Acme used to be this fabulously kitsch New Orleans joint with strong hurricanes, live zydeco, awesome cornbread, fried okra and more. That Acme is in the past, welcome to the new Acme, with Mads Refslund at the kitchen's helm and run by a group of partners known for chic spots like the Standard and very well connected in the hip downtown worlds of fashion and art. Chic and sexy, the restaurant has a dressed up retro bistro feel to it drawing on the East Village's punk rock 80's culture somewhat.
Who is Mads Resflund you might wondering? He came to fame with Rene Redzepi at what many consider to be the world's best restaurant, Noma. Resflund's cuisine at Acme is paired down and pure with a forager painterly side to it -- this is haute creative New Nordic cuisine done fabulously and at affordable prices.
We only had a few small plates but each was more outstanding than the last with inventive out of the box cocktails to boot. I cannot wait to go back.
Start with the Farmer's Eggs from the Cooked section of the menu -- egg custard combined with cauliflower puree and small pieces of cauliflower and a parmesan foam all served back in an eggshell on a bed of straw. Elegant yet playful, decadent yet light, smooth yet dynamic, the perfect flavorful bite to start off with.
Continue with the Hay Roasted Sunchokes with Black truffles and Gruyere foam from the Soil section of the menu - earthy and rustic -- these sunchokes are sensual and lightly sweet yet perfectly savory -- true forager cuisine on the plate.
Finish with the House Cured Salmon with winter cabbage and radicchio topped with a buttermilk horseradish dressing from the Raw section of the menu. Cured fish is a staple in Nordic cuisine and boy did their house cured Salmon wow - it just melts in your mouth and with the added aromatic herbaceous kick of the horseradish and cabbage, it is the perfect light dish either to start off your meal or end it.
This is by far the best and most inventive food I have had in New York recently -- it's the sort of food that makes you enjoy going out to eat -- creative, dynamic, out of the box cuisine that wows with each morsel. And when that food doesn't break the bank, it's even better. Go soon, you don't want to miss Mads Resflund's cooking here in New York City.
Acme
9 Great Jones Street
NYC
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