Red Hook is showing signs of culinary gentrification.
First Alma, an upscale Mexican restaurant opened, followed by
Hope & Anchor, serving glorified diner fare. And in April,
360, a French restaurant, opened on Van Brunt Street, the area’s
main drag.
While Red Hook is far from being the second coming of Smith Street,
360 does a near-perfect job of channeling the dining needs of
Red Hook locals and reflecting them in its well-priced menu.
Partners Arnaud Erhart, who manages the front of the house and
selects the wines, and Chef Sebastien Smits, who Erhart says
is "straight off the boat from Zygomate, a well-known bistro
in Paris," offer a market-driven menu that changes daily.
Much of the restaurant’s produce is purchased from small, artisanal
growers like Sweet Berry Farms in upstate New York.
And Erhart acknowledges "the community effort" that
brought the bistro to fruition.
"Local electricians, welders, woodworkers and crafts people
I’ve cooked with and cooked for made this happen," he said.
Their collaborative effort has transformed a raw space into a
small room with smooth, bleached, wooden floors, comfortable,
’60s-style leather chairs and plush, maroon velvet banquettes.
Somehow, 360’s rough around the edges decor is elegant.
"We didn’t need to reinvent the cooking wheel," said
Erhart of Smit’s cuisine. "What we wanted to do was give
a modern twist to older dishes." While Smits’ steak-frites
and chocolate mousse is unadulterated, his escargot appears in
ravioli and he prefers light sauces to thick reductions.
At 360, indulgence is affordable: Three courses for $20. A la
carte dishes are in the $10 range. Five dollars buys a glass
of very good wine; bottles top out at $38. For value like that,
thank the gods of all things gastronomic. Pick up your fork and
eat.
The prix fixe menu features a choice of three appetizers; two
entrees, a meat and fish (but vegetarians can be accommodated);
and at least two, or as many as four, desserts depending on the
whim of the chef.
There’s good reason for patrons to whine when the escargot ravioli
in garlic cream isn’t featured on the menu: it’s delectable.
Rich yet light, the pasta wrappers are as sheer as chiffon, and
the snail and mushroom filling is deep and earthy. Redolent of
slowly cooked garlic, the sauce is the weight of milk, not mayonnaise.
Smits’ light hand is evident in another stellar first course
– the skate salad with arugula. The delicate meat of the skate
is tossed in vinaigrette made of tangelo, blood orange and lemon
juice. A bit of the skate’s poaching liquid is added to a drizzle
of olive oil. The tart dressing magnifies the sweetness of the
fish, while coriander seeds and bitter arugula leaves add pleasing
texture and a little bite.
Tasting the thin slices of marinated, wild Alaskan salmon with
mesclun greens, I was reminded of how vibrant that fish once
was before restaurants began serving the no-flavor, farm-bred
variety.
If you don’t mind adding a few dollars to your tab, consider
the whole-wheat leaf stuffed with calamari and leeks. The "leaf"
resembles a super-sized spring roll and tastes like a brittle,
whole-wheat blintz. Tender chunks and rings of squid mixed with
the sweet, buttery leeks fill the roll. Squid and leeks may be
the odd couple of food pairing, but the marriage works.
Odd pairings stop at the entrees. Three large pork ribs were
decadently fatty, messy finger food, perfumed with star anise
and roasted until the soy marinade crackled. Quiet plate mates
of sauteed potatoes and spinach added just the right backdrop
to the extroverted ribs.
The second choice was pollack. Quietly bland, it manages to make
its unpleasant personality known. Smits did his best – drizzling
it with tangy, lemon oil; crisping the skin; and sitting it on
a pillow of bright green pistou (basil and garlic puree) – but
nothing could brighten its flavor.
If neither entree excites you, the a la carte "l’ humeur
du jour," or "whatever the chef has in store"
may be the answer. One evening a classic steak tartar was available.
On another night, diners feasted on soft shell crabs atop a bed
of Persian cucumbers "too beautiful" to pass up at
the green market.
Desserts were pretty and lush. A terrine of rhubarb and strawberries
was cut in two triangles that looked like the sort of girly,
pink pumps actress Sarah Jessica Parker would teeter around on.
A soup bowl filled with dark, buttery mousse would have chocoholics
crooning, "Come to daddy."
So, that’s 360: Great bistro fare when you’re in the mood for
the real thing; and lighter spins on the classics when your friends,’
"I’m eating three steaks a day on Atkins and it’s nirvana,"
stories wear you down.
360’s a great deal, too. What New Yorker doesn’t love a bargain?
360 (360 Van Brunt St. between Sullivan
and Wolcott streets in Red Hook) accepts cash only. Three-course,
prix fixe dinners are $20. A la carte dishes are $6.50-$19. For
reservations, call (718) 246-0360.
