713 Washington Street (between Perry and 11th Sts). 646-460-3114 www.kurtgutenbrunner.com
American. You don’t come to the Upholstery Store to look at swatches. Here you are treated to the most enthralling of ingredients (many of which I became acquainted with that very evening). Still there are similarities, the often brilliant combinations of color a true feast for the eye. But it’s your other senses that receive preferential treatment within these walls because the tastes and scents could not be more captivating. I began with the lobster roll (green apple, pickled celery, aioli) – the amalgam of ingredients clearly not what you expect from this dish. In fact, each creation I sampled contained a unique treasure of charms. The black tiger shrimp (chive flower, chorizo, piquillo pepper) were notably enormous and just as flavorful. Following were two more singular delights: the Madai snapper (artichoke, celery, red pearl onion, sauce barigoule) and the lamb (spring onion, shimeji, carrot mocha, black bean sauce). Both left indelibly wonderful impressions as did the finale – chocolate pot de crème, caramel, salted peanuts. A visit to the Upholstery Store won’t do a thing for your apartment (yet a world of good for your belly).