Oxalis Nico Russell Oxalis
791 Washington Ave. (Sterling Pl. & Lincoln Pl.)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
347-627-8298
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Cuisine: New American
Near Prospect Park, chef Nico Russell creates a produce-driven tasting menu in an open kitchen.
Openings: Dinner Tues.-Sun., Brunch Sun.

Features

Oxalis, Brooklyn, NY


Oxalis Restaurant Review:



About the restaurant & décor: Chef Nico Russell started Oxalis as a pop-up, and opened in his own space in Prospect Heights at the end of 2018. Californian Russell worked as a sous chef at Daniel and cooked at Mirazur in the south of France before returning to NYC. The first thing diners see upon entry is a small, pristine and bustling kitchen. The cleanly decorated (think lots of white and minimal embellishment), modern dining room makes way to a more casual garden room in back, where the bar offers an à la carte menu. The dining room serves the tasting menu only.

Likes: Tasting menu; lovely service; nonalcoholic beverage options.
Dislikes: Can be hard to get a reservation; dessert was lackluster.

Food & Drinks: Oxalis’ tasting menu features five or six elegant courses for $70 – a relative bargain. Chef Russell has a way of making veggies feel unexpected, like in a first course of fermented pepper barbajuan (sort of fritter) and squash with roasted garlic and chickpeas. Oysters with cultured cream were both sweet and savory. Flaky pollock with caramelized whey, crispy potato and pistachios was followed by a juicy grilled beef shoulder with mushroom and bone marrow ragoût, plus ponzu, which cut through all that richness. The only disappointment was dessert, which was a fancied-up piece of butternut squash. Sure, butternut squash is sweet, and it was served with a milky sorbet, but a more decadent finish would have been appropriate for such a special meal. The wine pairings from the concise list are thoughtful, as are the nonalcoholic beverage pairings that include unique and not-too-sweet drinks like crabapple kombucha, shiso cider, and house-made spruce soda.