Luksus
The Scandinavian restaurant Luksus opens tomorrow and the anticipation for Chef Daniel Burns (Noma, Momofuku) newest venture is at an all time high. The 26 seat space sits tucked away in the back of Torst with a $75 five course tasting menu and an option for beer pairings (additional $45). We were incredibly lucky to get a spot during soft opening last week and watch Burns in action through the open kitchen.
Our meal began with three Snacks starting with a bowl of Ham Chips.
These large and flaky crisps were absolutely wonderful...much more robust than a pork rind, each bite had a tangy, salty crunch that left a whimsical shimmer of vinegar powder in the air.
The snacks were paired with Professor Fritz Briem Berliner Weisse a tart, effervescent beer with a dry finish perfect for the warm evening and a great complement to almost any food. Onto our next snack Mussel & Dulse.
Apparently Burns knows a thing or two about vegetables because these were excellent. The braising gave the veggies a sweet, tender flavor perfect for dipping in the creamy egg dip. I silently wished Burns could teach my mother how vegetables are meant to be cooked.
A basket of sourdough bread arrived as it's own course, still warm from the oven with creamy cow's milk butter that was light as air. This is bread you certainly should fill up on- it's incredible. The Second Course- Radish razor clam, cucumber and bone marrow paired with Evil Twin Femme Fatale.
When I cut into the slow cooked egg it flowed out almost like silk, draping the charred lettuce and shiitake mushroom in a creamy broth before folding into the green pea puree underneath. This is one of those dishes that makes you pause a moment in order to soak in all of the incredible flavors hitting your senses...everything worked in this dish and I didn't want to miss a second. Onto the fourth course Lamb sunchoke, burnt hay and tongue salad paired with Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien.
Our meal began with three Snacks starting with a bowl of Ham Chips.
These large and flaky crisps were absolutely wonderful...much more robust than a pork rind, each bite had a tangy, salty crunch that left a whimsical shimmer of vinegar powder in the air.
The snacks were paired with Professor Fritz Briem Berliner Weisse a tart, effervescent beer with a dry finish perfect for the warm evening and a great complement to almost any food. Onto our next snack Mussel & Dulse.
A bowl of seaweed crackers with a mussel emulsion and pickled vegetables arrived. It was an interesting combination of sea, vegetable and grain. I haven't experienced such intense aquatic flavors like this since my last meal at Acme. Onto our last snack Carrot & Beet.
A basket of sourdough bread arrived as it's own course, still warm from the oven with creamy cow's milk butter that was light as air. This is bread you certainly should fill up on- it's incredible. The Second Course- Radish razor clam, cucumber and bone marrow paired with Evil Twin Femme Fatale.
The radish was the main focus of this dish with the bone marrow showing it's rich flavor in the cilantro sauce underneath. It was at this point my dining companion pointed to one of the chefs who seemed to be incredibly focused on getting an egg just perfect. It turns out this egg would be the key component of our third course Little Gem salad puree, pea broth and egg paired with Stillwater & Hof Ten Dormaal Bronze Age.
Let me begin by saying the beer pairing for this dish was fantastic. The tart cherry notes cut through the fat of the lamb and gave it a nice bright acidity. Unfortunately "fat" is the reason this dish failed to impress at my table. I loved the bitter shaved tongue salad and the toasted notes of sunchoke and hay (that once again brought me right back to meals at Acme) but two out of four dishes at our table had so much fat there were only a few bites of actual meat to enjoy. This being the only meat course of the night it was a bit of a let down in size and quality.
Spruce blueberry and yogurt was given as a palate cleanser between courses. Let me just warn you this is really strong...almost like biting into a spruce tree. Then the fifth and final course of the night Rhubarb beet, pea and anise hyssop paired with Boon Mariage Parfait and Beet Juice.
The rhubarb took shape in a foamy mousse with a crisp beetroot meringue, beet puree and green pea sorbet. What blew me way with this dessert was the sorbet...it was the same sweet pea flavor from our Little Gem course just in a completely different form. I've never experienced such similarity in both sweet and savory courses of a meal before.
Overall I loved my meal at Luksus. It was inventive and exciting with fantastic beer pairings (all of which scored 88 or above on Beer Advocate) and great service. One could argue that the portions could be bigger. Some in my group said they were still hungry when the meal ended. After spending $300 on dinner for two it's hard to justify any hunger pains.
This type of cuisine won't be a fit for everyone either. The beer pairings lean towards the sour spectrum and the food is very minimalist and raw. In a town obsessed with "the next best thing" it will be interesting to see how Luksus fares. I don't think everyone will understand Burns style of cooking and that's just fine with me. Those people can stick with Cronuts...save the Ham Chips for me.
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