The Inn at Pound Ridge, Brasserie Les Haras, The River Café, DiverXO, Silvio Nickol
The Inn at Pound Ridge is located in the Hudson Valley, 51 miles northeast of New York City. Jean-Georges Vongerichten spotted an opportunity in the handsome 1833 building, originally a residence, which he has fully renovated, including its four impressive fireplaces. The interior features lavish use of wood and warm lighting to create an exceptionally congenial atmosphere. The menu offers seasonal farm-to-table cuisine, with ingredients sourced from the Hudson Valley and New England when possible. At lunch, the standout proved to be a striking serving of little beets arranged like big strawberries on a swirl of Greek yogurt flavored with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A dinner entrée of a caramelized beef tenderloin with carrots and miso mustard was outstanding.
Chef Marc Haeberlin, who runs three-star L’Auberge de l’Ill (11 miles north of Colmar), has a hit on his hands with this stunningly beautiful brasserie housed within pink sandstone former stables in Strasbourg. A sweeping staircase of glass, oak and bronze leads to the main dining room — the open kitchen and bar-lounge occupy the ground floor — where the menu is a clever mix of updated Alsatian classics, such as pike-perch on a bed of sauerkraut in horseradish foam, and appealing contemporary dishes, like a starter of shrimp bouillon with Thai herbs and noodles.
Among the casualties of Hurricane Sandy was one of New York’s most beloved restaurants — The River Café. Opened in 1977 by Michael “Buzzy” O'Keeffe, this singular establishment floats on a barge at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge and offers unmatched views of the downtown skyline, as well as superb New American cuisine. Although flood damage was extensive, O’Keeffe never wavered in his quest to bring the café back to life. After 15 months and the expenditure of millions of dollars, the restaurant reopened on February 1, 2014. We recently had the opportunity to return to this remarkable place. With its garden of light-festooned trees, cozy interior, lovely flower arrangements, live piano and incomparable backdrop, The River Café is the embodiment of traditional fine dining. We thoroughly enjoyed every bite of our wild shrimp and king crab meat with white asparagus dressed with a Maltaise sauce (Hollandaise inflected with orange), and rack of lamb cooked to pink perfection. Throughout our meal, the waitstaff were polished charm personified.
Young Madrid-born chef David Muñoz won a third Michelin star this year for his dramatically different restaurant, which offers an intriguing experience for anyone interested in an avant-garde but delicious meal. His unexpectedly casual dining room is run by serious young staff, whose service is attentive and cordial as they guide you through one of the tasting menus. Muñoz is fascinated by Asia, and his cuisine represents an unusual but successful meeting of Iberian and Asian produce and cooking techniques, as seen in dishes such as curried green coconut milk soup with clams, scallops, flying fish eggs and garnishes of whitebait; a grilled sardine napped with green jalapeño pepper juice; and beef with herring and tomato, peanut butter, yuzu, lime and cider.
Barrel-vaulted Silvio Nickol in Vienna’s Palais Coburg hotel serves memorably delicious cuisine, but it is the audacious wine pairings that really stand out. Sommelier Hendrik Aufderheide fully exploits the vast breadth of the cellars, matching, for example, an acidic and smoky Zierfandler (a grape found only in Austria’s Thermenregion) with a rich dish of tête de veau and liquid quail egg yolk topped with artichoke and shiitake mousse. And I’ll never forget the extraordinarily refined Swiss Pinot Noir paired with a dish of dove breast, cranberry, beetroot and Savoy cabbage cream. He even poured us an unfashionable Burmester white port as a courageous and successful pairing with smoked banana ice cream. The presentations dazzled without veering into gimmickry, and the formal but friendly service never faltered.
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