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“Bistrong's Braeburn”

After many years of perfecting the vision of other chefs—folks like David Bouley, Jimmy Bradley, and Eric Ripert—chef Brian Bistrong is finally getting a chance to shepherd his own vision to life with his new restaurant Braeburn, which he owns with partner John-Paul O’Neil (the former General Manager at The Harrison who was previously the GM at Blue Hill). The restaurant is located in the former Voyage space on Perry Street in the West Village and it offers contemporary American bistro fare.

The restaurant was designed by Diane Paparo Associates and it feels intimate and warm with a palate of earth tones. In the front room you’ll find a polished concrete bar and light walnut wood floors, while the dining room is marked by alder wood branches, rich chocolate brown banquettes and mesquite-tiled tables. A hand-painted mural of Bistrong’s apple orchard and family farm in East Haddam, Connecticut is the room’s visual anchor.

On the modest menu (he’s offering six apps and six entrees), you’ll find starters like warm smoked local trout with potato salad, apple horseradish sauce ($10), fresh Peeky Toe crab salad with Bosc pear puree ($16), corned beef of short rib served with celery root and grain mustard ($12), and quail “sausage” with figs, quinoa and yogurt ($16). Bistrong’s entrees include a pan-roasted Pennsylvania chicken in a chanterelle stew with pearl onions and a parsley sauce ($26), a rack of pork glazed with honey and thyme and served with Savoy cabbage, bacon, and a sweet and savory potato-prune gratin ($30), and seared shrimp-crusted codfish with sautéed bok choy in an aromatic onion-bonito broth ($25).

Pastry consultant and beverage director Katherine Beto (wd-50, Per Se) is making some very worthy last course options. There’s a warm chocolate bread pudding with poached pear sits beneath vanilla ice cream, a poppy seed cake with homemade apple jam and whipped cream, apple cider doughnut holes and pumpkin cheesecake. Her wine list includes an affordable selection of 12 bottles from common places like France, Sonoma, Italy and Oregon, but also lesser-known spots like Hungry, Lebanon and Cyprus.  

Braeburn is located at 117 Perry Street at Greenwich Street, 212-255-0696. Dinner is served Monday – Thursday from 5:30PM–11:00pm; Friday and Saturday from 5:30PM–11:30PM; and Sundays from 5:00PM–10:00PM.

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Posted: October 17, 2008 - 1:36 pm

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