Wallsé

Wallsé Restaurant Review:

In the far West Village location that housed The Black Sheep for several decades, a modern Vienna-on-the-Hudson now sits. Correction: Wallsé-on-the-Hudson, as in the hometown of Austrian chef Kurt Gutenbrunner, who made this his first solo appearance after stints at the Monkey Bar and Bouley. His fine talent can be tasted in Austrian dishes with innovative nuances such as Wiener Schnitzel with lingonberries or tender venison loin with porcini pasta and red cabbage, not to mention the more ambitious and contemporary preparations like lobster poached in butter served with chanterelles and crisp zucchini, or potato ravioli with potato-chive broth. Desserts are also first-rate, especially the apfelstrudel with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and a dark chocolate Sacher torte. There’s also a soufflé called a Salzburger nockerl. The barroom and the main dining room are simple and bright and are adorned with a few pieces of furniture imported from Austria. The wine list speaks Austrian even more loudly with its numerous offerings and the cheese selection is --- obviously --- Austrian-concentrated. At times the service can seem a bit casual for the prices and quality of the cuisine, but the spot is congenial and fittingly West Village.