ACRU
Restaurant · Greenwich Village
79 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
Highlights
Australian tasting menu with global influences, unique dishes
Australian tasting menu with global influences, unique dishes
"Acru is from an Australian chef who used to work at Atomix, and the menu reads like he’s just returned from an international tour with a sackful of ingredients and kitchen toys from around the world. But everything comes together nicely, like in a bread that marries Aussie bush bread with Boston brown. At some point during the six courses, you’ll get some exquisite grilled fish, and the multiple desserts are a highlight, especially the brûléed, hay-infused ice cream." - bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
"Sitting on an old wooden chair in Acru’s tavern-like back room, eating some round bread inspired by Boston brown (the kind that comes in a can), you could easily picture the nation’s founding fathers making war plans over mugs of ale at the next table over. But instead, that slice of abruzzi rye—equally inspired by damper bread from the Australian bush—is accompanied by a savory sabayon. A bowl of grains, monkfish liver, and rehydrated carrots sits on the side. And instead of a frock coat and breeches, the server hovering over you wears a custom chore coat and pours glasses of fine French wine. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Pause Unmute Acru is from a former sous chef at Atomix, and it started out as primarily a tasting menu restaurant. But that tasting—which starts at $95, consists of five or six courses, and allows for a hefty steak supplement along the way—blurs the lines between the traditional parade of tiny experiments, and a heartier bistro-style prix fixe. And since they've expanded the a la carte option from the bar area to the entire restaurant, it hits a sweet spot for a special but not-too-stuffy date night, or a spendy catch-up with a really good friend. Yes, you’ll start with a bite of potato draped with scallop and topped with uni. But there’s also tile fish with lardo and chicken skin, lamb with jus, lush, onion-y mashed potato, and more seasonally-changing food that feels very appropriate to the cozy brick room and wooden tables set with ornate, vintage silverware. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Pause Unmute A server might, with complete seriousness, tell you to enjoy your smoked hay ice cream (the “haytime” bar is a play on the Aussie Golden Gaytime brand, a nod to the chef’s Tasmanian roots). But Acru is a pretty low-key experience, even for the tasting menu, and one we could imagine returning to often for a la carte. Dabble in at least a glass or two of wine while you're there—the pairing options start at $75. Just keep in mind that if you are going the tasting route and start adding drinks and supplements, it’s easy to rack up a bill. Food Rundown Scalloped Potato This isn’t your Tasty video hasselback potato hack, but a pun in dish form. Fluffy fried potato is draped with a thin layer of actual scallop, then crowned with creamy yellow uni. The scallop itself gets a bit lost here, but it’s a nice introductory bite. photo credit: Kate Previte Beetroot With Caviar This two-bite $18 add-on is worth forgoing that second or third cocktail, if that’s the math you’re doing. Tangy and sweet rehydrated beets are barbecued, skewered on a silver toothpick, and covered in a slug of caviar. One of our favorite things here. photo credit: Kate Previte Acorn Squash Though not bad, this autumnal dish feels like a little more trouble than it’s worth. The acorn squash is prepared three ways: dehydrated, roasted, and turned into a lukewarm broth. photo credit: Kate Previte Golden Tilefish The plate to look forward to. Perfectly grilled golden tile fish with crisp, bubbled skin is draped with lardo, served on top of chicken skin cracklings and a sauce of chrysanthemum greens. Does it need both the lardo and chicken skin? Probably not, but who cares. It’s an indulgent few bites that shows off the kitchen’s technical skills, and it tastes great. photo credit: Kate Previte Damper + Carrot Every so often, a server interrupts the buzz of conversation to say something like “This dish is inspired by the chef’s love of American hot sauce.” Poured tableside, that hot sauce-inspired broth (which isn’t very spicy), is made of carrots and adds a nice acidity to a bowl of grains, some ribbons of squid, monkfish liver custard, and XO sauce. The real star is the accompanying damper bread—that springy, nutty Boston/bush crossover carb. photo credit: Kate Previte Lamb The tasting’s final savory course is lamb two ways. Neither the rosy rare loin, nor the pressed and grilled belly would be out of place at a backyard barbecue. They feel totally appropriate on a fancy tasting menu too—though the portion size means the flavors can get a bit repetitive. photo credit: Kate Previte Aged Dairy Cow We’ve greatly enjoyed (and taken home a significant portion of) this roughly 15oz steak from a retired dairy cow. It’s chopped and arranged in three sections: charred, smoky crust, a rare, lean center, and a thick border of fatty chunks. The meat is as flavorful as aged cheese, and we’ll probably be ordering it again some day. photo credit: Sonal Shah Dessert Acru shines at dessert. You’ll get three of them, all together, and you’ll wish you had space for more. The ice cream bar tastes like roasted cereal, the spicebush pavlova is bright and rich in all the right places, and the fig leaf lamington cake is wonderfully coconutty and chewy. photo credit: Kate Previte" - Will Hartman
"The $95 tasting menu at Acru comes from Daniel Garwood, a former sous chef at Atomix, joining a number of new tasting menus keeping the price under $100 (there’s also an a la carte menu at the bar). The menu aims to take a fine dining look at Australian cooking with some Nordic influences. Damper bread is served with a grilled greens sabayon, and there’s a dish with “seamite,” Garwood’s take on Vegemite. Save room for desserts like a reimagination of a Golden Gaytime bar, pops of bruleed pretzel ice cream made with toasted hay, says Eater writer Jaya Saxena who stopped by in its early months." - Emma Orlow, Eater Staff
"The Australian-leaning tasting-menu restaurant in Greenwich Village is offering its typically $95 dinner for $60. The set meal comes with golden tilefish, a dairy cow meat pie, and the Golden Gaytime ice cream bar." - Melissa McCart
"The chef here used to work at Atomix, and it shows. Acru’s $95 tasting menu incorporates Australian, Scandinavian, and Korean cooking styles into dishes laced with lardo, bright green chrysanthemum sauce, and the like. But the room itself bears no resemblance to a sterile fine dining restaurant—more like a 19th-century tavern. Come for a fancy date night or a spendy hang with someone who will enjoy an ice cream bar made of cereal-esque golden haytime." - willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah, neha talreja, arden shore
