An Alpine Fantasy
Klee Brasserie Brings Austrian Fare to Chelsea
by John Mariani

Tyrolean restaurants do not exactly dot NYC, so for its uniqueness alone Klee Brasserie would be of interest to any good feinschmecker (“gourmet”).

And when you step through the glass-and-steel door off Ninth Avenue in Chelsea, you may well be reminded of an Alpine ski resort eatery, with its wood-paneled walls, porcelain tile floor, exposed brick, maplewood bar, chairs, and tables, and a peek into the kitchen window, under which is set a chef's table. Leather place mats stand in for tablecloths, and, appropriately enough, the glassware is from Riedel.

Klee does not take its name from the Swiss artist but from the Austrian word for "mountain flowering clover," which is a leitmotif throughout the restaurant, including a white glass tile mosaic to the rear. Chef/owner Daniel Angerer took his design from his memories of growing up in just such a mountain area in Austria, and his food is exactly the kind of hearty fare you'd want to eat after trekking through the Zillertal Nature Park or schussing down the Stubaier Glacier. Angerer was last chef at Fresh, after stints at Bouley and Jean Georges in NYC, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris, and Alberg Hospiz in Austria. He describes his cooking as “Cuisine Vitale,” characterized by a reliance on fresh herbs and careful reductions that keep the food lighter than you would find in Austria, where butter and cream dominate the gastronomy.

Angerer's fiancée, Lori Mason, is by day a lawyer, then turns into host and manager for Klee in the evenings, and she sets just the right balance of neighborhood affability and genuine glee in meeting newcomers. Indeed, the entire staff, mostly women, including wine director Melissa Sack, who stocks a very reasonably priced list with dozens of wines by the glass and half-bottle, could not be more Gemültlich if they wore dirndls and pigtails.

The slender room seats 65, but there are another 15 spots available at the bar as well as the chef's table and a private room for 30. The menu might be a tad too ambitious, with eight appetizers, six "Small Bites," five "Snacks & Sides," and 11 main courses, in addition to cheeses, six teas, and a dozen desserts. Nevertheless, the food comes out with dispatch and at all the right temperatures, beginning with a plate of mini lobster rolls you can just pop in your mouth and irresistible hot, garlic-perfumed potato chips right out of the fryer. A garlic scape soup was based on a good, rich broth with an herb bouquet and silky chicken confit. But "starchy" was the word on everyone's lips at my table for cold pea soup with shaved Idiazabal cheese and corn crisps. Don't fail to order an "Alsatian pizza," more properly called flammekueche, made with crème fraîche, smoky bacon, and plenty of sweet Vidalia onions. It's just big enough for two to share as a starter.

The entrees are categorized under "Wood Stone Oven," from which came a juicy slow-roasted duckling with plums, honey, and quinoa; "Mesquite Grill," providing a deliciously melting BBQ pork belly with beans and a lovely cherry relish; and "Griddle and Others," including excellent Maine sea scallops with lemon spaetzle and green peas. The Thursday Specials I tried were baked rigatoni rich with a Colorado lamb Bolognese and tomatoes, and roast wagyu-style beef with melted Emmenthaler cheese and mushrooms, a steal at $25.

Angerer's desserts fit impeccably into Klee's menu for hearty, seasonal flavors, including mango panna cotta with a blueberry and elderberry compote and raspberry sprinkles to a peach-apricot cobbler mit Schlag, the enhanced whipped cream that also goes with the classic fudgy Austrian Sacher torte here. Cherry cheesecake was pleasant and moist if uninspired in a New York context, but apple strüdel with toasted walnuts and vanilla ice cream pretty much summed up Klee's spirit. And then, there is a plate of hot cookies--Linzers, Mexican wedding, chocolate chip, oatmeal, and brownie, which are very hard to wave off. Have them with a glass of Port or rum, and you'll be very happy, especially when the bill comes, because nothing on the menu tops $27.

It's easy enough to love mom-and-pop restaurants (even if the wedding and Kinder are still to come in Klee's case), because you know there is always far more commitment to making guests happy than in a more corporate-run restaurant where volume and numbers-crunching count more. Klee should be here a long time in Chelsea.

John Mariani is well known for his frank and poignant writing in Esquire, Wine Spectator, Diversion and the Harper Collection. He is author of The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink and co-author, with his wife, of the Italian-American Cookbook.