Gage & Tollner
That it's virtually impossible to discern which elements were added from whatever was uncovered or restored is a testament to the design's overall effectiveness. Touches recall the restaurant's Gilded Age founding, but overall, the handsome decor feels timeless.
The cocktail menu is sharp as a straight razor, each of the menu's classics executed with clarity, sincerity, and precision. Beer-wise, there are some local craft brews on tap and a nice selection of bottles. The wine list is extensive, so put your would-be sommelier friend to work.
The Caesar salad inaugurating our meal was, in a word, terrific. And chef Sohui Kim's most overt menu nod to her Korean identity, Clams Kimisino, was a favorite of the night: the little jewels topped with golden breadcrumbs tossed in bacon/kimchi butter. Perfectly temped to a honeysuckle pink, the NY strip was finished with an herb and garlic butter-baste whose perfume lingered between bites. Far from an afterthought, the sides—creamed spinach and butter-roasted hashbrowns—rivaled the steak for my affection. The non-chophouse fare was equally successful. A play on ratatouille elevated a beautifully seared trout's mild sweetness. And the fried chicken—a loving realization of chef Edna Lewis' recipe—achieved the all-important interplay between juicy, flavorsome meat and crunchy, seasoned crust.
For dessert, pastry chef Kathryn Irizarry wows. Witnessing a crown of crisp meringue land at other tables made the baked Alaska for two impossible to resist. If you have room, try the chevre cheesecake, whose richness and subtle goat-cheese tang are cut by a bright citrus cream and lip-smacking pomegranate/hibiscus sauce.
This isn't a bank-balance-nullifying meal, but with mains for one ranging from $32 to $74, the little neighborhood bistro this ain't. Luckily, the portions were generous, and a fair number of the entrees are share plates anyway.
The minds and talents behind this new iteration of Gage & Tollner have not negotiated the dilemma posed by change so much as prevailed over it. Managing to both honor and redefine an institution, G&T's legacy is not only secured but reasserted, at least for the foreseeable future.
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