“I had a dream. I was floating in the clouds. I took a bite, and it tasted like chocolate. I wish that dream never ended.” Except that wasn’t a dream. That is how we describe the frozen chocolate souffle we had at Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. And that was only the last course of our memorable night.
Let me go back and start from the beginning.
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare (CTBF) is the smallest restaurant in New York City to have been awarded Michelin 3 stars; also the first and only one that is in the outer borough. Opened in 2009, immediately praised by critics, and got 2 stars from Michelin in 2011. It has since expanded from 12 seater to 18 seater, and with another star. Of course the price is also 3 stars. Back in 2011, CTBF was $165pp vs $306pp now. Even though with a hefty price tag, it is still one of the hottest seats in town. A reservation at Chef’s Table does not come easy. It requires planning and extreme persistent. CTBF takes reservation 6 weeks ahead. Calendar is posted on their website, with specific instruction. I called CTBF as instructed, at 10:30am sharp on Monday. The phone keep ringing. Line was busy. I hung up, dial again, and repeated. Over the next 37 minutes; exactly 159 times after, I was finally connected. Jackpot!!!!
We headed to Brooklyn on a quiet Wednesday evening. Across from a subway station, two doors down from the grocery store, there it is, CTBF’s minimalist simple storefront kitchen.
“It’s a dream come true and my best experience throughout this entire process”
– Jean-Luc Naret of Michelin said in an interview.
With that in mind, we walked in with high expectation. Simplicity is the key here at CTBF. A huge stainless steel counter/ bar took up almost the entire place. No fancy décor, the only decoration is the copper sauce-pots hanging above the the prep station. We arrived a little after 6:30pm, and were seated at the far right end of the counter.
In front of us was a simple black vinyl place mat, with chopsticks, and chopsticks only. There is no menu here. All are tasting menu, or should I say Omakase. It seems more appropriated.
“Would you mind if I take pictures?” I asked politely as the restaurant’s host placed down my rose.
“Not of the food. We welcome you to take pictures of the place, just not the food.” he said with an apologetic smile.
We have heard of CTBF’s no pictures policy before, but still thought I would try. With huge disappointment on my face, I put my camera away.
There are two sitting 6:30 and 7:15. First group of dinners finally all settled in at around 7pm. Moments later, Chef Ramirez appears. White shirt, black trousers, black thick rim glasses, he looks more like a professor than a chef. After detaily checked his stations, he greeted us with a smile.
“ I know that you brought a camera. Feel free to snap a picture or two.” Chef Ramirez said with a soft voice.
“Really?” I must have sound overly excited.
“Yes. I see that you brought a camera. The thing is with all the smart phones pictures. There is no quality control. They sometimes turn out very blurry and dark. Which might not be appetizing.” He explained.
“Ah… Thank you!!”
So Chef Ramirez does not have a problem with pictures, he just has a problem with bad pictures. I will try to do you proud to repay your kindness.
Then the show begins.
Tobiko– incredibility thin crust layering with sea trout roe.
Hokkaido Uni– Uni piled over toasted brioche with a round of Périgord truffle
white truffle is in season. And you can actually taste the fragrance.
it’s a high class party in a bite.
Fish– Charcoal grill Japanese baby red snapper with kelp
Egg– Caviar topped sabayon- there were smoke sturgeon, bacon bits, potato cubes and crunchy bread crumbs in the thin glass.
Lobster– Perfectly poached Maine lobster wrapped in pickled daikon
Crab– Chiramushi with king crab and truffle and squash. hearty and sweet
Fish– Poached wild Turbot from holland with mushroom Brussels sprouts and flowers
Vegetables– vegetables are flew in from a Ohio farm, Amazingly gorgeous dish.
We counted 14 veggies, 3 flowers, 2 small leaf and 1 big leaf
The veggies that I recognized were… daikon, cucumber, scallion, leek, baby Chinese broccoli, figs, tomato, mushroom, artichoke heart, applewood smoke potato with nori sauce, bamboo shoot
Beef– melt in my mouth Miyagi beef with grated daikon and horseradish
Duck– 20 days dry, green tea smoked Cross breed upstate NY duck with plum butter-squash and ginger. The breed is a mix from Peking duck and normandy. The skin is as crispy as peking duck but not as fat. That’s where the normandy duck comes in. rich, deep, meaty favor with crispy skin of a peking duck. Genius!
Shiso sorbet– unlike other icy shiso sorbet that we have had, this one is creamy. More ice-cream like texture. Secret? It’s coconut milk. A pint to go please!!!
Canadian huckleberry ice cream – Huckleberry is in season! Sweet!
Frozen chocolate soufflé -Fluffy, airy, extremely light. There were also some rice crispy (I think they are rice crispy) at the bottom of the plate. With a spoonful of the souffle and rice crispy, they were the greatest coco puffs! And it added a crunch to this dreamy souffle. Chocolate was just the right balance. #divine!!! This is most certainly the best souffle ever!!! This alone is well worth the trip to Brooklyn. By itself, I would paid $35 for this. Too bad that they don’t sell it by itself. What an remarkable way to end an extraordinary dinner. I would be dreaming about this for a long time.
This 10- course upscale tasting menu is a truly a unique dining experience. We enjoyed every moment sitting in this open kitchen watching Chef Ramirez choreographed his beautiful creation. Him and his staffs are intensely focused. Like a well orchestrated symphony, there is no confusion, no mistake. Everyone knows their place, everyone is in the rhythm. And the thoughts and efforts that put in every single dish is tremendous. That vegetables dish alone, requires every single component to be perfect. May it be toasted, roasted, grilled or smoked, etc., they all bring a unique flavor to the plate. To be sitting in this kitchen, watching this crew assemble each course, is a profound, intimate experience.
Chef Ramirez makes his rounds to get to know his guests at the table as well. During our 3 hours there, Chef Ramirez came around to chat a few times. We learn that Chef. Ramirez is raised in Chicago, spent time in Japan for a while. Although his restaurant is in Brooklyn, he does not do anything in Brooklyn. We both enjoy Maera and miss Chef Masato. We were both heart broken when people waste the food; when people who were able to afford the price but did not know to savor it. We were deeply sadden when we saw perfectly cooked kinmedai found it’s way to the trash. Devastated when cups of caviar went swimming with dishes; utterly shock and depressed when we saw “fat” were cutted out from melt-in-our-mouth Mirage beef. Despite what I have read in pervious controversy, Chef maintained his posture and greeted those dinners with warm smiles.
Chef Ramirez loves sushi, therefore the obvious Japanese influence in his food. Like those great sushi chefs whom inspired him, Chef Ramirez holds the same quality and he is proud of it. The dedication, and attention to food, ingredients and details. Unfortunately, Chef Ramirez had already left the building when we were floating in the souffle, we couldn’t thank him for this extravagant dinner.
Chef Ramirez , It was an honor to be sitting at your table.
(October, 2015)
I don’t like spicy food. Not that I can’t take it. I mean I used to not be able to handle my spice. But over the years, I have improved. My tolerance has somewhat built up. Prove? I can handle a whole bowl spicy cumin lamb noodle from Xi-An Famous Food without a drip of water. So why don’t I like spicy food? I don’t like those that are extremely spicy. So much that it numb your tongue, and blind your senses. And you can’t tell what everything else taste like anymore. Then what is the point? I know, I know. Everyone’s standard is difference, so to let you know my standard, Xi-An is petty good ??; Taiwanese chili spicy hot pot is too too numbing?????. I have yet to test how I would do at Mission Chinese, but recently I got a little taste of that famous burning sensation at Fuku+. And let me tell you. That chicken finger was not burning hot…. It was explosive hot. ????
