FirstLook: SHO Shaun Hergatt

The Gluttoness — June 08, 2009

It’s rare that I’m speechless, but last Thursday night’s preview dinner at SHO Shaun Hergatt stunned me into my first satisfied oblivion of 2009. Executive Chef Sean Hergatt has spent two years turning the concrete canvas within The Setai New York into a modern Asian masterpiece with simple elegance and ruby red accents. An expansive glass wall separates diners from the theatrics of the grand kitchen and many of the tables face Hergatt’s “stage” where he commands his dutiful “players.” You witness meticulousness then taste it.

The striking décor is matched by the drama of SHO’s impeccable food, which the chef described as “Asian-accented, modern French cuisine.” Hergatt is a brawny Australian with a sweet smile—the unexpected artist behind brilliantly feminine dishes that are as artistically inclined as they are sophisticated in flavor. There’s a continual dance between delicacy and decadence. Riveting taste always wins, but it’s the manner in which it’s achieved that is so interesting.

 

Duo of Canapes: Crêpe w/ Tobiko & Sour Cream over Lime & Sesame Seed Tuille w/ Whitefish Tartare

Two velvety crêpes were filled with tobiko and sour cream, then tied in purses, served over thin slices of lime and topped with gold leaf. Two sesame seed tuilles were rolled like cigars and stuffed with whitefish tartare. There was an impressive equilibrium between the rich insides and the subtle exteriors.

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AlwaysHungryNY: Everything On Your Everything Bagel

The Gluttoness — May 19, 2009

It’s the quintessential problem with Everything Bagels: after bringing them home from the store, retrieving one from the bottom of the paper bag, slicing, toasting and spreading your schmear on it, you might as well have started out with a Plain Bagel because all the seeds and seasonings have fallen off. If you’ve gone with cream cheese or butter it’s easy to turn that bad boy upside down and gently press it against the plate to retrieve the everything seasoning. But, if your bagel is topped with something not as prone to sticking when flipped, say whitefish salad, you’re going to miss out on the full experience of the classic, crispy combination of onion, poppy seed, sesame seed, garlic and salt.

The unfortunate circumstance described above was before the creation of Bagel-It. Billed as “The only thing that tops everything,” Bagel-It is the seasoning blend of the traditional New York bagel in an easy to use spice shaker. A few shakes over that whitefish salad topped bagel can put the “Everything” right back on to your bagel. Not only is it the convenient solution to the problem of a once-Everything, now Barely Something Bagel, but it can transform Plain Bagels and every other bagel flavor, from Pumpernickle to Whole Grain, into the Everything versions you’ve always wanted.