[Pigging by Wilfrid: December 9, 2015]
Another one, but different. Because this rapidly conceived and opened sibling of Michelin-starred kaiseki-to-casual cave Kyo Ya is French. Well, kind of. And it's much more of a bar-lounge.
Hair definitively let down here: few formalities in the small room which had previously been The Barrel, and still displayed the mock staves of its interior decor.
Let's see if we can get this right. General manager Erina Yoshida, a serene presence on the floor, and/or her father Tony, have (or had) ownership stakes in the little Japanese empire surrounding Autre: Sunrise Mart, the supermarket; Angel's Share, the cocktail bar; Pan Ya, the bakery next door; and indeed The Barrel. Village Yokocho? I don't know.
Anyway, if this reporting is half right, it helps to explain how Autre Kyo Ya went from conception to opening in a total of five weeks, as one staff member told me: an extraordinary turnaround for any kind of bar or restaurant in New York. Was it too hurried?
I'll try to be as clear as possible. Autre Kyo Ya had been open a few days when I visited. Any flaws--and there were few--are not to be held against it at this stage. Reviewing a restaurant in its first week is a mug's game. Having said that, it's where I ate, so here we go.
Despite the name and ambition, it's still recognizably a Japanese restaurant. Each place setting has a pair of chopsticks (useless as they are for most menu items). Kitchen staff and servers are mostly Japanese. And you can make your way through a Japanese-style meal on the menu: a tofu-bonito broth cocktail, sweet potato tempura, black miso cod or eel with rice. But that would kind of miss the point.
At the bar--a regular old bar with beer taps and plenty of drinks other than sake--I ordered pâté and duck, but couldn't resist a Japanese-leaning sea urchin dish which at least had "consommé" in its name. I drank a Japanese white wine, a new experience, and a rather sharply acidic one.
From my own experience, and that of friends, pacing of courses was a problem for the kitchen--but absolutely one which can be quickly fixed. My appetizer choices showed up almost instantly and together; there followed a long pause while the entrée caught up.
The presentation of the pâté campagne was refreshingly austere. No heaps of oily salad, just a very few, exceptionally delicious pickles. Some toasted bread came on the side. Pork, one assumed: pork belly and neck and chicken liver, my server clarified. And certainly made inhouse. It was a good pâté; a French dish played completely straight. I'd have liked a little more seasoning, but it's notoriously difficult to get the seasoning in a pâté precisely right, as you're seasoning before and not during cooking.
The sea urchin consommé gelée is a fantastically good dish, and a must-order whether it's Japanese, French or fusion. The jelly itself, which melts on your tongue, had a rich, sweet carrot accent to it. The morsels of uni are topped with edible flowers.
In the center, an egg ("hen's," they said) which you can stir in to the jelly to learn the meaning of the word "unctuous." Incidentally, I had to ask for a spoon; the chopsticks weren't doing it here.
After I'd chewed on a Bordeaux from the modest wine list for a good while, the duck showed up--and demonstrated, I thought, in presentation and execution, a kitchen which has made an urgent study of French (or modern French) cuisine. There are many components, artfully strewn. The dish even reminded me--a little--of Richard Neat's grand tour of a pig's head at Pied-à-Terre in London many years ago.
Roasted kamo with duck confit filo. So, slices of the breast, just a little dried out. Big slices of black truffle. Chanterelles--always welcome, but presumably not fresh. Daubs of beet-plum sauce, a smart combination.
Baby turnips too--always sensational with duck. And the confit, packaged neatly in a nice phyllo parcel. Again, just a little bit moister and fattier would be good.
Compared with some other much discussed duck dishes around town (hi, Vaucluse), this is very well-priced at $28. When the kitchen has cooked it a few more times, it's likely to be excellent. For meat eaters, the alternatives are beef duo and chicken with an interesting-sounding artichoke sauce. Fish fans have more choices, and the black cod plate looked stunning.
So, early impressions, and good ones. These guys are going to get it right. (And be popular: go soon.)
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