At Bridges in Chinatown, quietly complex food outshines the scene - Review - New York - The Infatuation
"With its cool gray walls and tan floors, Bridges in Chinatown could double as the inside of a bank vault. It feels like something is about to happen here—a heist maybe, or an extra-convincing scene in a heist movie. But instead, all the drama is right there on your plate. A comté tart emerges from the fluorescent-lit kitchen, draped with chanterelles. It goes down like a luxurious, savory cheesecake. Uni arrives plopped atop a shrimpy pillow, in the center of a chawanmushi-like custard, like a gem in a jewelry box. Hidden under a layer of puntarelle are bits of kabocha squash, in a dish we'd order again just for the slivers of cheese on top. From a former chef at Estela, the food at Bridges is elegant, rich, and demanding of all your attention and then some. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte When you manage to look up from your plate, you’ll notice that it’s a bit of a scene. Your neighbors—a room full of people who are mostly dressed in black, and likely fluent in Four Horsemen—peer at their sardine toasts like they’ve never seen a sardine so sexy before. Or tasted a king crab leg (grilled and served with béarnaise) so tender. Though there’s something theatrical about Bridges and the people dining here, dinner here is less spectacle, more understated drama. Unexpected details linger—and while your impressions of the black booths or the cocktail that smelled like sesame oil and tasted like a ginger chew may vanish, the XO sauce tucked under a perfectly pink roasted duck breast won’t. Bring a date who’s passionate about an astonishingly complex bite of food, and go to sleep knowing that you're both dreaming about the same thing—that baby-soft uni custard, submerged under a layer of shimmering spicy oil. Food Rundown photo credit: Kate Previte Sardines with Anchovies and Peppers Few restaurants can make a sardine seem sexy. One of them is The Grill, and Bridges is another. Here, the filets of tender flesh are laid over small rectangles of toast topped with slippery red pepper and anchovy. photo credit: Kate Previte Sea Urchin Custard with Shrimp A custard so soft it could double as butter. A pile of tender shrimp. A fat dollop of rich uni. Always get this starter, and always plan to share it. It’s shamelessly rich. photo credit: Kate Previte Comté Tart with Chanterelles The star of the show here at Bridges isn’t a meaty main—though those are excellent too—it’s this buttery-crusted tart. It’s hard to adequately explain how a glorified quiche could steal the hearts and minds of New Yorkers everywhere, but a perfect bite—with a little crust, a little cheese filling, and at least one chanterelle—should do the trick. Lettuces, Asian Pear, and Trout Roe A lot of things on the menu at Bridges sound simple and taste complex, but this salad is fairly straightforward, and exactly what it sounds like. It's easy to eat, if not a little boring. You can skip it. Kabocha Squash and Puntarelle with Brabander The star of this dish is not the squash, or the puntarelle (which is sometimes dandelion greens)—it's the shaved Brabander cheese, which is soft with just a bit of that crystalline texture. If that sentence sounds exciting to you, get this. photo credit: Kate Previte Grilled Pork, Sunchokes, and Truffles This exact iteration might not be on the menu, but any variation of the grilled pork—or otherwise the roast duck and XO sauce—should be on your table. These meatier mains are perfectly cooked and surprisingly large. Split one with a date, or share a couple with a group of friends. photo credit: Kate Previte Sweetbreads with Leeks and Mustard Hidden under a couple of leaves for modesty, you’ll find a pile of soft leeks and rich sweetbreads that somehow have the same texture as the sunchokes in the dish above. Worth ordering, but maybe on your second visit. Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart This tart has not one whipped creams on it, but two: one plain, one chocolate hazelnut. This is big news. Try it—it’s the best of the desserts we’ve had here." - Willa Moore
