Brushstroke – Bouley’s Stroke of Genius

In the late 90s, and the first part of the 2000s, Japanese food enjoyed a surge in popularity in New York City. From small to large, from “hole-in-the-wall” to celebrity favorites, sushi, yakitori, and ramen were becoming part of our daily diet.

Fast forward a few years, it seems the Japanese excitement is starting to wane. Since the debu of Masa in 2004, there have been no high profile Japanese restaurant openings. Restaurant news today is dominated by French, Italian, and locally sourced organic American fare. In fact, a few popular Japanese eateries Matsugen and Japonais actually went out of business in the past few months.

Ironically, more people are eating sushi and ramen today in New York than ever before. Sensing a business opportunity, higher end Japanese restaurants are making a return, in droves. Niko made a splashing entry in Soho, and west coast favorite Katsuya is eyeing a midtown debut in the near future. This week, we get Brushstroke from an American chef who specializes in French cooking. None other than David Bouley.

Working with the Tsuji Culinary Institute, Brushstroke provides an opportunity for Japanese chefs to hone their skills in a foreign country, and showcase their talents to some of the pickiest diners in the world. Situated in the old Danube space (another Bouley restaurant), which was known at its time for its classical grandeur. Brushstroke invokes very clean, organic lines and textures, designed by Japanese firm Super Potato. The space is dominated by the open kitchen, you don’t just see the sushi bar, you see into the entire kitchen space. On the other end of the restaurant, there’s a small bar and an intimate lounge. Look closely at the wall, and you’ll notice that it’s actually thousands of old donated books. Incredible!

Brushstroke serves a tasting menu that resembles a kaiseki, a specially created, step by step multi-course menu. You have a few options for the rice course, everything else is fixed. Since the restaurant is still in its early days of operation, there’s only the $85, 8 course tasting menu. There will soon be a premium tasting menu, and possibly a-la-carte down the road.

The meal kicked off with a salted cherry blossom petal tea. Small crisp pieces of rice floats on an extremely light tea, and the petals give it a savory hint. A strange way to open a meal.

While discussing the taste of petals, the first course set the stage for things to come. Lightly cooked vegetable, which included Japanese yam, tree fungus, and broccoli rabe in miso wasabi sauce. On the side, a small piece of sesame tofu, which had an amazing texture you have to experience to believe. On the serving plate, two “brushstrokes” of water. Nice touch.

The second course was a chawan-mushi,  steamed egg custard. The server informed us to lift the cover slowly, and take in the scent of truffles. Truffles and chawan-mushi, a winner.

Next up, sashimi with two separate types of sauces (soy, and a seasoned ponzu-like sauce). A solid course, though there’re obviously many restaurants in NY that can deliver this, if not better.

The black cod topped with sea urchin was a sight to behold. I was overjoyed to see two of my favorite seafood items plated together. Sea urchin goes surprisingly well with the sprinkled pistachio powder, as the nutty flavor delivers an initial flavor, and blends into the sweet ocean taste of the uni. The sesame cod was a bit overly salty, however the concept of this marinade is potentially excellent if executed correctly.

Seared lobster with yuzu miso, everyone gets half a tail, pre diced so you can pick it right up with a little fork. The yuzu gives it a very refreshing taste, and the slight charring delivers great flavor and smell.

Course 6 was sliced duck breast, which I’d categorize as traditional French preparation. However it’s smoked with Sencha leaves, which is a distinctive Asian flavor. If there’s ever a reason for fusion, this is it.

The final savory course was the multiple-choice rice course. The sushi combination was the only “free” option, as the other two came with supplements. As we had 3 diners, we got to experience all of them. The sushi were not too exciting, but the supplement shows. The raw tuna over rice (+$8) was tasty, but everything paled in comparison with the crab steamed in the pot (+$15), which honestly had 3 to 4 servings of rice. At this point, you’re unlikely to finish the pot. $15 basically buys you breakfast tomorrow.

Dessert is considered one course, but has 3 components. Thin rice sheets flavored with green tea or shiso is placed in a box for everyone to share. There is also a soymilk panna cotta with green tea on top, red beans on the bottom, which tasted absolutely divine. Then there’s the red been and chocolate truffle, to which my sister exclaimed will be her wedding cake, albeit about 200 times larger than the bite sized tease.

When chefs venture outside of their known specialties, there’re reasons to be skeptical, and I was certainly filled with doubt that Bouley could do Japanese cuisine proper. After the 8 course meal, I was convinced that this will be a thriving success. The space is beautiful, the service top-notch, the two Japanese chefs (Hiroki Murashima and Isao Yamada) have shown that they are not afraid of New York hypercritical spotlight.

The short summary for the lazy reader, or the one liner to convince your friend: Brushstroke’s like Nobu, but newer, better, and cheaper.

CS

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Brushstroke (Make a Reservation)
30 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 791-3771