| Speaker |
Norbert Gleicher, MD
Medical Director, Center for Human Reproduction - NY; Visiting Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine
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| Venue |
Blaue Gans
139 Duane Street (between Church St. and W. Broadway)
New York, NY 10013
212.571.8880
Not one to rest on his laurels, chef Kurt Gutenbrunner, soon after opening
the imaginative Thor, and with Wallse and Cafe Sabarsky already under his belt,
moved into this former Le Zinc space to regale a different kind of crowd with
his Austro-German cuisine. Blaue Gans, or “Blue Goose,” is what
Gutenbrunner humbly calls a wirtshaus, kind of like the German version of a
British pub—simple and unpretentious almost to the point of affectation.
A pristine Bibb-lettuce salad is nicely dressed and scattered with pumpkin seeds.
Beef bouillon is poured from a fine china tureen—like something you’d
find in Grandma’s cupboard—over traditional semolina or liver dumplings,
and goose breast (a German favorite) is sliced crudo-thin, then garnished with
chestnuts. Even dishes that sound simple are presented with a high degree of
finesse: That blutwurstgröstl, or blood sausage, is all crumbly baked goodness,
mixed with roasted fingerlings, mounded on a fastidiously molded circle of tangy
sauerkraut and sprinkled with fresh grated horseradish. And smoked trout is
whipped with crème fraîche, spread onto multiple layers of delicate
crêpes, cut into soft wedges, and sided with chiseled baby beets and a
frisée salad. That plate—which wouldn’t seem out of place
at Wallsé—is decorated with squiggles of sauce and shavings of
radish that belie Gutenbrunner’s claim of simple, unfussy food. But in
this unpretentious, urbane context, nothing seems the slightest bit overdone.
That’s especially true for entrées like backhendl, or “Austrian
fried chicken”—accompanied by vinegary potato salad and sweet lingonberry
jam, a nice counterpoint to the crisp, salty batter. Pork schnitzel is just
as delicately breaded, remarkably light and greaseless. And a toothsome beef
goulash is served in enough paprika-infused gravy to put the springy spaetzle
it comes with to good sauce-sopping use.
With Pierre Reboul (of Wallsé and Café Sabarsky)
masterminding desserts, skipping one is like dining at Le
Bernardin and forgoing seafood. There is strudel and Sachertorte,
or course, but there is also poached and breadcrumb-dusted
quark dumplings, soft and cheesecakey, floating in a cross
between an orange soup and a salad. And the soft and cloudlike
pillows of Salzburger Nockerl part to reveal a reservoir
of sweet-tart huckleberries. Is it German? Austrian? Tribecan?
Call it elevated quasi-ethnic comfort food. Gutenbrunner
seems to think it’s just what New Yorkers feel like
eating right now, and we’re inclined to agree.
Please join us at Blaue Gans for fun
and festivities!
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