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Talula's Garden in pictures
Talula's Garden, the new restaurant from Aimee Olexy (backed by Stephen Starr), will open to the public this coming Wednesday, April 13.
Talula's Garden in pictures
Talula's Garden, the new restaurant from Aimee Olexy (backed by Stephen Starr), will open to the public this coming Wednesday, April 13 (not Monday April 11, as we previously reported). But though the opening's been shifted back 48 hours, the restaurant (210 W. Washington Square) is raring and ready to go, if a mock tasting we dropped in on this afternoon is any indication.
Starr gave Olexy, who still owns and operates the famed Talula's Table in Kennett Square, complete autonomy in tricking out the former Washington Square space — not something he does very often. The result is a bucolic and slightly quirky décor (framed horticultural artwork; cherry-studded dish towels in the restroom stalls; water glasses recycled from spent wine bottles; fully functioning planter boxes, complete with grow lights, behind the salvaged-granite cheese bar) that Olexy jokes is pretty close to what her own house looks like. (Her mother said the same thing.) The sheer, ultra-mod feel of Washington Square's outdoor courtyard is gone, replaced by mounted planter boxes and fountain installations courtesy of Princeton's Groundswell Design Group. (This is gonna be a serious brunch spot once it warms up for good.)
A quite-thematic Alice Waters quote ("A garden brings life and beauty to the table") wraps around the whole of the main dining room, abutted on either side by a spacious bar/lounge and a sunny raised area with a communal table adjacent to the aforementioned cheese bar. That's Olexy's baby — she's starting off offering five distinct plates, for blue lovers (Organic Dolce Gorgonzola; St. Agur; the funkinyoface Stathdon from Scotland), rarity hunters (a quartet of hard-to-find stuff from Europe and the States alike) and everyone in between, and plans on switching up the lineup (big focus on small producers) regularly.
Duchesse de Fromage Olexy leaves the rest of the kitchen work to chef Michael Santoro, who starts each of his thoughtful seasonal meals with plates of salted brioche slathered with brilliant green ramp butter. His entire opening menu is below.
BEGINNING
Velouté of sweet peas & cuttlefish "ravioli" 9.
Oxtail consommé with bone marrow dumplings & spring vegetables 10.
Lasagna rabbit with pecorino, olives & tender fava beans 15.
Spring salad of herbs, flowers & lettuces, almond milk dressing & croutons 10.
Flourless ricotta gnudi, torpedo shallot jus, chive blossoms & sunflower seeds 14.
Mushrooms pate en croute, chicken wing, sunny quail egg & condiments 14.
MAIN
Caramelized sea scallops, spring puree, pine nut milk, lemon & watercress 24.
Braised halibut, beef-stuffed artichoke, sea beans & saffron barigoule 26.
Glazed lobster tail, slow-cooked pork belly, asparagus & grapefruit confit 30.
Potato gnocchi, exotic mushrooms, fresh egg, raisin puree & mushrooms jus 24.
Lacquered chicken rusted in hazelnut and truffle, thigh roulade, bulgur, green garlic & natural jus 28.
Grass-fed beef and braised rib, banyuls and brown butter & smoked potato terrine 30.
Muscovy duck breast and foie gras, confit leg parcel, ruby chard & smoked beets 28.
SUPPLEMENTS
New potatoes with bottarga, our creme fraiche & chive blossoms 10.
Marinated fava beans & idiazabal cheese 7.
Fresh and roasted radishes & buter 6.
Baby beets & herbs from the garden 8.
Get out of here with those cheese displays. I can't wait to eat all of this food.— laurelro- Great… another Starr restaurant that will be impossible to get into;)
All joking aside, this place will likely knock it out of the park. Loved and miss D'Jango, I have little doubt the same attention to thoughtful ingredients, presentation, and gracious service will be the signature of this eatery. Best wishes to a successful opening!— blunted1
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