Aquavit – An Ode to Scandinavian Spirits

The sad truth is that most diners are woefully underexposed to Swedish cuisine. I gather that the Ikea dining experience is probably not the most authentic, and so I confess I have no baseline sense of what each dish should taste like. Regardless, I have heard so many good things about Aquavit, that I have been eagerly awaiting an occasion (excuse) to go. And then my prayers were answered in the form of the Annual Herring Buffet.

A Scandinavian food haven.

Every year it seems, Aquavit gathers a buffet of herring to serve to its midtown manhattan diners. For one short weekend, they offer herring with Swedish mustard, picked, curried, with tomatoes, etc. etc. It seems like bubba’s shrimp isn’t the only seafood with endless versatility. This is an alternative offered to its usual lunch prix-fixe, priced at $25.

This is how they get you at buffets...

Do you have a strategy?

This is sort of a man v. food moment. Herring has a very very distinct taste, and I use the word distinct as an obvious euphemism. If you cannot stomach the stuff, don’t push yourself. You’ll be glad to hear, if you ever do choose to experience the annual extravaganza, that there are other offerings.

Dazzled?

The most notable is probably the Swedish meatballs. It is paired with lingonberry sauce, cream sauce, and thin slices of mild pickles. Think Ikea Swedish meatballs, but more expertly prepared, and never frozen. You can find the recipe in the Aquavit cookbook, but as you’ll see with all his other dishes, the list of ingredients is probably way more than you would want to spend. Save yourself the time and just eat all that you can!

Aquavit itself is actually a grain/potato alcohol that can be infused with herbs, spices, or oils like lemon zest or cumin. From the latin aqua vitae, it literally means water of life…which is probably true in the unforgiving Scandinavian winters, but just good fun on the island of Manhattan. Order it for the experience, but know that it is 40% alcohol and you are likely amongst very polite company.

Water of Life.

The desserts were also surprisingly good, but really, after a good half dozen meatballs your stomach doesn’t really have the stamina to keep going. We had that day a sort of almond cake, that was a little too sweet. But try the buttery shortbreads, quite a nice smooth end to what, for me, was a very heavy and daring lunch service.

For good reason the Herring buffet is annual, but their regular lunch and dinner is filled with an impressive assortment of seafood entrees. Eating in the bistro, while not as glamorous as the dining room proper, will save you a pretty penny, as there are prix-fixe lunches and dinners for $25 and $35 dollars respectively. When you get sick of Italian, Chinese, Japanese, French, or pseudo-fusion, go adventure into Aquavit. It seems that in May of this year Marcus Sammelsson has left Aquavit, but one celebrity seems not a wonderful restaurant make.

Chow on,

Jessie

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Aquavit (Make a Reservation)
65 E 55th St
New York, NY 10022