I’ve been following Josh Pinsky since the Momofuku Nishi days. After he left Nishi, it was pretty much the beginning of the decline. Much of the staff is now reunited at Claud. After trying for months I was finally able to score a couple of bar seats early Sunday. There’s a small section in the corner for walk-ins. Being included in Pete Wells’ 100 didnt help, us. First impression after walking and drinking for three hours prior to arrival, its gotta be the most romantic bathroom in NYC.
Very good food pacing. While some dishes impressed more than others, there was no dud, or fault I could find with anything. Probably meal of the year for us.
The free sourdough they bake in-house and room temp spreadable butter is almost a rarity these days, and an indication of things to come. They will bring more bread depending on the dish. We went from worrying we may not have enough to saying stop.
Enjoyed the crab and corn fritters with the plentiful crab and that sweet corn coming through nicely. Solid buttery foie gras terrine with a honey vinegar jell. Shrimp comes sizzling on a very hot skillet. They are barely cooked, yet firm, plump, and insanely delicious. When it comes to seafood, he doesnt mess with many ingredients and lets the main ingredient shine.
The Chicken Liver Agnolotti was exactly what you’d expect from a place like this. Liver freak Mrs Z was in heaven. I’m not sure I prefer this over the more traditional “Plin”, but we still cleared the plate to the point of no washing necessary.
But the creme de la creme was the Halibut with cockles and green garlic. The fish was firmer than usual, not breaking apart every time you touch, yet the perfect texture. And very complementary dashi reminiscent of a scallop dish at Ko. This was pure food magic.
We couldnt find enough room for the much hyped mammoth Devil’s food cake. But the root beer ice cream was just brilliant. Whether you are into root beer in this case is almost irrelevant. Go! If you can.
