Betony and the Midtown Artery

[daniel krieger for the ny times]If you're a chef or restaurateur and you're after three stars from the New York Times, your best bet is to head north of 42nd Street. There has been recent talk of a downtown discovery, but certain restaurateurs aren't into the casual approach that thrives below 14th Street. Take Eamon Rockey and Bryce Shuman, the General Manager and Executive Chef, respectively, of Midtown newcomer Betony. The restaurant opened on West 57th Street earlier this year and, today, Pete Wells awards it three stars.

Shuman, Rockey, and Luke Wohlers (the restaurant's wine director) are all veterans of Eleven Madison Park. "As you’d imagine," Wells writes, "The two restaurants bear a family resemblance." This appears in many guises, notably service, in what Wells calls "E.M.P. ESP” – when servers know what you need before you do. And the food? Wells finds, "Traces of Mr. Humm’s style, minus the party tricks, show up in Mr. Shuman’s cooking, especially in the way that the signs of hard work have been tucked out of sight." The critic loves nearly everything he at in his visits to Betony and comments briefly on the decor. "But what would most help that dining room right now is a crowd," he writes. "Betony deserves it."

The guys behind Betony could have modeled their restaurant after the two-star template and opened a refined-yet-casual concept anywhere. The fact that they chose West 57th Street was a sign that they were taking a different approach. Midtown spaces are bigger and rents are higher. It results in a smaller margine of error and the need to raise menu prices. Part of the reason downtown has seen an explosing in smart, well-executed, delicious, and affordable food comes down to rent. The difference between $17,000/month and $37,000/month isn't just twenty grand, but maybe be the difference in a $17 fish entree and a $37 fish entree.

That's not to say Wells hasn't awarded downtown restaurants three stars (Kyo Ya, Carbone, Atera), just that the difference between a three star restaurant downtown and one uptown is itself significant. An artery runs through midtown dining and beats to the rhythm of a particular aesthetic. There's a slower pace, sprawling and grandiose rooms, and a certain elegance that comes with dining north of 42nd Street. Not everywhere of course, but restaurants that could flirt with three stars, or Times recognition in any sense, are at a caliber all their own compared to restaurants downtown with the same three star rating. [NYTimes]

Still Four Letters, Still the Best Deal in Town; Aska Opens Tonight in Former Frej Space

[askanyc.com]Fredrik Berselius and Richard Kuo opened Frej a month before Acme received two stars from the Times and five months before Atera was awarded three stars from the same publication. At the time, all three restaurants had chefs who were riding the wave of "new Nordic" cuisine that came from Scandinavia. The movement stemmed from a hyper-local approach to cooking that was taking shape in Copenhagen; specifically in Rene Redzepi's kitchen at his universally acclaimed restaurant Noma.

Just after six months of rave reviews and serving one of the city's best dining bargains (Frej offered a five-course tasting for $45), the restaurant closed it's doors for renovations. Tonight, in the space that once housed Frej in Williamburg's Kinfolk Studios, Berselius and former Atera General Manager Eamon Rockey are opening Aska.

Unlike Frej, which was only open Monday through Wednesday, Aska will be serving food from 6pm to 11pm seven days a week. Like Frej, Aska will be serving an underpriced (likely outstanding) tasting menu: six courses for $65. The tasting however, is only available Sunday through Thursday and by reservation only.

What was once an 18-seat availability at Frej has grown to thirty, as Aska has two rooms: one that seats 18 and one that seats 12. In addition to the sustainable, locavore approach found in Berselius' food, Rockey has curated beverage options from "Old World-centric wines, traditionally brewed beers, earthy ciders, classic spirits and house‐pressed juices to be enjoyed on their own or paired with food." [AskaNYC] [Eater]