Who’s behind it: César is the new namesake restaurant from chef César Ramirez, who formerly led the kitchen of Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare (a past Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winner). Ramirez also previously worked at Grand Award winners the French Laundry and Le Bernardin, as well as at the late David Bouley’s Danube. “[It] was a longtime dream to have my own place,” Ramirez told Wine Spectator via email.
Joining Ramirez as sommelier is John McKenna, previously a sommelier for Daniel Boulud’s the Dinex Group and the beverage director of Best of Award of Excellence winner l’abeille in Tribeca.
When it opened: July 15
The culinary approach: For his new tasting menu, Ramirez—who was born in Mexico and raised in Chicago—draws from Mexican cuisine and from the Spanish culinary traditions of his great-grandmother, among other influences. “The technique is French, and the ingredients are global,” the chef said. “The menu is 75 percent seafood, and I will be getting a lot of fish from Japan, but I will also be cooking with ingredients that are from France, Spain, Mexico, Norway.”
[article-img-container][src=2024-07/restaurant-news-cesar-souffle-b-072524_900.jpg] [credit= (Adriana Rodriguez)] [alt= A frozen soufflé at César][end: article-img-container]
Each tasting features 12 to 14 courses ($365 per person); items will change regularly, but there will be some consistent dishes, including Ramirez’s seasonal frozen soufflés and his signature Hokkaido uni and truffle brioche. “Because we are opening in summer, it is all corn,” Ramirez added. “I am also excited to be getting quail from [California’s] Wolfe Ranch, which is the best.”
What’s on the wine list: The wine program features more than 400 selections, and that’s “just the tip of the iceberg,” says McKenna, who foresees a list of 1,200 to 1,500 labels in the future. Among the 2,000 bottles in the current inventory, the primary strengths are white wines and lighter red wines from France’s Burgundy and Loire Valley, as well as Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal. As guests can select beverage pairing options for the tasting menu, for an additional $280, McKenna focused the wine list on bottlings that will pair optimally with Ramirez’s cuisine.
These includes selections from notable names like Chinon’s Grosbois, Chablis’ Louis Michel & Fils and Hermitage’s Jean-Louis Chave. Beyond France, guests can look to picks from Montalcino’s Siro Pacenti, Sicily’s Benanti and South Africa’s Hamilton Russell, among others.
[article-img-container][src=2024-07/restaurant-news-cesar-interior-c-072524_1600.jpg] [credit= (Adriana Rodriguez)] [alt= The interor of César, with light wood walls, black leather seats, a cart of sparkling and still wines and a black vase holding a leafed bamboo][end: article-img-container]
”Getting that perfect [beverage pairing] with a thoughtful progression is key for me and will set us apart,” said McKenna, who hopes César will offer guests “an eye-opening [wine experience] where they can find something new, intriguing or rare and desirable.”
The program also includes 10 sakes, including the Sharaku junmai ginjo from Miyaizumi Meijo Co. in Fukushima and the Immortal Wing junmai daiginjo from Senkin Kamosu in Tochigi. “[Sake is] a category that can work incredibly well, given its low-acid and umami characteristics compared to wine,” McKenna explained. “It’s also an underutilized area in non-Asian restaurants with a clientele that is increasingly familiar to it.”
The space: Located in the Hudson Square neighborhood, César is spread across about 3,000 square feet. Ramirez worked with designer Martin Vahtra on the space, which features 20-foot-high ceilings, an open kitchen and 36 seats in the dining room, plus 13 more at the chef’s counter. “I fell in love with the space because of its history as a former printing press,” said Ramirez. “The sight lines are fantastic. The bones of the space are just great.”—Collin Dreizen
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