It goes far beyond the standard experience for most when choosing where to dine out, or what cuisine to indulge in. Apart from making the conscious decision to put a hold on your recently started organic, cold-pressed juice cleanse or diet high-fibered protein infused whatever… we understand that taste has many dimensions, and those who enjoy and interpret food as a multi-note score with layers waiting to be discovered, speak that language.
Restaurant X has set themselves apart as a unique fine-dining experience, one that has long been anticipated in our opinion. They bring us a concept by a world-class culinary team that assembled, scripted and refined a tasting menu – a novel platform that includes an overall theme or cuisine style, rotating guest chef, and will be switched…every two weeks.
We all know restaurants that have menu items featured longer than the last fresh coat of paint on the walls, but this new take on the anything-but-standard experience has hit Long Island’s Gold Coast (just outside NYC) and is making people wonder – why haven’t we thought of this?!
Restaurant X is a reservation-only experience, featuring a prix-fixe, multi-course tasting concept, where this hand-selected guest chef will create both savory and sweet tasting options over their highlighted period in the kitchen. The guests will enjoy what the team calls ‘the highest echelon of service’ as they have proudly hand-picked their staff from the best establishments in and around NYC.
Of course, don’t be surprised when you see the tasting menu come alongside with a suggested wine pairing or an artfully crafted cocktail, as we know eating by taste is only second to eating with our eyes. We’re told that guests who opt to dine more frequently will experience the ever-changing menus, which will be created and developed by the minds of those guest chefs, perhaps one of your favorite restaurateurs or on iconic TV personality, the X team has not disclosed any names of their up and coming guests but has confirmed several of them have their own Michelin stars.
Lead by an executive team of Gabriel Moroianu, Buck Canon, Calvin Lau and Juan De La Cruz, they have taken their combined experience within the restaurant industry and expanded it to make this collective of refinement that embodies their ideal dining institution. Utilizing all resources to artfully craft the dining space, carefully selecting each finish, flatware and color serve as the canvas and platform for the tasting menus and experiences created here, the level of ingenuity should excite each guest of X.
To maintain the highest level of standards, Executive Chef Tomo Kobayashi and Chef de Cuisine Cesar Aguilar lead the culinary team, both of whom will execute the tastings alongside the selected guest chefs. These two unique styles of culinary artistry have developed the initial tasting menus, and to no surprise, already have rave reviews…why do you think this article is, “Restaurant X Stacks the Kitchen with Michelin-Star Chefs”?
Upon witnessing Chef Kobayashi plate each course with a pair of silver chopsticks, we knew that the details here were going to be unmatched. The first tasting menus included mouth-watering selections such as Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare with spiced avocado mousse, Snake River Farms Wagyu with truffled kabocha squash, a Rohan Duckling with a mango foie gras dumpling, Pulpitos with a smoked potato purée and black garlic-olive emulation and a stunning flan with hand-made sugar dome. The team also mentioned that they will document each tasting menu, from inspiration through creation with each chef on what they call ‘Chef X,’ a Web- and social-based video series taking you through the minds an inner workings of the X kitchen.
If that all wasn’t enough, as one of the most important missions of Restaurant X and their team has always been to set out and to inspire others, not only through food, but with a greater sense of generosity. Restaurant X has pledged to donate all profits from every dining experience to St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, which provides long-term and rehabilitative care to critically ill and injured children. This charitable partnership was brought forward by Robert Heicklen, the liaison between St Mary’s and Restaurant X. This is part of the ongoing mission that Restaurant X and its team hopes that they can do their part to help better the lives of thousands of pediatric patients per day.
While not only has the X team set out to make an impactful statement with their food selection, they have also chosen to highlight that the measure between a dining providership and thoughtful notion can be made, and tastefully enjoyed. Cheers to providing experience with a positive purpose.
Photos by Ugur Dursan and Horan Yip