The New York Times, December 10, 1993

Where the luxury does not call attention to itself and God is in the details.

By Ruth Reichl

In one of her best stories, America’s finest food writer, M. F. K. Fisher, tells of walking into a deserted restaurant in Burgundy and fearing for her life. As a waitress serves her an extraordinary meal, Fisher begins to realize that she is in the hands of a food-obsessed fanatic. By the time the waitress announces that “any trout is glad, truly glad, to be prepared by Monsieur Paul,” Fisher has stopped trying to refuse the next course. Each is more delicious than the last. “I ate it all,” she writes, “knowing my luck.”

Still, hours later when she leaves the restaurant, she is surprised to find herself among the living. Americans are not comfortable in temples of food. That is probably why so many people find Chanterelle “pretentious.” The dining room is certainly the plainest of any expensive restaurant in New York City. You have to look for the luxury here, which you find in the widely spaced tables, the high staff-to-diner ratio, the perfection of the service. The dining room, a large, almost square space, is so spare it looks as if the tables might have been moved in just yesterday. Only when you look around do you realize that those decorative wooden columns along the wall were chosen with great care (and great amounts of money), that the pressed tin ceiling is not original to the room, that the menu covers have been designed by the best American artists (the current edition was done by Cy Twombly). The flowers are gorgeous, the apricot walls soothing, the lighting makes everyone look beautiful and the sound level is discreetly adult. The soup that day was a burnt orange pond, rich with butternut squash and dotted with croutons that managed to keep their shape in the soup but still melted the minute you put them in your mouth.

Plump sea scallops, “diver caught,” were hot all the way through but still delicate and tender. They were strewn across a buttered bed of endive. But the real tour de force was the striped bass in beurre rouge, one of the prettiest plates of food I’ve ever seen. The fish was set off by sugar snap peas laid out like bones at an angle to the fish. At the top, three long crisps of potato fanned out; inside each was a whole leaf of sage captured as if in amber. We finished with a perfect pave of chocolate in coffee creme anglaise, and deep magenta winepoached pears crowned with pear sorbet. And finally coffee, served with little chocolate truffles and candied orange peel so soft and seductive and flavorful that the taste echoed in our mouths as we walked out the door. Not bad for $30.

At night the room is more sedate, more serious, and the menu offers more choices. If the waiters seem a bit self-important, Ms. Waltuck is always on hand with a soft word, and the sommelier, Roger Dagorn, is there with a smile. In fact, few restaurants offer such pleasant and such unintimidating wine service. Mr. Dagorn is clearly enamored of this unusual list; he has good wines at every price level, and he discusses each with deep affection. “...This is wonderful wine,” he offered one night, “but a couple of bottles have been off, so please tell me if it isn’t everything it should be.”

I've had dishes I haven’t liked at Chanterelle, but not on the current menu. Virtually everything I’ve tasted has been satisfying. Pillows of ravioli stuffed with potatoes come with both white and black truffles. A terrine of foie gras is laced with the sweetness of white raisins, edged with the heat of black peppercorns. A slice of raw tuna the color of rose petals is set next to a bright green, spicy seaweed salad; around the plate are colorful cubes of vegetables lightly pickled in the Japanese style. Breast of duck is poached and turned into a hearty winter dish served with mustard and sea salt on the side. A little packet of innards stuffed into cabbage provides even more character. Venison is hearty, too, served with prunes in red wine with wild rice. Salmon arrives on a small ragout of vegetables that is pungent with the flavor of preserved lime. And lobster absolutely revels in a sauce made of cider and apples. Don’t miss the cheese course, which is an education. The cheeses are in superb shape, and any waiter in the restaurant can tell you, in minute detail, the virtues of each. You can taste your way through blues from different parts of the world, discover a whole range of washed-rind cheeses and learn about a variety of chèvres. Mr. Waltuck’s desserts seem made to follow cheese; they tend to be fresh and fragrant rather than rich. I particularly like his tart tropical fruit soup, which vibrates with lemongrass, and his potent sorbets. But the chef sends you off on a rich note; for a finale, bite-sized éclairs are passed around the table.

Leaving the restaurant late at night, you walk out into the near-silence of a deserted street. As you stand waiting for a taxi, turnback and take one last look. The people inside, caught in the shimmering golden light of the room, look blessed.

Chanterelle
****
[Rating: four stars]
2 Harrison Street (at Hudson Street); (212) 966-6960.
Atmosphere: Downtown elegance. The room is spare but lovely, with widely spaced tables and gorgeous details.
Service: Despite their casual look, the waiters and waitresses provide the city's most punctilious service.
Recommended dishes: Seafood sausage, terrine of foie gras, oysters with sauerkraut and caviar, tuna with gingered vegetables, lobster with cider and apples, striped bass with fresh sage, poached duck breast, chocolate pavé, mango tarte Tatin, tropical fruit soup, cheese.
Wine list: There is something in almost every price range on this very diverse list. The sommelier is particularly helpful.
Hours: Lunch from 12 to 2:30 P.M. and dinner is from 6 to 10:30 P.M. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Price range: Lunch: appetizers $7 to $13, main courses $18.50 to $24, three-course prix-fixe $30; dinner: three-course prix fixe at $87; three-course market menu at $39 Tuesdays through Fridays.
Credit cards: All major cards.
Wheelchair accessibility: Excellent.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN:

(None)Poor to satisfactory
*Good
**Very good
***Excellent
****Extraordinary

Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.

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