Four-star Chef Opens 1808 Grille
The new restaurant 1808 Grille, the labor of love of four-star chef Charles Phillips, is defined by a warm dining room of unpainted wood tables, graphic wood chandeliers and hues of butter, sage and bark.
Chef Charles Phillips knows that it's hard to pin down a description of his new restaurant.
“The term New American is kind of vague,” admitted Phillips, the executive chef at 1808 Grille, the house restaurant at the striking new Hutton Hotel on West End Avenue in midtown.
“Fusion” doesn't quite get it either, said Phillips, though he does enjoy infusing his menus with a diverse range of international elements from Indonesia, Africa and South America, to name a few of the chef's favorite gastronomic destinations.
Ultimately, Phillips would rather have 1808 Grille qualified by the warmth and atmosphere of the entire dining experience.
“The vision was to create a place that's comfortable with good food where people want to come two or three times a week,” he said. “The restaurant is approachable and kind of fun.”
True, there's nothing intimidating about the airy dining room, a 150-seat space where the main dining area is defined by open wooden divider shelves lined with white modernist pottery and the central focal point is a giant obelisk-like sculpture made of square slabs of dark reclaimed wood that fan out as the structure climbs toward the high ceiling. A quartet of banquettes with seats upholstered in incredibly soft butter-colored leather surround the column.
The overall color scheme is soothing: sage, bark, taupe, blue-gray and butter are the going shades of the décor, which incorporates many green and sustainable design elements including a bamboo floor.
There are also smooth, unpainted wooden tables, graphic wood chandeliers, flocked low-pile carpet, and a zinc-topped bar in the cocktail area are among the other elements that seem to make the dining room at 1808 (the restaurant is named for the hotel's address) an inclusive rather than an exclusive dining experience.
Not that Phillips isn't above some VIP TLC.
In the back of the restaurant, past the large wall covered in an international selection of top red wines, are two tasteful private dining rooms; they have almost a residential feel, with long wooden tables and elegant hollow glass chandeliers that can accommodate parties of up to 20. Food and wine tasting menus can be ordered ahead of time for the event. (Small parties can also enjoy special tasting menus.)
Outside the private rooms, a lounge area with smooth unpainted wood side tables and tufted leather chaises offer guests a place to gather before or after their meal.
And, ah — the meal!
Three daily meals are served from the kitchen at 1808, which also provides 24-hour room service for the Hutton. Each menu has been created by Phillips, a veteran of chic kitchens in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C, and, most recently, in Chicago, where he was executive chef at the Westin Chicago North Shore, which is an AAA Four-Diamond and Mobil Four-Star-rated property.
Phillips takes great care in the comfort of his guests and is especially attuned to perfecting small details, from the type of napkins and silverware used on the unpainted wood tables to type of coffee served in the mornings or after meals (they use a special blend by Allegro, the brand owned by Whole Foods).
He's especially keen to make dining at 1808 an interactive, communal experience, something he does by including smart menu details like the “condiment caddy,” a selection of house-made dips and sauces that comes to every table. Elements like this encourage sharing and create interface among guests.
He's also devoted to taking the high road of eco-friendly dining whenever possible. Thus, 1808's seafood selections are dictated by the sustainable Monterey Bay program; beef is angus-certified; and as much produce as possible comes from local sources including well-respected Farmer Dave.
Phillips will change the menus seasonally to incorporate new crops and resources, based on their availability. His hope is to use as many local and regional sources as possible to continue to expand on his all-encompassing ethos of inclusion and shared experience.
“(1808 Grille) is about bringing people back to the table,” Phillips said.
The communal feeling starts right after guests sit down at the table: each party is given a plate of mixed Mediterranean olives and flat breads to share while they peruse the menu.
First up are appetizer-esque “small plates,” which Phillips imagines will be split or shared between several diners. They range from simple selections (salt & malt vinegar chips for $3.50 or goat cheese topped flatbread for $7.50) to more complex dishes (orange tamarind seared scallops with daikon sprouts for $7.75 or citrus braised pork on a corn cake served sope style with cilantro tomato salsa for $7).
Small dishes can be followed by a soup or salad course that includes items like spinach panzanella salad made with red onions, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, sourdough toast and pine nuts tossed in a creamy oregano dressing ($8).
Main course options are diverse as well. Phillips says the Arctic char with hoisen ginger brushed, micro greens and toasted peanuts ($20) and crispy gnocchi with pulled duck, diced tomato and mustard greens (also $20) have both been good sellers since the restaurant's soft opening late last month.
Also popular are red meat items such as the New York strip, which gets an oregano rub and is served pepper relish and an onion crisp ($28).
“The entrees are light-handed with clean presentations,” said Phllips, who uses minimal garnish on his plates to keep the focus on the main event.
Sides are $5 each and come a la carte, and include 500 degree-roasted oyster mushrooms; Anson Mills white cheddar grits and sautéed Brussels sprouts with bacon, served in mini De Buyer saucepans.
The main dishes are accompanied by the arrival of the aforementioned “condiment caddy,” that includes a red wine demi, mango chutney, chimichurri (an Argentine steak sauce), and romesco (an earthy nut-based Catalonian dip).
Phillips has taken the interactive idea all the way to the bottom of the menu, where the dessert selection continues on the theme of small-plates-meant-for-sharing, with selections that hover around the $5 mark, including banana beignets, a flourless chocolate cake and — a house favorite — dark chocolate bark served platted with a pasty bag of peanut butter mousse.
Want to guess who gets to squeeze the bag?
1808 Grille
1808 West End Ave.
340-0012
1808grille.com
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