Bâtard has now had its year in the spotlight, including three stars from The New York Times and a Michelin star, so it seemed time for me to see how things are going, what's changed, and how owner Drew Nieporent is maintaining his own unique form of ebullient hospitality.
Nieporent and his Myriad Restaurant Group have been reckoned among the most respected entrepreneurs in their industry for the three decades, beginning with the opening of the French restaurant Montrachet on the same premises that are now home to Bâtard. The location had once before been re-cast as Corton, but that experiment did not win wide favor among guests. Now, with partner John Winterman (right to left, below) and Austrian-born Chef Markus Glocker, the place is hopping again.
The spacious room, now with fewer tables, has a golden shimmer in the walls, and good soft lighting allows you to see everyone in the room. The lack of tablecloths or any soft surfaces has unfortunately amped up the noise level here, making conversation difficult.
Menu prices have inched up a smidge -- two courses are still $55, three are now $69, and four $79 -- but for this kind of cuisine and panache Bâtard is without doubt among the best bargains in NYC. (Consider that an app, a steak and dessert at a place like Minetta Tavern will easily run you $75, and three courses, without dessert, at Carbone can cost $85.)
The wine list, under sommelier Jason Jacobeit, is wholly admirable, high-ended but with good selections in the less pricey ranges. Its most impressive holdings are aged Burgundies of fine provenance. There are several good selections by the glass under $15 and an admirable number of bottles under $60, including Austrian and German wines that marry well with Glocker's cuisine. There's also a Château d'Oupia Minervois 2012 for $37, a La Antigua Clasico Crianza 2010 for $45, and a Château de Rauzan-Séglas 2006 for $167, which are less than 100% markups from retail.
On my return, with three people, I re-tried dishes from when Bâtard opened as well as new items showing off Glocker's penchant for big flavors done with finesse. His octopus pastrami (above) with braised ham hock, Pommery mustard, and new potatoes hearkens to Glocker's Austrian heritage, and it's has been on the menu from the beginning, with very good reason. It's a signature dish, imaginative, lusty, deeply flavorful, with great side components. Tender sweetbreads (below) -- and a good portion of them -- came with sweet delicata squash, spicy ras el hanout, and a perfectly reduced veal jus. And since every menu now has to have a pasta, it might as well be Glocker's delicious agnolotti stuffed with celeriac and Castelmagno cheese, spied cashews for texture and apple for citric spark.
I often use cod as a measuring stick for the way a chef can ennoble a humble species, and the mild flavor of Glocker's impeccably roasted cod is wonderfully enhanced with not-too-hot Hungarian paprika, briny clams and velvety, sweet eggplant. Only one dish didn't quite live up to the lavish praise I gave it when I first dined here -- and I was not alone in my praise: A classic Austrian pork schnitzel with salad, cucumber, lingonberry and sea buckthorn was every bit as good as many I've had in Vienna, but I just think Glocker could make it more specially his own with a little tweaking.
For your third course you must decide between a superb selection of perfectly ripe cheeses or any of four desserts, all of them excellent, like duck egg-enriched crème brûlée with spiced pineapple, verjus, and a tangy yogurt sorbet to a caramelized milk chocolate with hazelnuts in flaky puff pastry. "Coffee & Milk Kardinal" is a delightfully light mélange of French meringue and unusual milk jam. Odd that there's no form of cake or tart on the menu at the moment. Cheeses are supplemental, three for $15, for for $18, and five for $21.
As I've had reason to mention recently, despite ignorant media reports that fine dining no longer thrives in New York, I believe it is more vibrant and fascinating than ever, and, at places like Bâtard less expensive than it used to be for a whole lot more.
Bâtard is open Monday through Saturday.
BÂTARD
239 West Broadway (between White and Walker Streets).
212-219-2777
myriadrestaurantgroup.com