarc took its place. Jean-Georges' steakhouse V, done up like a cross between Versailles and a storyville bordello, crashed after dismissive reviews, to be replaced by the safely average Porter House. And now Café Gray, shuttered too. Keller and Masa, of course, continue - aloof in their sequestered bubbles of fame.
Grayz, behind MOMA, had been a kind of spin-off from Café Gray; an opportunity for chef Martin Brock to show off his refined modern German cuisine alongside typical Kunz dishes like the short ribs and delicious grilled shrimp with a kaffir lime remoulade.
Grayz was a hybrid though: in part a private event space; in part a cocktail bar emphasizing a menu small plates. Sandwiched between the two concepts was one of the best restaurants in town, serving dinner at a handful of tables opposite the bar and toward the rear of the awkward first floor space.
I must have liked it: I reviewed it three times, in October 2007, February 2008 and again the same month. It was fascinating to watch Brock evolve his own style, developing away from the Kunz European-Asian style to brilliant versions of classic German dishes like sauerbraten and weisswurst.
Some dishes still sounded Gray Kunz notes, like the nicely prepared coconut-crusted lobster with Thai basil and some sharp fruit accents (I was only permitted a mouthful).
Although the first floor dining/bar area at Grayz always seemed fairly busy (though never packed), the event-space element of the concept would seem to have been abandoned. The downstairs - once Aquavit's main dining room - will become part of the restaurant again following the refurbishment.
This was, in my book, a more Brock-ish dish. Simple cheese spaetzle, topped with crisply seared foie, the whole scented with a truffle reduction.
On paper, the changes should be good news. I always hoped Grayz would evolve into a restaurant proper. On the other hand, much as I've admired chef Kunz's work in the past - above all at Lespinasse - it would be a pity to see him take the reins away from Brock, who has really impressed in this space.
Sweetbreads with a hazelnut crust. As tasty as it looks.
Well, that clears out the photo tray. I will miss Grayz as it was: I hope I'll like it as much when it re-emerges. There's many a slip, though...
