Preparing for the Night: Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
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| Via Forbes.com |
A reflection
I thought it would be funny and clever to finish this
mini-series with the most honest three-word review I could ever give—It was
great.
On second thought, I feel I should do more justice and give
more credit to Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Chef Cesar Ramirez, and the
entire staff. My experience was every bit the world-class and unique affair I
was expecting. From the top down, the whole meal was handled with care, love,
and expertise. From the way they stagger their reservations, with half of the communal
table starting 30 minutes ahead of the other half, to the way they stack their
dishes, each getting placed on top of one another with a soft pad, presumably
to keep the dishes from shifting and breaking during transport back to get
cleaned, everything Chef’s Table does is special.
When I talked to Chef Ramirez, and yes, he was in residence,
presiding over the whole meal, adding his flourish, plating, serving, cooking, running
dishes to get washed, talking with the diners, and watching over the whole
thing, I told him how special this experience was. He said, “That’s what we’re
going for here.” Something akin to the best sushi bar you’ve ever been to,
sitting right in front of the chef’s creating your dinner. Not far from the
concept of what David Chang of Momofuku Ko does, but miles away in product. It
was sole, and I’m not trying to make a fish pun. Sole in the fact that there is
nothing else out there like it. That alone deserves a visit, but the food is
worth everything and more.
I’m still swooning over the Japanese red snapper with puffed
rice and black vinegar. This single bite may stand as the best and most well
rounded taste I’ve had in my life. The preparation started with a liberal pouring
of what I can only presume was oil on a flattop. What looked like the puffed
rice was already on-top of the fish—it was on the surface for 10 seconds, tops.
Once removed and wiped clean of everything but the crust, it was waved over a charcoal
grill on the opposite side to give a light smoke. Cooked on one side, raw on
the other—a perfect effort. The fish was passed off to Chef Ramirez where he
put the most care into cutting the fish that I’ve seen since watching a master
sushi chef take the scales off of a bluefin tuna with a two foot long sabre. He
sliced through the first three quarters of the fish using an elegant, 14 inch
fish knife from heel to tip, and at the last moment, gave the knife a pop from
his opposite hand, severing the crispy crust with a crack, not a flake
misplaced. Even the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was magic. The
dish tasted like the best burger I have ever eaten, which I had to tell Chef
Ramirez directly after I put it in my mouth—I’m not sure if this was what he
was going for, but there was just something about it that reminded me of it. I
completely appreciated the freshness and quality of the fish… it just
transcended anything resembling sushi. Maybe in a bind the only thing my mind
could cling onto to get some continuity was, meat?
Without going into much more detail, there was the Uni, sea
urchin roe, with black truffle on toast—exceptional. There was the fluke placed
on a sheet drizzled with lemon and sprinkled with salt, a quick cure after a
touch of cooking. I’ve never seen that technique, but it worked wonderfully.
Our meat dish was the fattiest and most beautifully marbled Wagyu steak served
with a picked daikon radish to cut the fat. The shiso sorbet was wonderful and
the chocolate sphere filled with young strawberries and hot wild strawberry liqueur
was beautiful as the sphere melted to reveal caramel ice cream, un-melted.
I didn’t take notes, aside from mental ones. I didn’t take a
picture—they did ask from refraining in them. What I am left with, however, is
a clear progression of dishes, the order possibly out of place in parts, and
many of the preparations and ingredients butchered due to my lack of
understanding or insight. For the sake of Chef’s Table and for what I’m sure
Chef Ramirez would request, I am not going to share it; It won’t do the night
justice. I can tell you that the theme for my meal, at least from my point of
view, was fit. Everything fit perfectly. This is broad, I know, but from the
dishes, to the contours of the fish and meat, the way a bite fit on the roof of
one’s mouth, the senses and the way they were touched, the masterful service,
and job-like manner everything was completed in… It all fit. From the aesthetic
of the restaurant to the location in Brooklyn, the Chef, the wine, the
appearance and taste of the food. It all fit. It’s the type of experience that
gets me excited about food all over again—as if I needed a reason.
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| A birthday candle. |
Chef Ramirez has a new fan… he had me from hello. I can’t
wait to see where his career takes him, how Chef’s Table evolves. He’s on the
top of the ladder right now, and everyone else is looking up at him.
- Adam from Tipped Mixology
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