NYCReview
photo credit: Emily Schindler
One White Street
Included In
One White Street’s chef used to cook at Eleven Madison Park and Frenchie in Paris, so it’s not shocking that each course is prepared with Steph-Curry-shooting-a-free-throw-like precision. All the food at this upscale farm-to-table restaurant in Tribeca is pretty to look at, and not one dish misses the mark in terms of execution. You’ll enjoy everything you eat here, and a few dishes will even stick with you. But the decor is what you’ll probably remember the most.
Housed in a three-story townhouse that you’d definitely buy if you came into hedge fund manager-type money, this attractive restaurant has marble walls, nice wood paneling, and lots of velvet seating. It all sounds stuffy, but the atmosphere is like a dinner party at your semi-famous friend’s very expensive apartment. Sure, you’ll see some folks in jackets and nice dresses and wine nerds deep in conversation about residual sugar, but you’ll also notice people out for a regular old dinner simply because their FreshDirect delivery was inexplicably canceled. The top two floors serve a nine-course $188 tasting menu while the first floor is à la carte.
Order from an à la carte menu on the first floor.
Decorate a postcard, and the restaurant will mail it.
The hyper-seasonal dishes from the à la carte menu are the ones you’ll remember the most. We love the beef tartare with squiggles of smoked egg yolk gel and horseradish. Though its description comes off as annoying, it’s a must-order. You should also get the shaved fennel salad. Apparently, garlic aioli and blue cheese are the ideal companions for fennel, and we can see why this item is always available.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
If you opt for the tasting menu, it starts out strong, but becomes a bit forgettable towards the end. You’ll begin with some creative small bites followed by a lovely brussels sprouts salad with ingredients like Asian pear and crispy shallots (or something similar). But the ricotta-and-leek-filled tortelloni comes off as one-note with its heavy, oily broth. The best course is the chilled foie gras, which always arrives with some form of perfectly-baked bread (Parker House rolls, for example). But you can get a version of it on the first floor, too.
We wouldn’t come back to One White Street for the tasting menu, but we would return to try new things on the à la carte menu. Come for a few glasses of wine and share some plates with a friend when you’re both in the mood to catch up somewhere that’s nicer than the neighborhood spot you usually go to. The menu changes constantly, so you have the perfect excuse to keep coming back.
Food Rundown
À LA CARTE DISHES
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Shaved Fennel
You’ll probably be informed that this dish has been on the menu since One White Street opened. That’s a not-so-subtle hint to order it, and you should do just that. There’s a lot going on around the crunchy fennel: tart yuzu vinaigrette, sharp and salty blue cheese, rich aioli, and tons of crushed pistachios. It’s surprisingly filling too.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Beef Tartare
If we made a list of ubiquitous dishes, beef tartare would go on it alongside burrata and branzino. However, you need to get this dish. It’s constructed like a flatbread, so all you need to do is pick it up and eat. Unlike most dishes here, this one has a bit of molecular gastronomy going on, with dehydrated chive power and smoky egg yolk gel that’s squeezed over the beef like it came from a tube of toothpaste. Note that the heat from the horseradish sneaks up on you.
Goat Cheesecake
Since it’s made with goat cheese, this cheesecake has a bit of a whipped texture instead of being totally dense. You’ll taste hints of salt, but the sweet concord grape sorbet provides a counterbalance. This is the best dessert we’ve had here.
TASTING MENU DISHES
Broccoli Tartlet/Crispy Broccoli
One White Street's tasting menu always starts with some small bites, like tempura-battered broccoli that looks like a truffle covered with chocolate and vanilla sauce. (It’s actually black and white garlic cream.) The crispy broccoli is good, but the peppery mini quiche-like tartlet is even better.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Brussels Sprouts
The coolest thing about this dish is how thin the brussels sprouts are shaved (to the point that you can hardly tell they’re brussels). There are a deceptively large amount of ingredients in this salad like buttermilk ranch, parmesan, chive powder, Asian pear, and fried shallots. It’s a good dish, but more pear and shallots would make it a lot better.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Chilled Foie Gras
No matter what floor you’re eating on, there’ll be a foie gras dish, and you need to get it. We’ve seen the foie come with pickled and roasted strawberries as well as black truffle, mushroom duxelles, and a soft, warm pain de mie (pictured). Whatever it comes with, get a little bit of each component in each bite.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Tortelloni
Stuffed with ricotta and leeks, these tortelloni are placed in a pool of onion consomme, which is surprisingly weighty and subtly sweet. We want something more from this dish—maybe richness—but the pasta is cooked just right.
Stuffed Chicken
This dish will remind you of Thanksgiving, and that’s not a bad thing. A layer of stuffing made with brioche and sauerkraut is stuffed between very tender chicken breast and gloriously-crisped skin. It tastes like it’s 70% butter. Our favorite part is the duck crépinette (sausage made with duck). With all the sauerkraut, this a pretty sour dish overall, although that sourness helps balance out the richness. We give it a B.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Tarte Citron
The tarte citron has rosemary ice cream, spiced shortbread crumbles, and lemon curd that looks and tastes like what you’d get inside a lemon jelly doughnut. We like that this isn’t too sweet, but we wouldn’t order it again.