Comté Tarts and Silver Sconces

a new NYC restaurant that was everything I wanted it to be, and more

The list of just-opened restaurants I want to get to is growing way too fast. The month of September felt chock full of pop-ups, exciting new openings, and promises of projects to come from vetted names in New York’s F&B network.

This onslaught of newness in a city that already feels already full of food is certainly overwhelming, and kind of… exhausting? It’s also what makes living in New York so very fun. My primary reservation with a brand-spanking-new hotspot is my perceived likelihood that, as they iron out their kinks and adjust to opening their doors to customers, the experience might not be as great as it would be, say, two months in. Every once in a while, though, an opening comes around that I feel compelled to get to as soon as humanly possible. In this case it was Bridges, the latest endeavor from Sam Lawrence, the culinary director of the group that brought us Estela and Altro Paradiso. I remember seeing the announcement of the upcoming restaurant via Lauren Schofield sharing their new Instagram. Schofield is among the group of New York F&B people that I trust wholeheartedly, despite having never met her. Her endorsement was as good as any, and I was quick to note their opening date and snag the earliest reservation I could.

Of course I saw a slew of photos on Instagram following their opening night—though my expectations and excitement didn’t climb until another trusted food source, the lovely Phoebe, went on opening evening. She gave the restaurant a rave review which meant I was in for a treat.

Bridges

Chatham Square and Mott

Bridges’ facade on Chatham Square is nondescript—a large window overlooks Bowery, decorated with a small serif logo in a just barely distinguishable navy blue. There is a nice sense of imagination that remains with such a minimal exterior. I see new restaurants doing this quite a bit, opting for discrete appearances to passersby to leave a bit of mystery. Bridges doesn’t really look like much, until you step inside.

Textured glass blocks create entry ways discerning the host stand from the bar, and the bar from the restaurant—deep yellow and amber lights leave a soft glow on a mid-century-esque wooden bar, and its accompanying black leather and chrome stools. Creative Director Josephine Stuart has orchestrated the chicest interior I’ve seen this year, styled to make you want to reverse image search every vase, cup, and chair, with the hope that it could somehow find its way into your home and reinvent your dining room.

Where the bar feels moody with an amber hue, the dining room is softly dimmed with slightly cooler tones. It’s impressive, actually, how perfect Bridges got their lighting. It was dark enough to be flattering, but bright enough that the menu was still fully legible—no flashlights necessary. A concrete-grey window peers into their kitchen, where simple white plates appear at the pass in multiples of threes, coursing out salads, tarts, and ducks for waiting tables.

My 5:45pm reservation with Kate kicked off in a nearly-empty restaurant, though guests slowly filtered in as we approached 6. I love being in the first turn on a Saturday night and watching the space fill up. I started with a Chinato Tonic which, in every way, tasted like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. Kate had the Pepper Vesper, but as a gin martini. We looked around adoringly, soaking up every detail of the restaurant from the Austrian school-chairs to the purple calla lilies, commenting incessantly on how good everything looked. We perused the menu and made our usual decision—focus on the small plates, sample most of them.

We started with the sardines, a miraculously un-fishy, meaty sardine atop a single anchovy, a roasted red pepper, draped over a thin slice of crunchy, toasted bread. Each bite was wonderfully savory, and salty without being overbearing. The flavor of the anchovy was balanced by the bread, and the pepper and sardine seemed in perfect harmony. I’ve never not liked a sardine anchovy situation, but I did not expect to like this so much.

Our meal continued with a few brighter bites. The tuna with tomato was a familiar combination—Kate and I had just had a raw tuna dish at Cafe Kestrel with thinly sliced green tomatoes and olive oil. Somehow, though highlighting the same two ingredients, Bridges’ version tasted entirely different. The tuna was cut thick enough to maintain its textural integrity, in a bite where its freshness and flavor came through. Drizzled with olive oil and sitting over acidic cherry tomatoes, each bite was flavorful and bright. A bit of bite came from the coarse peppercorns scattered across the plate, and there was a gelee that tasted like smoked tomato water to me… would love to confirm what it actually was.

We also ordered the lettuces with asian pear and trout roe, finished with dill, chives, and shaved onion. The dressing was creamy and sweet, though not notably flavorful. The dish’s personality came from the salty trout roe against the crunchy and sweet pear, with a bit of freshness from the lettuce and a great deal of flavor from the chopped herbs.

The dish following this course is the one I was most surprised by, and I still can’t totally wrap my head around. Very few dishes leave me both speechless and utterly confused, unable to pinpoint the flavors I am experiencing and unclear on what exactly makes it so good. The base of the dish was cubed, gently steamed kabocha squash (hellooooo fall!) among the stems and bulbs of what I am pretty sure was kohlrabi. A delicate dressing-of-sorts covered just the bottom of the plate, comprised of some sort of oil and sesame-esque flavor. The plate was topped with shavings of an incredible cheese. I’m telling you, I can’t really figure out what this dish was doing and why it was so good. Kate and I kept looking at each other, perplexed, silently saying to one another “what are we eating and why is it so incredible.”

The final savory dish arrived and was the most anticipated—the comté tart with chanterelles, a beautiful dish that has already seen hundreds of Instagram feeds. I almost didn’t want to like it. The contrarian in me hoped that, apart from how photogenic the dish was, it might not be as good as it was cracked up to be. Boy was I wrong! It was incredible. The tart crust tasted like it belonged in a dessert, less, perhaps, half a cup of sugar. It was not savory, but buttery and mild like a shortbread, with just enough crunch to balance that creamy interior. The filling was some magical custard made of comté, mildly cheesy, rich but not overbearing. Topped with baby chanterelles and a mystery, creamy (mushroom-based?) sauce, the tart was perfectly elegant and tasted as good as it looked on the plate.

A note that by this point I had moved onto my second drink which was a divine tequila sour with honey and sesame. It was a treat.

We closed with espresso in silver-handled cups and a toasted meringue with candied lemon peels on an airy coffee sponge. The combination was intriguing, and was unexpectedly balanced and complementary. I never thought about lemon and coffee together. As far as I know, anything tastes good with meringue.

All in all, I went into this dinner with high hopes. My expectations were surpassed. Each dish felt thoughtful and creative, and allowed for their French and Basque inspiration to shine through. Nothing was overly rich or hard to finish—we devoured every last bite of each plate and reveled in how well-constructed each combination of flavors was. I am so looking forward to returning to Bridges, though next time I want a spot at the bar ;)

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The other openings at the top of the list:

1. Borgo

2. Nin Hao

3. Briscola

Wishing you all a lovely Monday, more from me next week!