by Cindy Clarke
It’s not about reinventing the character of the ingredients, a carrot is and always will be a carrot after all. It’s all in the way it’s prepared that takes its core spirit – and the diner’s senses – to new heights. en, and the team work and camaraderie of the cooks who could plate a dish that really kicked the entire dining experience up a notch.” Brian logged in upwards of 50 hours a week in the restaurant, much of it as an unpaid apprentice, before studying in earnest at the Culinary Institute of America. Now that’s a love of the game. He carried the ball through an impressive roster of restaurants, including New York’s Oceana, the Sign of the Dove and Lutece, and the Greene House and Vu in Scottsdale, before garnering critical acclaim as a chef back home where it all started. Now living with his wife in Wilton, Connecticut, literally a stone’s throw from one of the region’s most bountiful farms, Brian is on a mission to deliver delicious “roots, shoots, fruits and leaves” dining experiences to patrons of Elm. Everything at Elm makes a statement, from the pewter bar, a study in understated elegance that reflects both urban sophistication and New England traditions, to the simple farm tables that welcome the bounty of the harvest, the vine and the sea with distinctive utilitarian charm. Striking décor notwithstanding, food is the undisputed celebrity at Elm, ripe with flavor and impeccably prepared to blissfully marry textures and tastes to the unabashed delight of the diners. We were treated to a sampling of Elm’s signature specialties during our cocktail recep-
tion, while we sipped hand-selected artisan wines and indulged in the bartender’s Yuzu Sour, a refreshingly good gin-based libation that reinvented the ultimate party drink with hints of exotic citrus, lemongrass, ginger and Kaffir lime. First up was the Hudson Valley foie gras, a cloudlike dollop of mousse served on grilled bread – they bake their own bread here, naturally – dressed with apricot marmalade, pata negra (a thread of parma ham), and Sicilian pistachios, which all added up to subsequent taste offerings we couldn’t refuse! The caviar brioche made its way to us several times over the evening, each time promising heaven on a silver spoon, along with the grilled Spanish octopus, drizzled with black garlic aioli and served with tender, garden-fresh pea shoots, wild ramps and guanciale (a lean bacon made from pork jowl – locally sourced from a regional farm). Shots of delicate cauliflower soup were a special surprise, teasing our taste buds with whispers of vaudovan curry – the “it” flavor for gourmet chefs who know their way around complex French spices – and garden sorrel. A glass enclosed private dining room designed to accommodate up to 12 very lucky guests and a chef’s tasting counter for four sit in full view of the immaculate stainless steel
kitchen where the chef openly works his magic. During the party, I edged closer to the action to get an up-close look at the next taste sensation Brian Lewis was planning to wow us with. It turned out to be Crunchy Big Eye Tuna with sunchokes, soy and brown butter caramel, seriously, one of the most incredible seafood delicacies I have ever had and one that got me really hooked on the chef’s penchant for bringing out the true essence of the dish. And that’s just for starters. His full menu features a variety of house-made entrees that are driven by the seasons and that appeal to all manner of tastes and appetites. The chef told me it’s not about reinventing the character of the ingredients, a carrot is and always will be a carrot after all. It’s all in the way it’s prepared that takes its core spirit – and the diner’s senses – to new heights. That said, in an effort to ensure premier quality in his kitchen, he churns his own butter, makes his own pasta, handselects locally grown garden produce and fruits when they are in season, personally sources the best sustainable seafood and farm-raised, grassfed, antibiotic-free beef, pork and poultry, and insists on consistent creative excellence from his fellow chefs. He is hands-on and hands-down the consummate, and ultimately grounded, top chef. On staff with Brian is pastry chef Caryn Sabinsky whose baked goods and seasonal desserts made on site are sweet indeed as we can personally attest. We indulged in her light-as-air cocoa nibbed meringues with pistachio flakes, her signature citrus pâte de fruits dusted with pink peppercorn sugar, her delicate frosted cupcakes and her truffles, decadent chocolates that flirted with coconut and orange finishes. Her pastry kitchen in the restaurant’s lower level will also be open to the community for classes and workshops – an icing-on-the-cake opportunity indeed! Sous chef Mike Paez joins Elm from Momofuko, whose imaginative menus and amazing cookies have made it one of the most sought-after hip eateries in the New York City. Together the team at Elm promises to keep the community tantalized, mesmerized and energized with their ever-changing seasonal menu, leaving patrons with lingering, longing memories of a dining experience that is, in a word, delicious in every way.
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