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Time Out New York, 2003 Eating & Drinking Guide
Chanterelle, 2 Harrison St at Hudson St (212-966-6960). Subway: 1, 9 to Franklin St. Mon 5:30-11pm; Tue-Sat noon-2:30pm, 5:30-11pm. Three-course prix fixe: $84 Six-course prix fixe: $95. AmEx, DC; Disc, MC, V You'll wish you had more things to celebrate after a dinner at Chanterelle (as well as more discretionary income). David and Karen Waltuck's splendid fine-dining flagship set the standard for haute cuisine and ultragracious service more than two decades ago, and for the most part, it continues the tradition. The muted yellow walls, roomy Queen Anne dining chairs and Karen Waltuck's enormous floral arrangements haven't changed since 1989, when the restaurant relocated from Soho to Tribeca's landmark New York Mercantile Exchange Building. Neither, remarkably, has the limited number of tables. In a city with more floor space on subways than in most restaurants, such spaciousness is a treat—an example of Chanterelle's generosity of spirit, further confirmed by its service: alert, cordial and refreshingly knowledgeable. Even the cheese-plate descriptions are intelligent. At the heart of all this is David Waltuck's opulent cooking. Built on the foundation of classical French cuisine, his food takes adventurous turns, the best of which result in complex feats of flavor: a shellfish fricassee redolent of lemongrass, lime and basil; a beef fillet in red-wine sauce, lavishly paired with oysters and wild mushrooms; an aromatic Moroccan-spiced squab. And though the handwritten menu changes monthly, certain hallmarks remain, such as Waltuck's grilled seafood-sausage appetizer, rich with lobster and scallops and dressed with lemon beurre blanc. The tastefulness is even apparent on the menu jacket, which is designed by a different artist twice a year (Kunie Sugiura was recently featured). Chanterelle's institution status can be seen in the artwork that covers its vestibule's walls, signed by the likes of Robert Mapplethorpe and Jenny Holzer. Each one is an ode to Chanterelle, and it's not hard to see why. |