Today is the first day of Chef Dan Kluger's four-day residency at the New York Grill, at the apex of the Park Tower in Shinjuku. I was among a select few who were invited in for a sneak preview — and, more importantly, a pre-tasting — of what he's serving.
Spoiler alert: it's really good!
Better yet, we were able to watch and learn as he put several of his signature dishes together in front of us.
There was already a platter of kabocha squash toast laid out for us to munch on as we observed Kluger in action. This was a great snack: it's rich and savoury, with the natural sweetness of the kabocha balanced by a light acidity from freshly made ricotta. It's served on slices of bread that are lightly pan-fried in olive oil to give an extra layer of crunch. On top it was given a light sprinkle of shredded mint leaf and chili piquancy.
This will not be on the lunch or dinner menu — instead it will be served as a special snack offered for the next few days at the New York Bar. It's so good they should keep it on full time!
The appetizer plate is smoked hamachi yellowtail, with a tasty dressing of sudachi, horseradish and wasabi. It was paired with lightly salted cucumbers — kind of like an asazuke pickle — and tiny cucumbers with their flowers.
There was a generous amount of smoke in the flavour mix, but the balance with the dressing worked well.
We then watched as Kluger put together two main dishes. First up was a complex salad of oven-roasted broccoli, served on an amazing thick "vinaigrette" made from beautiful green Sicilian pistachios. Coarsely blended with lots of herb oil, it had a texture more reminiscent of lentils, and a powerful aromatic perfume.
On top of this he scattered cubes of lightly caramelized sweet potato, which added colour and an extra dimension of texture.
To finish it off he gave it a drizzle of chili oil, and then grated on plenty of lemon zest. Very impressive. And substantial.
Next we watched as Kluger put together a dish of pan-seared amadai snapper. First he prepared a light appetizing puree of Japanese turnip. Around this he poured a dressing of shallots, diced turnip and diced red chili, which were cooked in a liquor made from Reisling and Niagra grapes mixed with yonezu vinegar. He also adds halves of muscat grapes, to gave an extra little pop in the mouth.
After putting the pan-fried fillet on top, he sprinkled on some artisan crystal salt from Maine (he brought this over with him). Beautiful. And again, very satisfying. These are definitely Big Apple-sized servings.
This was an abbreviated version of the feast that Kluger is serving at the New York Grill (both lunch and dinner), which also includes a meat course, plus dessert — apple pie, of course.
Add to this the view from the top of the Park Tower and it all adds up to a very satisfying taste of New York.
New Yorkers will need no further introduction to Chef Dan Kluger. Besides making a name for himself as the head chef of ABC Kitchen, he has also won significant awards including new York Magazine's Best new Chef and Time Out's Chef of the Year (both 2011).
Even more laudable is his strong focus on using local, organic and/or sustainable products. He introduced a number of those items to us: an organic olive oil from a small-scale ranch in California; a champagne vinegar, also from California; and the aforementioned sea salt, which is made by hand by a husband-and-wife team in Maine.
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