I’ve had nothing but great meals and experiences at every Tom Colicchio eatery in which I have dined. The last was at Colicchio & Sons for Restaurant Week and at ’Wichcraft for my favorite roast pork sandwich with jalapeno mustard and cabbage. However, nothing can rival my first and only dining experience at his flagship restaurant, Craft, for a transformative meal of seasonal ingredients made with a deft hand.
So when my monthly dinner with friends came up to bat, fortuitously Tom Colicchio’s newest restaurant in more than six years was in its second week of previews and we had a reservation. With no use of the word “craft” in the restaurant’s name, I didn’t know what to expect. And that’s where he started reeling me in.
Fowler & Wells (123 Nassau St., 212-658-1848, www.thompsonhotels.com), is situated in the Beekman, the newest luxury hotel in the FiDi. This 1890s building was lovingly restored to its turn-of-the-century state. When you walk in you are transported in time, almost to the point of wanting to gaze into a mirror to see if your clothes magically changed. The eight-story atrium is a vertigo dream!
Joining my friends a little late, I walked into the bar area of the restaurant and was escorted past a black curtain to the main dining area, as if it were a speakeasy. My friends were imbibing on glasses of wine and their appetizers just hit the table. It took a minute to absorb it all—the high ceilings, the black-clad staff, the menu.
Jessica’s chicory salad ($18) looked colorful, Kate’s hamachi ($25) was briny goodness coated in sea urchin and Nnenna’s appetizer redux (after sunchokes were not in her favor) of fluke ($23) gorgeously topped with a radish medley, chives and lime pearls were all ample and delicious. Together with choices for their next course, I selected a glass of Syrah ($18) and the sweetbreads appetizer ($25) for my meal.
Together, out came a rabbit schnitzel entrée ($37) and two chestnut agnolotti appetizers ($21) and my sweetbreads with Brussels sprout leaves, bacon lardoons and the most unctuous umami sauce. The schnitzel was stunning atop a ragu of braised rabbit, nicoise olives, pistachio and black chickpeas. The agnolotti were delicately filled with sweet chestnut puree and swathed in a light butter sauce topped with celery leaves and freshly sliced truffle.
We ended with an apple tart tatin ($14) with pumpkin seed ice cream and a trio of frozen sweets ($12)—cantaloupe and concord grape sorbets, praline ice cream. I am looking forward to the baked Alaska next time.
The consummate professional, Chef Colicchio, dressed in his whites, chatted with us at the table. First, and most importantly, he suggested returning the sunchokes to the kitchen, telling us they needed one more frost to achieve their maximum sugar level, and then he talked about the building’s history (one of the first to have an elevator in the city) and the inspiration for modern food with a nod to a storied past.
Congratulations chef and team! Continued success!
Happy eating and thanks for reading!
Kysha Harris is a food writer, culinary producer, consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service offering weekly and in-home entertaining packages. Questions? Comments? Requests? Feedback? Invitations! Email her at kysha@SCHOPnyc.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram @SCHOPgirl or on Facebook www.facebook.com/SCHOPnyc. For even more recipes, tips and food musings subscribe to her blog at www.talkingSCHOP.wordpress.com. Follow AmNewsFOOD @NYAmNewsFOOD.
