Trestle on Tenth
CHEAT SHEET:
DRINK: Cabana flush
START WITH: Pork Shoulder Crepinette
ORDER: Sauteed veal kidneys
FINISH WITH: Walnut caramel nusstorte
Warmly accented with exposed brick walls, wood furnishings & an unusually serene walled garden, this quaint gastropub is the newest addition to the gallery-populated Chelsea. Though the surrounding galleries pay tribute to the finer arts, co-owner and chef, Ralf Kuettel’s culinary arts are the center of attention here. Trestle on Tenth’s anything but your average neighborhood tavern and you won’t find any burgers on this menu. Dubbed Contemporary American fare, the food leans heavily on Swiss
influences (horseradish, rye berries, & veal kidneys).
Daring to dine differently, I plunged into the pork shoulder crepinette and was handsomely rewarded with an oddly addictive, melt-in-your mouth patty of savory braised pork. Next, I ingeniously turned a side of gratineed pizokle into a pasta mid-course, I’m sure was a foodie faux pas, but nevertheless a tasty one. Draped in a blanket of gruyere cheese, these doughy dumplings were a sophisticated and decidedly Swiss twist on macaroni & cheese. Normally dismissive of chicken as unadventurous and mundane, I was pleasantly proved wrong by the moist roasted chicken, which arrived in a delicate pool of dill-inflected broth with a melange of summer vegetables.
Unfortunately, the stuffed veal breast, dotted with rye berries, was an overwhelming plate with little reward. Like the veal, many of the menu offerings tend to be on the heavy side, especially for summer, but come fall they’ll have a cozy, hibernate-for-winter appeal.
When in Chelsea, eat sauteed pork shoulder crepinettes. Just trust me on this one.
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