Gage & Tollner

Time Out

3 days ago

Any restaurant contending with legacy must reckon with change; how to respect the past while articulating a vision for the future. Overzealous revision can exorcise a place's spirit. Reluctance to adapt can precipitate a slump into complacency. In the case of Downtown Brooklyn's nearly 150-year-old steakhouse, Gage & Tollner, a new generation of owners–Sohui Kim, Ben Schneider, and St. John Frizell–have navigated the dilemma with finesse.
That it's virtually impossible to discern which elements were added from whatever was uncovered or restored is a testament to the design's overall effectiveness. Touches recall the restaurant's Gilded Age founding, but overall, the handsome decor feels timeless.
The cocktail menu is sharp as a straight razor, each of the menu's classics executed with clarity, sincerity, and precision. Beer-wise, there are some local craft brews on tap and a nice selection of bottles. The wine list is extensive, so put your would-be sommelier friend to work.
The Caesar salad inaugurating our meal was, in a word, terrific. And chef Sohui Kim's most overt menu nod to her Korean identity, Clams Kimisino, was a favorite of the night: the little jewels topped with golden breadcrumbs tossed in bacon/kimchi butter. Perfectly temped to a honeysuckle pink, the NY strip was finished with an herb and garlic butter-baste whose perfume lingered between bites. Far from an afterthought, the sides—creamed spinach and butter-roasted hashbrowns—rivaled the steak for my affection. The non-chophouse fare was equally successful. A play on ratatouille elevated a beautifully seared trout's mild sweetness. And the fried chicken—a loving realization of chef Edna Lewis' recipe—achieved the all-important interplay between juicy, flavorsome meat and crunchy, seasoned crust.
For dessert, pastry chef Kathryn Irizarry wows. Witnessing a crown of crisp meringue land at other tables made the baked Alaska for two impossible to resist. If you have room, try the chevre cheesecake, whose richness and subtle goat-cheese tang are cut by a bright citrus cream and lip-smacking pomegranate/hibiscus sauce.
This isn't a bank-balance-nullifying meal, but with mains for one ranging from $32 to $74, the little neighborhood bistro this ain't. Luckily, the portions were generous, and a fair number of the entrees are share plates anyway.
The minds and talents behind this new iteration of Gage & Tollner have not negotiated the dilemma posed by change so much as prevailed over it. Managing to both honor and redefine an institution, G&T's legacy is not only secured but reasserted, at least for the foreseeable future.