Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare is a restaurant in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
with three
Michelin stars
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...
.
It was the first New York City restaurant outside
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
to receive 3 Michelin stars.
In December 2016, the restaurant was relocated from 200 Schermerhorn Street in
Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and ...
to 431 West 37th Street, in the
Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan.
Restaurant
César Ramírez opened the original location in Brooklyn next to a grocery store. The establishment seated up to 18 guests around a counter.
The restaurant expects guests to refrain from note taking, picture taking, or cell phone use inside. Although it is hard to get reservations at the restaurant, there are regulars.
The wait for a reservation is up to six weeks. The person in charge of reservations has been stalked by strangers who beg for an earlier reservation.
The food is inspired by Japanese dishes which is "all about the ingredients, the freshness, and always very simple."
There are 24 courses, including
canapés, cheeses, soups, and desserts.
There is no choice of what the courses are. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare uses around 900 serving pieces each night. Ramírez introduces each course by listing the ingredients.
When the food is served by the chefs, Ramírez watches the guests eat.
In December 2016, the restaurant relocated to the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan located in the rear of a grocery store.
Reception
The restaurant has been well received. It is ranked No. 55 on
The World's 50 Best Restaurants
The World's Best 50 Restaurants is a list produced by UK media company William Reed, which originally appeared in the British magazine '' Restaurant'' in 2002. The list and awards however are no longer directly related to ''Restaurant'' magazin ...
' expanded list, and in 2011 was awarded three stars out of four by
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
restaurant critic
Sam Sifton.
It currently holds three stars from the
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...
, its highest rating.
Jean-Luc Naret, former director of the Michelin Guide, and his wife came in the restaurant and were surprised at what they saw.
When Ramírez received a call about the restaurant receiving its first two stars, he said that he could not believe it. Naret said that his call to Ramírez, which he kept for last, was his most beautiful call that day. He also called it one of the greatest restaurants in New York and one of the 300 greatest in the world according to Naret.
Praise has not been unanimous.
Tanya Gold, the restaurant critic for ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.
It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...
'', described the restaurant's website as "the most explicitly controlling—okay, rude—that I have ever encountered", and its personnel as "narcissistic paranoiacs who love tiny little fish and will share them with you for money". "If you want an experience like the one on offer at Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare," she wrote, "then put a dead fish on your kitchen table and punch yourself repeatedly in the face, then write yourself a bill for $425.29 (including wine). That should do it."
Richard Vines of ''
Bloomberg Markets
''Bloomberg Markets'' is a magazine published six times a year by Bloomberg L.P. as part of Bloomberg News. Aimed at global financial professionals, ''Bloomberg Markets'' publishes articles on the people and issues related to global financial ma ...
'' commented that the restaurant is hard to find.
Controversy
In 2014, the restaurant faced a
class-action lawsuit
A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action ...
regarding Chef Ramirez's alleged
anti-Asian statements and policies.
References
External links
Official Website of Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
{{Michelin Guide 3-star restaurants in the US
Restaurants in Manhattan
Restaurants established in 2009
Michelin Guide starred restaurants in New York (state)
2009 establishments in New York City