A while back, I subscribed to Eater's YouTube channel, which (mostly) has some really great content. They'll often spotlight a new or otherwise overlooked restaurant, and one such recent example was Sixty Three Clinton. I was blown away by what I saw in the video from co-owners Raymond Trinh and chef Sam Clonts (the country's youngest Michelin-starred chef), who both began working together years ago at Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare. I decided that I wanted to splurge and try it out, so Leah and I booked a reservation and, a few weeks later, enjoyed an absolutely spectacular experience on par with the best restaurants NYC has to offer.
Sixty Three Clinton
63 Clinton St, New York, NY
We were lucky enough to get seats at the counter, which looks directly into the kitchen. We love being able to see the chefs at work. Behind us was a small, U-shaped bar, and in the entry room were a few individual tables. The décor felt modern but warm and inviting, though FYI the dark ambiance did make my photos turn out a bit grainy.
Happy wife! We enjoyed our cozy little corner of the counter.
Menu
The seven-course tasting menu is a substantial value, though there were three supplements which bumped up the price if ordered, which we did.
Pineapple Daiquiri
The cocktail menu was limited, with only three or so options offered, all of which were simple classics. Nevertheless, we each enjoyed a balanced and generous pineapple daiquiri to start.
Breakfast Taco
Hash Brown, Ajitama, Salsa Verde, Trout Roe
One of the signature dishes of Chef Clonts, an Arizon native, and one they spent a fair amount of time covering in the Eater spot. We found this to be wonderfully creative and satisfying. The contrast of textures was very nice and the trout roe added a pleasant moistness to the mouthfeel of what might have otherwise been a slightly dry bite. The unusual star here was the freshly made flour tortilla, which was warm and soft, with an inviting smell that reminded me of just-baked bread (more on that later).
The other signature dish that was covered heavily in the Eater segment. The idea of serving caviar in a hand roll never really occurred to me, but after eating this I was surprised that more restaurants haven't done it. Of course that's probably a cost thing. Here at Sixty Three Clinton, they make a point of allowing the customer to indulge in caviar at a reasonable price point. While this hand roll is by no means cheap, weighing in at an additional $55, the cost per unit is very low, as the amount of caviar you receive is extremely generous - probably two to three times what another restaurant would serve it twice the price point.
The roll itself was delicious and the novelty of watching Chef Clonts personally prepare each once tableside was very enjoyable.
King Salmon
Meyer Lemon, Fennel
After two fantastic courses, I didn't think things could get any better, but I was blown away by this deceptively simple salmon dish. It was bright and refreshing, with a lovely textural contrast from the crunchy fennel, smooth fish, and creamy lemon sauce.
Fresh Tofu
California Uni, Celeriac, Mutsu Apple
Our next supplement was the sea urchin topping this tofu course for an additional $10, which again felt quite worth it and paired very well both texturally and flavor-wise. Leah and I are nuts about fresh tofu, and the version offered here was outstanding. The crunchy bits of celeriac and apple were studded with a crumble which imparted a smoky flavor, taking the whole dish to another level.
Sunchoke, Chili, Black Périgord Truffle
The third supplement involved freshly shaved black truffle over this comfort bowl of porridge. Leah opted to forgo the truffle, so we go to taste it both with and without. The congee was warm and savory, with little hidden gems of sunchoke and something sausage-like which we couldn't identify studded throughout. While the plate was delicious, this was the only dish I thought I might have been disappointed in a bit if I hadn't ordered the truffle, as it felt slightly lacking to me without the luxurious $35 topping.
Maitake Mushroom
Comté, Chestnut, Dark Rye Sourdough & Butter
We were seated directly across from a hotel rack filled with dark rolls, and had been eyeing them hungrily all night. They were finally served with this incredible hen of the woods mushroom course. The mushroom, bolstered by chestnut, was ultra-woodsy and had a meaty chew with a crusty exterior. The whole thing sat atop a puddle of cheese sauce, which invoked fondue flavors. It was a very unusual plate and one that felt like an absolute homerun.
The warm rye roll was outstanding in its own right, though I would have liked a little bit more cheese sauce on the plate to sop up with the roll, as we ran out of butter pretty quickly.
Green Circle Chicken
Smoked Foie Gras Sauce, Jus, Five Space, Japanese Yam
The final savory course was a roulade of chicken. If I'm guessing correctly, the chicken was prepared using "meat glue", a substance famously used by Wylie Dufresne to bond different cuts of meat together into a cohesive form, then poached using an immersion circulator and finally seared before service. The result was an especially tender and juicy medallion of bird, which served over two sauces: one made of creamy foie gras and the other a thick demi-glace. The slightly charred tuber gave a nice neutral component to work with the sauces as well. Fantastic!
Baked Alaska
Satsuma Mandarin Ice Cream. Cardamom Cake
This modernized baked Alaska seems to be the trademark dessert. The individual portions were quite cute and fun to cut into, revealing their interior layers. It was a lovely end to the meal, with mild citrus sweetness and a nice spice complexity from the cardamom cake.
Whiskey Del Bac - Classic
We had a great time chatting with our server and she offered us a complimentary after-dinner drink in the form of a shot each of this Arizonan whiskey. We enjoyed it thoroughly, and I remarked that it had the pleasant sweetness of bourbon with the smoky peat aroma of Scotch.
We apparently really got on our server's good side, as she went above and beyond, asking if we would like to try something experimental that they were working on. We said of course, and received this shot of whiskey that was in the process of being infused with truffle. There was even a little nugget of truffle in the glass! It was an interesting experience, as the aroma of the spirit was intensely truffle-y, but the flavor was all whiskey. Whether that's what they were going for or not, we sure enjoyed it!
We had a magical time at Sixty Three Clinton. Having come off a recent visit to Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, where both the owners worked previously, it was interesting to compare and contrast the two experiences. You can definitely see the influence in Chef Clonts' food, with small bites and heavy Asian notes, but the overall vibe was a lot more fun and low-key, which we enjoyed. I think this is a really special restaurant and I see big things for these guys in the future.
