Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit fame tapped into his Ethiopian heritage with the February opening of Merkato 55 (55 Gansevoort Street), where his globe-trotting menu makes delicious pit stops throughout Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Collaborating on this robust cuisine is executive chef Andrea Bergquist, who arrived from Tabla and Craftsteak. In lieu of cliché tribal spears and masks, Dutch artist Menno Schmitz uses burlap and batik fabrics, cowrie shell lamps, and sheer curtains adorned with larger-than-life portraits of archetypal African faces to transform the 162 seat bi-level interior into a modern exotic hideaway. Apps ($4 to $17): merguez sausage with corn pap (traditional African slow cooked porridge with spiced butter) and chile/mustard sauce; honey glazed duck with banana/plantain salad. Mains ($18 to $35): spicy chicken doro wat stew with injera bread and cottage cheese; jerk pork belly with green mango and radish. Desserts ($5 to $8): koeksisters (African doughnuts) with peanut cream and citrus; avocado/coconut milk shakes.
After years of working in some of Boston's top kitchens (Biba, Olives, Pigalle, and Radius), husband and wife Bob Kajewski and Lynette Mosher packed their whisks and moved north to open Lily Bistro, debuting this month at 421 Main Street. White and black tiled tabletops and a mirrored wall are subtle nods to the 40 seater's elegant French bistro bearings. Apps ($8 to $12): crisp marinated mackerel with artichoke/potato salad and lobster gribiche sauce; chicory salad with warm "cassoulet" dressing, house-cured pork belly, duck confit, and foie gras "petals." Mains ($15 to $19): halibut with arugula pesto, toasted pine nut gnocchi, and candied carrots; rabbit en chemise (wrapped in a "sweater" of spinach and caul fat) with rillettes, fava beans, carrots, and dry Sherry. Desserts ($5 to $8): gianduja cake with toasted hazelnut ice cream and almond brittle; rhubarb croustade with strawberry ice cream.
Pals since working together at the front and back of the house, respectively, at Blue Ridge Grill, Scott Black and Shane Touhy teamed up to open the 150 seat Dogwood, at 565 Peachtree Street, in April. Touhy's ambitious regional fare is served in a setting that evokes a sophisticated Southern home, with soaring ceilings, exposed wood beams, and an earth goddess palette of moss green, espresso brown, and tangerine. Apps ($3 to $13): sautéed clams with white bean puree, wilted greens, and slab bacon; creamy grits with fried oysters and spicy hollandaise. Mains ($13 to $29): Southern Comfort–glazed Berkshire pork chops with whole roasted shallots, corn pudding, and roasted tomato butter; grilled cobia fillet with ratatouille couscous and charred pepper vinaigrette. Desserts ($6): roasted pear with grilled pound cake and Key lime ice cream; Concord grape pie with peanut butter ice cream.
In April Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, two veterans of the kitchen at Andre's French Restaurant (Las Vegas), swapped the glitz and glamour of Sin City to open a rustic little jewel box of a restaurant in Traverse City, Blakeslee's hometown. The Cooks' House, seating 18 at antique metal chairs and a long wooden bench, is tucked into a 100 year old building that, in a previous life, housed horse stables crowned by a bordello. Blakeslee and Patterson share kitchen duties to create a menu that honors the area's small farmers and producers. Apps ($5 to $10): wild leek tart with morels and local goat cheese; smoked rabbit/heirloom vegetable salad. Mains ($14 to $22): sautéed Great Lakes whitefish with braised greens, Amish bacon, and dashi; roasted chicken with cherry/mustard cream sauce, spring carrots, and potatoes. Desserts ($7): wild honey cake with sheep's milk ice cream; panna cotta with warm strawberry/hibiscus tea compote.
What had formerly been Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Bank in the Hotel Icon (currently undergoing a $4 million face-lift) was recast in April as Voice. The 140 seat interior mixes old and new, preserving original plaster and iron work with streamlined updated furnishings, textiles, and lighting. Recruited for his forward-looking modern American cuisine is executive chef Michael Kramer, best known for his work at McCrady's restaurant (Charleston, SC). Bank's pastry chef, Charles Allen, stays on. Apps ($8 to $14): grilled baby octopus with honshimeji mushrooms, frisée, and black truffle vinaigrette; pomegranate glazed quail with risotto, chives, and micro celery. Mains ($21 to $42): honey lacquered duck breast with parsnip puree, fava beans, and black pepper gastrique; sous-vide venison with caramelized apples, salsify, and sour cherry sauce. Desserts ($8 to $10): peanut butter crème brûlée with caramelized banana and hazelnut crunch; "tarte Tatin" of pineapple and brioche with ginger/lychee sorbet.
Artisan chef and baker Akasha Richmond, co-owner of Eaturna, an all-natural organic take-out food company, has unveiled her first restaurant undertaking, Akasha, serving new American cuisine at 9543 Culver Boulevard. Richmond began her career at the vegetarian restaurant Golden Temple (Los Angeles) and then moved to catering private Hollywood parties. The strongly green 98 seat eatery features locally sourced natural food with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, trans fats, or hormones. Apps ($7 to $14): Punjabi mung beans and rice with Weiser Farms carrots, sprouting broccoli, tandoori flatbread, tomato chutney, and raita; turmeric seared pears with arugula, frisée, goji berries, Cypress Grove chèvre, pine nuts, and pomegranate vinaigrette. Mains ($19 to $29): banana leaf wrapped Loch Duart salmon with ginger, coconut/cilantro paste, oven roasted curried cauliflower, and tamarind/date chutney; heritage country pork chops with açai reduction, white bean puree, and braised greens. Desserts ($12): maple/chocolate layer cake with chocolate hemp gelato and caramelized bananas; Braeburn apple tart with spelt crust, soy vanilla bean gelato, and candied walnuts.
Executive chef Pandee Pear son pairs seasonal foods with outstanding local wines at Adelina's Bistro and Market Place, opened in March at the luxurious Monarch Club at Trilogy Central Coast, a resort community in the state's third largest wine producing region. Led by Starwood veteran Tim Steckbeck, the club is operated by BlueStar Resort & Golf. Pearson's career began at Napa's Mustards Grill, following which she helped open Eureka in Los Angeles with Wolfgang Puck and Rox in Beverly Hills with Hans Röckenwagner, later working at Granita in Malibu, Restaurant Lulu in San Francisco, and Windows on the Water in Morro Bay. Apps ($10 to $12): steamed Manila clams and mussels with white wine/saffron broth, rouille, and crostini; Dungeness crab cakes with avocado puree, tortilla salad, and chile/lime crème fraîche. Mains ($17 to $29): halibut with rice noodles, flowering broccoli, Chinese eggplant, napa cabbage, green papaya/cashew relish, and tangerine sauce; braised pork belly and pan-seared pork loin with baby escarole, cannellini beans, caper/currant salsa verde, and rosemary jus. Desserts ($6): chocolate/hazelnut torte with orange/nougat tuile and hazelnut praline; strawberries macerated in Pinot Noir with lemon pound cake and balsamic reduction.
