 Aquavit Restaurant Review: Marcus who? Marcus Samuelsson may be long gone from this Midtown institution, but another Marcus --- chef Marcus Jernmark --- has taken over the kitchen and made one change: he brought the food back to its Scandinavian roots, closer to the restaurant's original menu. Out is the worldly flair and in are ingredients that reflect Scandinavian eating habits (if rather elevated ones). In addition to à la carte options and a three-course prix-fixe menu at lunch, for dinner there are two choices: a seven-course chef's tasting menu or a four-course prix-fixe. Start with a herring dégustation, caviar-topped steak tartare, or Maine lobster and peekytoe crab. Chef Jernmark should be applauded for taking a cuisine that's about as exciting as tundra and instilling some creativity into it while still keeping it confined to its roots. Sweetbreads, for example, are juniper-smoked and complemented by shiitake mushrooms, milk-poached garlic and apple cider juniper jus; Chatham cod is steamed and served with heirloom egg, anchovies-glazed root vegetables and horseradish; and hen of the woods mushrooms are in a Västerbotten cheese beurre blanc. For entrées, the roasted pork loin and belly, doused with a foie gras broth, and the diver scallop and shrimp with sea urchin emulsion and ocean bouillon are standouts. Signature cocktails take the same route; the Red Horse, for example, is a play on a Bloody Mary: horseradish-infused aquavit and muddled cherry tomatoes, black pepper, and a celery salt rim. The wine list has some unusual (a Riesling from Michigan) and affordable options. One Marcus has replaced another, but Aquavit is still very much on its game.
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Aquavit Restaurant is one of GAYOT's 2013
| Top 10 NY Chef's Table Restaurants
| Top 10 NY Heart-Healthy Restaurants
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Visit the photo gallery of Aquavit restaurant
Chef Marcus Jernmark of Aquavit was one of our 2012 Top 5 Rising Chefs in the U.S.
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