Photograph by Aysegul Sanford
Concentrics’ ONE Midtown Kitchen has served as a launching pad for many notable chefs, including Richard Blais, Drew Van Leuven, Nick Oltarsh, and Eli Kirshtein. And if the new menu is any indication, current co-chefs Matt Weinstein and Christopher Maher are poised for similar success. The duo draws from many influences and countries in ONE’s menu, where you can find crispy pork belly paired with Mexican ingredients a la carnitas or an unparalleled (and unorthodox) burrata dish. Weinstein credits both himself and Maher for the burrata, which he says represents both of them as chefs.
Although the dish looks relatively straightforward when it arrives, the flavors are anything but. The firm burrata is placed upon a thick schmear of pistachio butter, draped with a tart plum and peach mostarda, and finished with bright green droplets of sorrel oil and sorrel, bull’s blood, and arugula microgreens from Ashland Farms. Thick slabs of grilled ciabatta serve as a vessel for a combination of flavors so befuddlingly awesome it almost reminded me of a savory fluffernutter as the creamy burrata center mixes with the decadent pistachio butter. The mostarda keeps all of the richness in check, while the sorrel oil and microgreens lend brightness to this indulgent dish. Pair it with the Amaro Cup, a cocktail made with gin, Amaro, lemon, simple syrup, ginger, and beet juice for a lively start to your meal at this Midtown mainstay.
