- [Chef] You don't just use smoke because smoke looks cool.
You use smoke because it actually enhances,
it does something to the dish.
It makes the dish what it is.
I think for me, there's definitely an element of theater.
I think it's very important that, when you do that,
there's a reason behind it.
So the dessert bar is a full dining experience
featuring sweet and savory desserts
which could easily be your dinner.
The whole point is so you can see what we're doing
so it's almost like a show.
So you can see the whole process from start to finish
and then as a pastry chef
always worked in fine dining restaurants,
generally we're in the back of the kitchen,
and we work all day to create this stuff and then
we never get to talk to anyone about it.
We never see if people like it or not.
We never get to see that moment of eating it.
I always wanted people to see all the work that goes into a dessert.
So for the dessert bar, we wanted to be totally transparent and really
show everyone step-by-step how we plate it.
I've wanted to do this sort of dessert bar concept
and dessert tasting for a few years,
and then when I got this opportunity and we had this space,
I was just like, "Let's do it."
It's a big risk in New York City.
You've got competition and it maybe doesn't work,
but you've got to try these things.
I think traditionally, people skip dessert
because they have this notion that it's gonna be so sweet,
that you've had a meal, and you're kinda getting full up.
You can't eat a load of sugar.
So it's very important for us to really find
that balance between sweet and savory.
Essentially, it almost is a meal
as opposed to six separate desserts.
So for the six-course tasting menu, we try and start almost savory.
So when you sit down, we start with some salt.
The first course is actually an olive oil gelato.
We use eucalyptus, which is pretty much not sweet.
And eucalyptus is meant to,
sort of clean your sinuses almost.
The olive oil is a very neutral flavor.
And then the second course is then yuzu, honeycomb,
and barley ice cream, and that dessert is totally sweetened
with honey.
So even though there is an element of sweetness,
it's not gonna affect you as much as that refined sugar.
The third course is a, it's definitely a sweeter course.
It's our take on a PB&J,
which we serve in a vintage peanut butter jar.
And again, that's not just to be gimmicky or make it a show.
When you eat it, you eat it out of a jar,
it's kind of, it's meant to take you back to being a kid.
And then moving down the line,
this is a miso cashew dessert,
which has an element of sweetness,
but again, miso is a very savory flavor,
which we'll pair with pink grapefruit,
which has a very bitter flavor.
So again, it's finding that balance.
Moving on from that, we have a black sesame
and chocolate dumpling with a ginger yuzu tea
and finger limes.
So that's a take on a traditional Chinese dessert.
You take a dumpling in one bite and then you drink the tea,
which kind of like, again cleans your palate again.
And then the last course would be a apple tatin.
This is kind of our nostalgia type dessert.
It's meant to take you back to your childhood.
And we're not trying to change anything with this.
We're just going classical.
We flambé that with calvados in front of the guests,
and then we serve it with some tonka ice cream.
I think the nostalgia element of the meal,
and especially at the end, is really important down here
because that's what desserts are for a lot of people.
It's that being at home, even if it's
eating ice cream out of a tub.
It's that moment that you really remember.
So when we create a new dish in the dessert bar,
we really start with the flavors.
So we'll have like, two or three flavors we're working with,
and if we get to a stage where molecular gastronomy is gonna
make that dish, then we use it.
Sometimes, your dish is kind of, it's lacking something,
or we want to change the texture,
or we want to kinda reverse things around
so the guest gets one flavor first and then the next flavor last.
The whole process about creating a menu, any menu,
for me anyway, it's really about trial and error.
It's never just think of something, do it, go with it.
You have to almost do it wrong to get it right.
So there's so many things where I've thought,
"This is gonna be great." But when we taste it,
it just doesn't work.
And there's a lot of times there's the one you're like,
"Ah, it's not gonna work."
You try it, and it's really like a perfect match.
With the desserts and the trial and error,
I think it's been a real challenge for us
to find that balance with the six courses.
So you can have one great dessert
that really just tastes really good,
but does it fit in with the other five?
Is it too rich?
Is it too sour?
Is is too acidic?
Having those challenges is definitely a good thing
because it pushes you.
Otherwise you can just kind of come in every day
and just sling stuff out.
That's not what we're trying to do.
We're really trying to affect what we're doing.
And that challenge is good because
I think from that challenge that you end up
with the best product you can get.
If it's too easy then everyone would do it.