Fall Restaurant Rush

Sushi by Scratch, ACRU, Borgo, Bridges, Clemente Bar, fried chicken king of Harlem, Franklin Chthonics, hushed hybrid, MORE

Oct 08, 2024

∙ Paid

RESTAURANTS • First Word

Scratch pad

The Skinny: Tucked under a nail salon in Flatiron, Los Angeles import Sushi by Scratch debuted last month with an unorthodox, 17-course nigiri menu running $245 per.

The Experience: Guests enter into a slim front lounge lined by an L-shaped banquette and compact parlor tables, where they’re greeted by a welcome cocktail, followed by small starters like whipped bluefin tuna tail served with crispy nori and fried baby sardines. Half an hour later, the action moves to a 10-seat rear sushi counter so intimate there’s barely enough room to squeeze by to use the restroom. The cramped feel imparts a Tokyo vibe to the otherwise Westernized sushi concept. The energy is chatty and casual, with chef Phillip Frankland Lee describing each bite between courses.

The Food: An all-nigiri menu accented with unexpected garnishes (and a drinks menu of Japanese cocktails, whiskies, beers, and sakes) has earned Lee a devout following. Signature pieces include hamachi brushed with sweet corn pudding and a two-part bone marrow series in which the tissue is first served with soy and wasabi root, then used to fry freshwater eel.

For his New York edition, Lee has premiered several great new bites, including squid topped with pickled sakura blooms and soy-accented dry aged akami crowned with house-made horseradish-based “fake wasabi.” A roasted Hudson Valley foie gras nigiri finished with caramelized Okinawan brown sugar concludes the savory portion of the meal and brilliantly paves the way for the final course: a frozen makrut (or kaffir) lime and matcha ice cream bonbon (made by Margarita Kallas-Lee, the other half of the restaurant’s husband-and-wife team).

The Verdict: Wholly unorthodox in execution and taste, Sushi by Scratch is a breath of fresh air in a still mostly rigid counter culture. –Kat Odell

→ Sushi by Scratch (Flatiron) • 922 Broadway (@ E 21st St) • 5-930p • $245 per • Reserve.

RESTAURANTS • The Ticket

Charles Gabriel x Daniel Boulud • ‘fried chicken king of Harlem’ Charles Gabriel collaborates with Daniel Boulud • Cafe Boulud (Upper East Side) • Thurs 10/10 @ 630p, $206 per
Bangkok Supper Series: Taste of Northern Thailand • nine-course Northern Thai tasting menu from chef Max Wittawat • Bangkok Supper Club (West Village) • Tues 10/15 @ 5/530p or 9/930p, $135 per
James Kent Tribute Dinner • special dinner with Kent Hospitality and Benoit team as part of NYCWFF • Benoit (Midtown) • Thurs 10/17 @ 7p, $313 per

NYC RESTAURANT LINKS: On the beauty of the half-pour at spots like Brass • In East Village, Monsieur Vo has closed • Photos are now allowed at Frog Club • How Sam Kaplan’s Memento Mori wines became a Napa Valley sensation.

WORK • Tuesday Routine

Fine tuning

DANIEL GARWOOD • chef/partner • ACRU
Neighborhood you work in: Greenwich Village
Neighborhood you live in: Upper East Side

It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Upon arriving at my new restaurant ACRU on MacDougal Street, I’m enveloped by the final phase of its construction, with various teams bustling about. MacDougal Street is a unique place in the morning — calm and quiet, in contrast to its lively nights. My management team and I gather over coffee, strategizing for the weeks ahead and brainstorming ideas for the restaurant, which we’re planning to open on October 16. [Ed.: Reservations are live today.] Right now, we’re organizing table settings, curating the room’s decor, and crafting our initial menus. The first deliveries are arriving — wines from across the globe, fresh ingredients to experiment with, and furniture to fill this extraordinary space.

What’s on the agenda for today?
Today, I’m fine-tuning training plans and coordinating with electricians and construction teams to complete the kitchen. The fun part will come in the afternoon when our suppliers start bringing in samples and new ingredients. We should be receiving spicebush, staghorn sumac, the first chestnuts of the season, and black sage. As I continue to learn about these native ingredients, it’s exhilarating to receive and experiment with them while conducting research.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Greenwich Village offers an abundance of great restaurants and bars. I often drop by Dame or Lord’s, where the food and staff consistently impress. I highly recommend the fish and chips from Dame and the duck pie or Scotch egg from Lord’s (though I might be a bit biased, having grown up in the Commonwealth with similar cuisine). This week, I have some Australian friends visiting, so I’ll be sure to take them to Dante for drinks. Their extensive drink menu is fantastic, and you can’t go wrong with their martini service.

How about a little leisure or culture this week?
MacDougal Street feels like the comedy center of New York, and I always try to keep up with the performances. There’s always something happening on this block; just last week, there was live music featuring Outernational and Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. For leisure, my wife and I love walking along the Hudson River on the west side. The area has seen fantastic developments, including tennis courts, mini-golf, volleyball, and, most importantly, dog parks.

What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
In building the restaurant, it’s difficult to pinpoint any single big-ticket item, as each element is so important to it. One standout partner has been Stephen Lin from Resolute Millwork. I highly recommend him for any custom woodwork needs in your home. Our back bar is a great example, in particular, showcasing his craftsmanship and attention to detail.

What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
Given how often I lose track of time working in restaurants, I really appreciate services like Rinse. Their laundry pick-up and drop-off right at my apartment door is a lifesaver. Anything that helps save time during a hectic week is invaluable.

WORK • Office Report

RTOver?

Amazon’s call for employees to return to the office five days a week continues to ripple:

In the wake of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s memo, other big tech companies were forced to react. Microsoft and Google execs said those companies wouldn’t force employees back unless (cue minor-key soundtrack) productivity slows.
Amazon employees are not happy! A survey of 2500 Amazon workers found that 91% are dissatisfied with the move and 73% are looking for a new job as a result. (N.B. FOUND is looking for good freelance sales people.)
In defense of Amazon’s policy, insiders said it was necessary to defend the company’s can-do corporate culture (previously defined by debilitatingly long hours in the office).

Meanwhile, the NYT says return-to-office has expired as a topic of interest because it is no longer interested:

[O]ver the summer, the phrase seemed to disappear: Its three-letter abbreviation appeared in The New York Times only four times from June 1 to Sept. 30. The words ‘return to office’ appeared only five times in the context of employers, employees and workplaces over those four months.

A novel theory! But maybe, splashy corporate memos and waning media trends aside, the RTO noise actually quieted down because employees unceremoniously took the issue into their own hands, pursuing a “hushed hybrid” approach in which they find a way to work flexibly even in the face of stricter mandates. Brace for more memos. –Josh Albertson

WORK LINKS: To boost train capacity, Penn Station needs expansion • Office deals tilt back to Manhattan • Hudson Square is having a moment • Do corporate art collections have a point? • Meet the HENRYs — high earners, not rich yet • Does anyone actually retire these days?

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Service

Far afield

Far, far away — nowhere close to the outpost of the East Village that is Hudson, NY, and even farther from the Overland Department of Greenpoint that is most of the Western Catskills (artisanal cassis liqueur, anyone?) — sits a tiny town in Delaware County called Franklin.

And inside of Franklin sits a sizable complex of privately owned land, with lakes and ponds and barns and farms and an abandoned bluestone quarry, that occasionally witnesses art parties. The hosts of this magical, naturalistic wonderland go by an almost unpronounceable name: Franklin Chthonics.

By hook, crook, hand, and foraged foodstuff, they’re putting together one of the most delightful seasonal delivery boxes I’ve come across lately.

Everything Franklin Chthonics produces is either from their property or purchased locally, then pickled, smoked, fermented, aged, or somehow made more delicious on site. My summer seasonal box included sumac tea, spices, and syrup (all foraged and hand-produced); St. John's wort, wild thyme, yarrow, mugwort, and mullein tea (all hand-picked); and pickled jalapenos and corn chow-chow (pickled and produced on-site), as well as three gorgeous natural ink based postcards and blueberry-nectarine jam.

It's a small, family team putting the boxes together with care and love. Word from the farm is that this year's apple harvest is a bonanza, which bodes well for this fall’s boxes. –Matt Levy

→ Shop: Franklin Chthonics Subscription Box • $18/mo with three-month minimum commitment.

GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: Historic Greenpoint Savings Bank might become a weed shop • 24/7 self-service golf simulator set to open in East Village • Italian baked goods purveyor Bauli signs lease in Union Square • Watch site Hodinkee finds a buyer • Fall hero pieces for women • And for men, clear-eyed thinking on the fall wardrobe edit.

RESTAURANTS • The Nines