The King of the Greenmarket
Chef Dan Kluger serves up the freshest dishes in Manhattan at ABC Kitchen; Friday, June 3, 2011
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| Kluger picking up some greens from Windfall Farms for the carrot & avocado salad Photo credit: Eatery Expert |
“So what are we shopping for today, Chef?”
Dan Kluger’s response, punctuated with a big, angelic smile: “Signs of spring.”
This was my first glimpse into the heart of Dan Kluger, executive chef of ABC Kitchen. This heart is showcased throughout his food, and the overall philosophy of the restaurant: [making] "a passionate commitment to offering the freshest organic and local ingredients possible."
Kluger's sincerity, talent and appreciation for sustainable and organic seasonal produce play a large part in his restaurant's success, making it one of the most desirable reservations to be had in town. This can be illustrated in the fact it is nearly impossible to get a table, but also the accolades that are pouring in through the rustic farmhouse doors on East 18th Street. On May 9, ABC Kitchen took home the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant 2011.Chef Kluger was named Chef of the Year by Time Out New York. And the list goes on.
Along with the expertise of co-creators Chef Jean-George Vongerichten and restaurateur Phil Suarez, Kluger has a strong, dynamic team behind him that shines through each delectable bite no matter if you are dining for brunch (reservations recommended), lunch (reservations highly recommended) or dinner (book one month in advance or dine at 5:30p with Grandma Estelle).
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| Executive Chef Dan Kluger, ABC Kitchen Co-Creators Phil Suarez & Jean-George Vongerichten toast their big James Beard Award win |
To market, to market
Chef Kluger could easily send anyone to the market to fetch the ingredients he needs (well, maybe not Jean-George), but he insists on going to the market to build and maintain relationships with the purveyors and farmers. Every Wednesday, Kluger walks a mere block from the restaurant to Union Square Greenmarket to shop for ingredients, as well as the fresh, seasonal flowers that adorn each of the tables. “If it’s not in season, it’s not in the restaurant,” Kluger states as he handles a hollow radish before he tosses it aside.
As we went from stall to stall, he alerts several vendors, many good friends he has worked with for ten-plus years, of dishes that will soon be added to the menu. He forecasts upcoming needs, and gets a feeling from the farmers of what produce will be arriving soon and what’s looking really good in the weeks ahead. It doesn’t get more local than this, folks.
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| Chef Kluger’s shopping list. Photo credit: Eatery Expert |
“I met [Jean-George] at the market on a Wednesday when I was [working at] Core Club. He saw me walking around with tons of bags of produce for the restaurant, and a conversation began about a new concept based on the Greenmarket.” What started as a friendly conversation in the market, turned into a dining experience where you can actually feel the friendships between Kluger and the farmers through the food he has created. The food is friendly and warm but with an edge of sophistication, just like Kluger and his farming friends.
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Fiddlehead ferns from Buried Treasure Farm Photo credit: Eatery Expert |
Not only does the staff agree on what a culinary gem they have in Chef Kluger, but so do other Manhattan-based restaurateurs and chefs. As he bopped around the market, weeding through French Breakfast radishes and scooping up all the fiddlehead ferns that were available before they went out of season as quickly as they came in, there was another friendly face offering their sincere congratulations to Kluger.
Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery and pizzeria Co. was around one corner with a huge hug and a heartfelt congrats. I was a huge Lahey fan before, considering his book My Bread changed my bread-baking life, but after witnessing the congeniality he had for a fellow chef, particularly when it was that sincere, made me an even bigger fan.
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| ABC Kitchen's Pretzel dusted calamari with marinara and mustard aioli. Photo credit: julieqiu.com |
ABC Kitchen is more than just a trend
No one can deny that food moves in trends. Seasonal, farm-to-table cooking is the trend in food at the moment. There is even a blog by local NYC writer Leeann Lavin called “Master Chefs and Their Gardens,” focusing on “the burgeoning farm-to-table movement, food, and local, delicious ingredients.” Many foodies brand themselves as “locavores,” those that choose to eat local fare whenever possible. However, just because said locavore buys the freshest carrot in all the land, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be deliciously prepared or roasted to perfection.
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| Roasted carrot and avocado salad. Photo credit: julieqiu.com |
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| Ramps from Buried Treasures Farm |
Back at the Greenmarket, Chef Kluger snatches up fifty pounds of ramps, a wild leek, from Buried Treasures Farm (Cooks Falls, NY). These ramps will be the star of the ramp and goat cheese toast. He pickles the stems of the ramp, makes a creamy butter with the leaves and sprinkles Lynnhaven Goat Milk Cheese on top of the ramp butter, along with the pickled stems. We get the sense Kluger is a huge fan of toast, frequently creating different toppings and spreads as the seasons change. We wonder what will be next?
As we head back to the restaurant with a huge cart of Greenmarket goodies, I am informed this is a “very small load” and during the summer season when corn, tomatoes, strawberries, and other summer finds come to the market, you could very well spot a procession of ABC Kitchen produce carts rolling down Broadway, stuffed to the brim. I don’t know what the next season will bring to Kluger’s kitchen quite yet, but I’m positive I want a reservation to find out.
ABC Kitchen, 35 E 18th St at Broadway (212-475-5829)
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| The Final Product: Ramp & Goat Cheese Toast - ABC Kitchen |
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