For the second time, Lewis and I celebrated his birthday and our anniversary at the 2-Michelin star Nordic restaurant, Aquavit. It is located on the corner of Park Avenue and East 55th Street. To see our first visit, please click here:
When I phoned the reservationist, he referenced our history and knew our preferences. When we arrived, the maître d' recognized us. He ushered to a pair of supple leather Swedish "egg chairs". Then, he signaled a bar server to approach us.
A talented bartender concocted a "Madison Avenue Manhattan" cocktail (seen at the top), alongside a dainty glass of water. 1960s jazz music played overhead.
We also sipped a $20 Flight of three Aquavits:
- Grapefruit & Lemongrass (housemade)
- 80th year anniversary Rye from the island-nation of Iceland
- 30th year anniversary Bitter Orange (housemade)
At the bar, we saw owner, Håkan Swahn, chatting with long-time patrons. We learned that Swedes say "Cheers" as Skål! From other diners, Lewis earned compliments on his homemade feathered bowtie... and stylish shoes.
Our Singaporean friend, now residing in Los Angeles, flew in!
She was aware of the talented kitchen team, and we were eager for our delicious 9-course dinner. The presentation of recipes is always a surprise that delights the senses.
The hostesses escorted us to our table, in full view of the "waiter table", where decanting & absinthe-making occur.
We all wanted the seasonal $175 Chef's Tasting Menu! Unlike typical NYC establishments, we respect the Swedish owner's non-greedy pricing! (For a Chef's Tasting Menu, Daniel costs $225, Le Bernadin costs $275, Per Se costs $355 [which famously lost 2 stars from The New York Times], and Eleven Madison Park costs $315). Thus, a sublimely languid 4-hour meal commenced.
The sommelier was sincerely happy to see us again.
He coordinated with Shirlyn (who just finished a Napa Valley wineries trip) for two splendid French whites:
- Les Chaillées de L'Enfer Condrieu from the Rhône Valley. (Managed by the award-winning George Vernay, whose great-grandfather began the iconic estate).
- Clos de la Coulée de Serrant from the Loire Valley. (The walled vineyard was planted in 1130, and Kings Louis XI and XIV loved its vintages. Owned by Nicolas Joly, it makes exquisite wine).
- Les Chaillées de L'Enfer Condrieu from the Rhône Valley. (Managed by the award-winning George Vernay, whose great-grandfather began the iconic estate).
- Clos de la Coulée de Serrant from the Loire Valley. (The walled vineyard was planted in 1130, and Kings Louis XI and XIV loved its vintages. Owned by Nicolas Joly, it makes exquisite wine).
Oven-fresh Sourdough, Nordic Rye, and Baguette were presented to our table first, and we sampled one of each. My favorite was the flavorful rye. In lieu of salt and pepper shakers, some sea salt was sprinkled alongside the butter, and those spices were freshly-ground for us upon request. That's how it should be. *To learn something significant about S&P, please click this link:
An amuse-bouche of Swedish pancake topped with Smoked Salmon, Scallions & Dill on slice of tree trunk. It was so flavorful that it reminded us of our voyage to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia! We also enjoy Chef Emma Bengtsson's clever plating, bringing the outdoors inside. Like the owner, she is a native of the Kingdom of Sweden.
In America's chauvinist milieu, she is one of only three female chefs to hold Michelin stars. Hooray for her!
That was followed by Caviar and Sunchoke.
Mussels stuffed with Seaweed paste arrived in a porcelain jar.
Falafel with Lingonberry topping, served in a hollowed-out log, ensued.
Sea Urchin and Pine.
Red Snapper with micro-greens and a thick broth.
One of the staff's favorite dishes: Venison cubes in a ceramic bowl "capped" with crumb wafer to keep actual smoke inside!
The piquant flavor was intense and wondrous. The curling vapors were part of the show.
Since Lewis doesn't prefer venison as much as me, the chef offered him Smoked Gravlax and Caviar, instead.
King Crab and Apple in broth. The sommelier gifted us a glassful of "orange" wine, to accentuate the dish's sweetness.
Nitrogen-frozen shreds of Foie Gras over Clementine Yogurt.
Lingonberry & Ginger "palate cleanser".
Halibut and Chestnut with savory emulsion.
Squab and Bergamot, started with a Broth "shooter".
Seen above, the dining room captain offered us Shaved Truffles--before the season ended--($44.00 per person) to accompany our 7X Wagyu Beef.
Cheese Course ($22.00 per person): all cow's milk, served with marmalade and plum preserves:
1). Hogelundgaard - the premium Danish Blue is “strangled” in plastic and deprived of oxygen while maturing with yeast for 40 weeks! Ergo, it turns delicate, sweet, and fruit forward. It achieved Denmark's Protected Designation of Origin criteria.
1). Hogelundgaard - the premium Danish Blue is “strangled” in plastic and deprived of oxygen while maturing with yeast for 40 weeks! Ergo, it turns delicate, sweet, and fruit forward. It achieved Denmark's Protected Designation of Origin criteria.
2). Krondill - semi-soft variety flavored with dill seed.
The herd is bred in Connecticut and fed pasture and local hay.
Then, the pastry team rolled out their parade of sweets!
Then, the pastry team rolled out their parade of sweets!
Buttermilk Bleu cheese macaron & Gingersnap ice cream.
*Incidentally, macrons originated in Italy but were brought to France by Catherine de' Medici (of Florence renown banking family) when she married its crown-prince. To see our trip to Florence (and her birthplace), please click this link:
Lollipop / Creamsicle on a cute woodsy stand.
We savored their best dessert: Birds Nest! It is the pastry chef's edible representation of twigs, dirt, snow, feathers, and flowers. It's carefully made with gold-leaf, honeyed Tuile cookies (nest), chocolate twigs, freeze-dried raspberries, tempered chocolate (dirt), frozen yogurt (snow), shredded Halvah (feathers), and sea buckthorn gel (runny yolks within the goat cheese eggs).
For Lewis' and Shrilyn's birthdays, the dining room manager sent out extra candlelit Princess Cakes!
They are named for the Princess of Sweden. The recipe is tricky to make because it involves 26 ingredients and 14 steps. Lewis loves the marzipan coating.
Previously, we tasted them at Christmas-season dinners at Aquavit, which involve a smorgasbord of delicacies from Chef Emma's team. For three years, we arrived at the Park Avenue address for cocktails, a buffet of excellence, champagne, as many pastries as we wanted, a warmed cup of glögg (mulled wine), and espresso. Abundance is intrinsic of the holiday! How could you NOT have a grand experience from the capable hands of a Michelin 2-star team?
*Years later, Lewis and I travelled to Finland and sampled a couple of Princess Cakes, but despite their Nordic location, they were not better than these. To see that excursion, go here:
The next part is an off-menu highlight that always surprises diners. Lewis and I love it!
As is tradition, every table enjoys their own Platter of Petit-Fours--as many as you want: truffles, toffee, fig gelée, marshmallows, honey-hive cakes, coconut-dusted date bars, and macarons.
Throughout it all, our waiter was perfect, and a team of four other food runners and bussers attended to us.
As we departed, the dining room captain handed each of us another Aquavit tradition: a gift bag of almond biscotti with a souvenir copy of the night's masterpiece menu. For Lewis and I, the crunchy biscotti was evocative of our moments in Venice! :-)
As we departed, the dining room captain handed each of us another Aquavit tradition: a gift bag of almond biscotti with a souvenir copy of the night's masterpiece menu. For Lewis and I, the crunchy biscotti was evocative of our moments in Venice! :-)
*To read about another "elevated" meal made with Scandinavian style that we loved, please go here:
*To see our fabulous 3-Michelin-star dinner in Oslo that was full of Nordic genius, please use this link:
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If you want to compare those great dinners to our meal at 3-star Eleven Madison Park, please go here:
