Aska - Leah's 35th Birthday

Having greatly enjoyed my experience at Frederik Berselius' acclaimed Nordic restaurant Aska with Al the previous January, I decided to surprise Leah with a special night out for her 35th birthday. The dinner was just as good as I remembered from the last time, which is to say 'fantastic with only some minor imperfections', though in this instance I was a bit disappointed that almost all of the dishes were either identical to what I had had previously, or only one minor ingredient had changed. Still, Leah had a great time, which was what really mattered on this occasion, and we were treated quite excellently by the entire staff. 

Aska

47 South 5th St, Brooklyn, NY

askanyc.com

We purposefully arrived about 30 minutes early so we could enjoy a cocktail in the beautiful garden. 

Cocktails

Left: Gooseberry Martini - Vodka, Dry Vermouth, Brine, Pickled Gooseberry

Right: Wild Negroni - Chrysanthemum-Infused Gin, Salers Aperitif, Cocchi Americano

The beautiful dark farmhouse interior - perfect for a romantic evening with your favorite lady!

Birch Aquavit

Cuvée de Kienberg Wild Creatures

American Wild Ale

Perusing the drink menu, we decided to have one more round each before the meal began in earnest. A delicious homemade birch aquavit for me and a wild ale for Leah. 

Bladderwrack

Blue Mussel Emulsion

The same opening bite from my previous visit, and one of my favorites. A long chip made of seaweed with dots of mayo-like mussel cream. Lovely!

Kohlrabi

Compressed with Linden Leaf Oil and Linden Flower Vinegar

Though the components were the same, the plate composition here was slightly different than the last time I had this dish. It was equally crunchy and light with a refreshingly tart finish. 

Potato Pancake

Pommes Soufflé, Vendace Roe Smoked in Dried Carrot Tops, Elderflower

On my prior visit this was one of the absolute stars of the menu, so despite getting three of the same courses in a row, I was still incredibly excited to see this dish return. Warm, savory, soft, creamy, and crispy. An incredible little bite. 

Roussanne
Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils 'Pure Roussanne'
Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

Douglas Fir Juice

There was an unfortunate miscommunication with the staff, who never talked to us about drinks after the first round. We had actually wanted to order one each of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings to go with the meal. So when we finally were able to mention this they had to play catch up. We heard the whole kitchen call out adjustments to timing to accommodate.

Razor Clam
Preserved Black Pine and Cucumber Reduction

This stunning presentation belied a subtle and delicate combination of flavors. Very nice. 

Caviar
Imperial Oscietra Caviar, Peas, Preserved Mushrooms, Green Gooseberries, Pea Shell Broth

Another light, subtle concept and a very unique application of caviar. It was a new experience to pair the luxury ingredient with something as humble as peas. The result was unexpected but great. 

Pinot Meunier
Christophe Mignon 'Pur Meunier' Brut Nature
Champagne 2013

Tagetes (Marigold Soda)

Langoustine

Brain, Tail, Claw, Chamomile

This was one of the previous star dishes, and for good reason. The small amount of brain in rich langoustine stock, as well as the tender, buttery tail wrapped in edible flowers, were both amazing as ever. The new addition, a bit of langoustine claw meat served as a sort of mini salad, was a nice third component. 

Onion
Grilled Onion and Scallop, Roasted Onion and Black Currant Leaf Broth

I made a minor fool of myself, reacting to the beautiful scallop shell center piece by saying, "Awesome! Clam!" I realized my mistake and the server joked that he was debating whether he should correct me or not. 

Another hit from last round - the broth was roast-y with super-concentrated onion flavor. 

Rye
Grilled Rye Flatbread, Young Wild Pine Yeast, Cultured Butter with Black Locust Flowers, Whipped Pork Fat with Dried Yarrow Leaves

Oh my god. This humble piece of flatbread was the most incredibly delicious thing we were served the entire evening. It was grilled to order and served piping hot with both butter and pork fat. Absolutely amazing. 

Bathroom break! What a beautiful little still life. 

Grüner Veltliner
Strekov 1075 'Veltlin'
Strekov 2017

Wild Upstate Apple Juice

Poached Hake
Cabbage and Seaweed Salad, Beach Plums, Bronze Fennel

Not my favorite dish. The hake was very tender and the sauce was nice. The texture on some of the seaweed around the plate was a bit papery and didn't make for such a pleasant bite with the rest of the items.  

Gamay
Jean Foillard
Margon 2017

Lingonberry Juice

Roasted VT Quail
Summer Truffle, Burnt Pine

The same main event as before, though again I was happy to see this. The difference here was the use of summer truffles rather than their winter cousins. Otherwise the rich, juicy quail meat was a hit in both breast and leg form. 

Furmint
Lenkey Pincészet
Mád Vilmány 2007

Bronze Fennel Blossom

Currants
Red Currant Tart, Preserved Black Currant, Fresh Cheese

I admit I was slightly disappointed to see this cheese course return. I didn't enjoy it last time due to the extremely tart currants combined with the overly dry, almost sawdust-like texture of the tart shell. I think this could have been saved with more cheese, but I did not enjoy this the second time around either. 

Hay
Toasted Hay Ice Cream, Summer Flowers, Fermented Honey and Bedstraw Cordial Sauce

A similar concept to the birchwood ice cream with candied mushrooms I enjoyed last time. This version delighted equally, taking unusual savory flavors and transforming them into a memorable dessert. 

Æbleskiver

Liquid Mushroom Filling

I absolutely love these warm doughnut hole-like fritters cooked in a unique pan. I couldn't help but notice though that we were served only two of these little delights, compared to the four during my previous visit. 

One of my favorite pictures of Leah and I - what a magical evening!

Mignardises

White Chocolate and Sourdough

Blood and Rosehip

Crispy Reindeer Lichen and Gold

Chewy Beet

The same four uniqely Nordic final bites. The lichen remained odd and, again, "sawdust-y", though the pig's blood bonbon still shined, tasting almost like rich chocolate. 

Along with dinner, I had ordered a signed copy of the Aska cookbook. Ok I admit this was more a gift for myself than Leah, but it was a great read and very interesting to learn about the painstaking processes that go into producing the food at this restaurant. 

Final Menu

Despite a few small misses and a lot of repeat dishes, I still had a fantastic time at Aska. I think it's a totally unique establishment and hope they continue to get the great press they deserve.