GREYWIND

The wind picked up that evening, and in this sort of grey and industrial corner of town, the name Greywind seemed fully appropriate. My friend found it initially off-putting, while I found it sort of mysterious and elegant. But regardless of initil impressions, Greywind gusted with promise upon arriving. We were swiftly seated at a comfortable table of lovely striated wood near a far wall, a perfect vantage point to appreciate the thoughtful and artistic design of the space. There are accents of deep blue lacquer, and despite its subdued color scheme, there is a gentle kinetic energy to the room. The kitchen was slightly visible from my seat: a glimpse into some of the really nice moments to come.

Our server was efficient and graceful, well-informed on the wine selection and thus helpfully informative. I ended with a delightful (new to me) Fiano which I will subsequently keep an eye out for, while my tablemate went for something sturdier, Greywind's version of a Manhattan, subtly perfumed with chocolate, orange and amaretto for a decadent spin on the classic. We toggled over the Restaurant Week menu, a really solid deal, but I was too covetous of the scallop dish on the main menu to aquiesce to frugality. Lucky for us, they accomodating the switch with an acceptable supplement, also charged for the ribeye for which my tablemate opted. But it was a twenty dollars well spent.

We decided pretty quickly on our first courses, since the Restaurant Week menu slims your choices somewhat (sometimes FEWER options are better). But the one I wanted whether Main or RW menu was the same, so I was in luck. It was a composition of crucifers (a blend of brassicas. Lol.), combining cauliflower and romanesco, lightly roasted, in a slurry of black garlic. I actually would have preferred the roast to be a little less light, and also that the dish would have been warm-ish, rather than chilled. Maybe in the summer it

would've landed differently, but the flavors were robust and fulfilling, regardless. A salad of koginut squash, fennel and aji dulce was expectedly cool, and a lovely balance of tangy, sweet and fresh. Even better might have been the crispy potatoes with smoked chili and buttermilk ranch, which recalled one of my best childhood food memories: the Little John Spuds at Friar Tuck's Chicken of yore. Delicious morses of fried potato with just a nudge of heat tempered by the cool tang of buttermilk and crunchy crescents of pickled celery.

And while these appetizers were good, the main courses we chose were exponentially better, renewing my claim that Dan Kluger is one of, if not THE best chef in the city right now. (That he is a James Beard semi-finalist is no surprise whatsoever.) My infatuation with him began with his stint at ABC Kitchen under Jean-Georges, gained momentum at Loring Place, and has not faltered one bit since. And obvious I'm not alone in this assessment: to open up a restaurant in

this area of town, of this scale, in today's economic climate requires mad chops. Kluger's got 'em. And every bite of our main courses proved this. My tablemate went meaty with the ribeye, unconventionally served off the bone in a tender, sauce-sluiced medallion over fluffy garlic mashed potatoes. Even the aroma induced wild salivation, and each bite lived up to that introduction. And as spectacular as that was, my scallops were even better. They say hunger is the best sauce, but maybe They haven't had THIS sauce yet, that garlicky, zesty slurry lubricating toothsome shelling beans and gorgeously plush scallops. Three big fat ones nestled themselves into the supporting stew, "frosted" with n'duja that infiltrated its spunky heat into each bite.

As the Restaurant Week's menu was structured, we were both entitled to dessert (not that we would've gone without at this point. The anticipation of further sensory pleasure was at full throttle). My tablemate leaned in for the chocolate, a fudgy tart with salted caramel and burnt marshmallow, refreshed with a tangy crème fraiche ice cream that didn't synch for me as well with the other elements, but was sensational on its own. The marshmallow alone makes this dessert worth getting, not being much of a chocolate person myself. But that marshmallow was ethereal.

My preference lay with a brown butter apple cake, lighter than its decadent, smothered appearance belied, with fresh bits of tangy, sweet apple just bound with the buttery crumb of the moistest cake ever. Candied pumpkin seeds added a nice, nutty crunch to the rich custard, and it is a generous piece of cake... probably big enough for two (or in my case, leftovers for the next day, which I can attest are easily as good the next night).

The dining room was fairly sparse upon our arrival, but filled up nicely as the evening progressed. And I'm sure with Kluger's recent J.B. semi-finalist nomination to remind people of his brilliance, tables are probably more difficult to get even now than they were upon my recent visit. Get one while you still can; the finals are announced April 3.

451 Tenth Ave. NYC, NY 10018 hello@greywindnyc.com (347) 252-4012