Granite was in the space where Daniel Rose’s Spring Restaurant used to be.  Two years ago Chef Tom Meyer started Granite which highlights local French products.  Meyer is only 30 years old but already has earned one Michelin Star for this restaurant.   On the street level was the open kitchen and some 2-top tables.  Downstairs there are more tables, which we visited under its past restaurant but didn’t go down this trip.  Ask to sit on the main floor so you can watch the huge number of people it takes to turn out your meal.   The place had a Scandinavian modern look of cut-out wooden paneling and gorgeous radial cut round wood tables.  Around this was a lowered ceiling, carpet, no music, windows to the street and excellent service.  I liked that the menu named the various people who worked there, rather than just the chef. At lunch, they offered a special 3-course menu but also longer tasting of 5, 7, and 8-course tasting menus all with the option of adding a cheese course.  We chose the 7-course with a couple of glasses of wine.  I freely admit I didn’t get all the ingredients down in my notes and cannot read many of the notes I scribbled but trust me you won’t care either – the flavors are that good.  In addition, the presentations were beautiful and felt simple rather than fussy.  A great meal.

Set-Up

 

Food

Guests were welcomed with a cup of warm red tea.  It was nice.  We started with a glass of champagne and it was much better than the tea.

 

Amuse Bouche were shrimp tapioca and radish, shallots and oysters, and a crispy tube filled with foie gras.  I’m not sure what all was in the bowl with the shrimp but it was wonderful.  The oysters and shallots were a briny mix.  The tube was sweet, creamy and delicious.

 

The last amuse was a fish quenelle with salt, potatoes and topped with crispy buttery crumbs.  The wonderful essence of browned butter combined delightfully with creamy and crispy textures.

 

Bread service was a small round loaf of dense brown bread and salted butter.  The interior was marked with lovely air pockets and the exterior was nicely crisp.   It was very good, but I’m not sure why the butter was on crumbs.

 

The Mushroom included old Comté cheese, yellow wine and Thai basil.  It was a pasta stuffed with mushroom, hazelnuts surrounded by a sauce of yellow wine and mushroom jus.  A beautiful presentation matched the wonderful flavor.  The sauce was great to be wiped up with the bread too.

 

The Scallops included turnips, grapefruit and white butter sauce with hogweed seeds.  Scallops were from Normandy and plated with Daikon radish and lemon in a butter sauce seasoned with buckwheat seeds.  Heavenly.

 

The Crab was a bisque with tarragon and apricot.  A buckwheat pancake formed the exterior of the crab mix.   The sauce incorporated bergamot into its deep flavor.  There was a slight spiciness in the mix and the apricot purée added tart and sweet flavors.   This was an excellent dish.

 

The Trout included royal kombu and yuzu “genevoise”.  The silky fish was in olive oil and tasted terrific as well as had a marvelous texture and color.  Here was another fabulous sauce that totally enhanced, not overwhelmed the food it is with.  This was divine.

 

The Sweetbread had cocoa mucilage, green curry and satay juice.  The sweetbread was soaked in milk and then fried.  A glaze of vodka, coriander and passionfruit melded into the veal jus sauce and the sweet potato purée added another dimension to the plate.  The sweetbread had a perfect crisp to the exterior and stayed creamy inside.  The curry was a genius blend to it all.

 

A transition course was made with citrus foam on a crispy almond biscuit.   Saffron fronds were on the Sea Buckthorn ice cream.  This was tart, cool and creamy with a light sweetness and a crunch on the bottom.  Yum.

 

The Blackcurrant shell held Belize’s chocolate and green Chartreuse.  The creamy center was nicely contrasted with the crisp cannoli-like base.   Some ginger was in the mix as was a fruit flavor.  It was nice.

 

The Grape was made with Sauvignon lees and seeds praline.  It was a grape cluster cookie on top of ice cream, grapes, almonds and geranium with champagne sauce.  This one had a nice amount of sweetness along with great textures and I loved the use of grapes as a fruit – a fun change.

 

Final treats included a Japanese creamy cone filled with wild apple marmalade.  It was wonderful with a bit of spice.   A shortbread cookie was topped with marshmallow of walnuts and jelly.  It was excellent.