How does a new restaurant break into the New York dining scene? For established chefs and restaurateurs, the process isn’t too difficult, simply throw all of your existing marketing/pr prowess behind the new establishment, and watch the loyal fans flock to your tables. The recent success of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s The Mark and ABC Kitchen shows how things are done.
For a young aspiring chef, you need the illustrious resume with familiar names, an interesting location, a memorable name and location, and PR good enough to draw the likes of Sam Sifton. Recette is a good example of such process, as it certainly got my attention.
The ingredients to Recette started with Jesse Schenker, who despite being only 27 years young has spent time in the (hells) kitchen of Mr. Ramsay’s namesake restaurant in New York. He partnered with pastry chef Christina Lee, a veteran of Per Se. The location selected was a few blocks south of the bustling Meat Packing District, amidst all of the luxury buildings housing young professionals who don’t cook. Bullfrong and Baum was signed as the PR company, and shortly after opening Mr. Sifton of New York Times paid a visit. Top it off with 2 stars, and these guys are on the culinary map.
The style was certainly unique. In this homely west village location, Chef Schenker served up American cuisine, with Spanish flair and tapas portions, all with French preparation.
We arrived for our weekday dinner and sat next to a window. Despite the pane of glass, we were only inches away from the sidewalk, and frequently saw envious eyes starring down at our plates. The restaurant quickly became full, and the intimate setting really trapped most of the noise. Also because the restaurant was so bright, all photos today was taken with the iPhone4. Quite the device for food photography.
Inside of Recette
We ordered a mix of “snacks” and “plates”. Since the serving sizes were all tapas sized, it made for an opportunity for everyone to share. The tomato with peekytoe crab had a very heavy taste of cheese, and reminded me of a modern interpretation of tomatoes and mozzarella. The giant clam on the menu turned out to be thin slices of geoduck, which tasted delicious but reminded us of the tiny portions once again. The hamachi with uni was nice, refreshing, but nothing to gush about.
Heirloom tomatoes with crab, tasted cheesy!
If the menu said geoduck, would people know what it is?
The more “entree” like plates we choose were the pork belly, which tasted surprisingly Chinese, and a scallops dish which would have done Mr. Ramsay proud. We paired these with a side of duck fat fries. One cannot go wrong with duck fat fries.
Scallops, done beautifully.
A piece of pork belly
The desserts were extremely unique and creative. The s’mores was brilliant in plating and presentation, each bite presented surprisingly textures and flavors. The honeydew soup with melon noodles and grape caviar was funny, gimmicky, but actually worked out nicely.
S'mores, marshmallow torched on plate.
Gimmicky, but delicious. honeydew soup with noodles.
All in all, Recette is good food that’s wonderful for foodies, because the small, delicate portions allow for extensive sharing and experimentation. However if you’re hungry, prepare to pay handsomely for your food. Recette is definitely a worthy addition to the NYC dining scene, and with a pair of young chefs, we can look forward to many years of excitement to come.
CS
Rating: 
Recette (Make a Reservation)
328 W. 12th St
New York, NY 10014
“Ramsay proud. We paired these with a side of duck fat fries. One cannot go wrong with duck fat fries.”
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