NICOLEBARTELME
TRENDS
DININGDETAILS
ATERA
77WorthSt.,
(212) 226-1444, ateranyc.com
ICHIMURAATBRUSHSTROKE
30HudsonSt., (212) 791-3771,
davidbouley.com/brushstroke
BLANCA
261MooreSt., Brooklyn,
(347) 799-2807, blancanyc.com
MOMOFUKUKO
163FirstAve.,
(212) 500-0831,momofuku.com
CHEF’STABLEATBROOKLYNFARE
200SchermerhornSt., Brooklyn,
(718) 243-0050, brooklynfare.com
SUSHINAKAZAWA
23CommerceSt.,
(212) 924-2212, sushinakazawa.com
ASTROKEOFSUSHIGENIUS:
IchimuraatBrushstroke isknown for itspressed sushi—a technique that removeswater
from the fishandamplifies flavor.
20-some-oddcourses
gracefullyunfold.Most
dinerstuckinata14-seat
bar,whicha ordsa
bird’s-eyeviewintothe
kitchen.Whatemerges
arestunningplates—all
speciallydesignedforthe
restaurant—containing
smallportionsoffoodthat
rangefromtheintense
(blackcaviaraccompa-
niedbywhipsofblack
olivesandsmokedcream,
resultinginamemorable
umamibomb)tothe
minimalistic(anall-white,
artfullystackedpileofthinlyslicedrazor
clams,garlic,andalmonds,whichblend
togethershockinglywell)tothesignposting
geoduck(servedherewithastripof lardoon
aminibaguette).
Atera’schef/co-ownerMatthew
Lightnercreatesanebbandflowofflavor
profilesthatkeepyourtastebudsguessing.
“It’s likewalking intoanartgalleryand
wantingtoseeaestheticdiversity,”hesays.
“Weprovidethat,witha lotofmovingparts
and littlemargin forerror. It’sthesortof
thingthatyoucan’tdo for200people.”
It’salso thesortof thing thatachef
wouldbehard-pressed todo inaconven-
tional restaurantspace.That’swhymicro
tastingeateries tend tobe tucked into
small,unexpectedenvironments.Some-
times theyarerestaurantswithinrestau-
rants, as is thecasewith theJapanesespot
inside lowerManhattan’sBrushstroke.
Chef/ownerDavidBouley,known forbe-
ingextremelypersnicketyabout ingre-
dientsanddetails,hashisultimatesushi
barviaIchimuraatBrushstroke: a10-seat
nook that isadored for itspressedsushi
(a technique thatremoveswater from the
fishandamplifiesflavor)madebychef
Eiji Ichimura,who’sbeenknown tohave
geoducksashimion themenu.
Meanwhile,acrosstheWilliamsburg
Bridge intherejuvenatingneighborhood
ofBushwick,arougher-hewnrestaurant
calledRoberta’s is justifiably lauded for
brilliantpizzasandhome-bakedbreads.
Nextdoor, though, inwhat feels likeacool-
kidsclubhouse forelite foodies,withatuna
headmountedonthewallandaturntable
alongwithagreatcollectionofvinyl,
Blancaoperatesasasnughideaway.
It’salsoaperfectspot forchef/co-owner
CarloMirarchi toget jiggywithhigh-end
ingredients.Sometimestheyarenottam-
peredwithatall (rawbeefwithmacadamia
nutmilkand lime)andothertimesthey’re
artfullyaltered.Thesavory items(which
might includeapastadishtoppedwith
shavedgeoduck)onhis21-to24-course
tastingmenuusuallyfinishupwith85-day-
agedWagyubeef,cookedrareandtasting
alluringlyrich. InastatementaboutBlanca,
whichalsosumsupthemicrotastingex-
perienceasawhole,Mirarchi told
TheNew
YorkTimes
, “Thewholepoint istograbthis
opportunityandmakethemostof it.”
GroundbreakingchefDavidChang
drawsraves forhispork-intensivedishes
andout-of-this-worldramen.Butthose
whoare luckyenoughtosnagaplace
settingatthe12-seatchef’stable inside
MomofukuKo, located intheEastVillage,
tendtogushaboutChang’s frozen, shaved
foiegras. It’sserved insavorystripsover
SUMMER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
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