38 SHAKERONLINE.COM | SUMMER 2014
TThhee F oFodood
While Chrostowski’s plan is a noble one, he is well aware that
without serving top-quality food, EDWINS wouldn’t succeed.
He is a man with high expectations, which is why he chose
French cuisine for the restaurant’s menu.
“It’s classic. It’s what I know, and it involves the
fundamentals of cooking,” he says. “Throughout the world, you
can learn the classic French sauces, the cooking techniques,
the approach, the philosophy. You can use your own touch to
preserve its integrity – and also enhance the flavors.”
That’s where chef Gilbert Brenot and sous chef Gerry Grim
come in. Brenot is the former owner of Maxi’s in Little Italy,
and Grim worked just across the Square at fire food and drink.
The Brenot-Grim team offers diners a fine selection of
sublimely prepared classic French dishes. For the newbie, the
frog legs, or Cuisses de grenouilles en persillade, are a must-try
first course (this author’s seven-year-old gave them high praise
and has requested them for dinner). French food lovers will
swoon at the flaky and rich Bouchee a la rein (sweetbreads
with mushroom cream sauce topped with puff pastry). The
Paupiettes de poisson du jour (market fish wrapped in crispy
potatoes) are a favorite of Chrostowski and diners alike and a
dish he mastered at Le Cirque.
The braised rabbit, Lapin a la moutarde, smacks of comfort
food and begs to top a home cook’s Sunday dinner list. Canard
a l’orange, roasted duck served with ramps and turnips, is so
flavorful and tender that it barely needs a knife for cutting.
Steak au poivre was evenly spiced and served perfectly medium,
topped with pommes frites.
The menu also has several vegan options, including a
beautifully stacked Portobello napoleon of squash, zucchini,
and red pepper coulis.
To drink, the restaurant has no small selection of wines
and signature cocktails, including the delightful Spring in
Champagne, a mix of sparkling wine, Chambord, St. Germaine
elderflower liqueur, and sugar, as well as the Sazerac, a New
Orleans riff on the Old Fashioned that combines Old Overholt
rye whiskey, Peychaud’s bitters, and an absinthe rinse (“The
best I’ve had,” according to my rye-loving spouse).
The Bananas Foster, set aflame tableside by a student,
provides a not-too-sweet/not-too-heavy ending to dinner.
Finally, for those who are familiar with Chrostowski’s work
from his four years at L’Albatros, it’s important to note that
the restaurant’s sprawling cheese selection is enough to make a
diner justify a separate visit devoted entirely to fromage.
This page, from top: Sous chef Gerry Grim and
chef Gilbert Brenot; Bisque de homard (lobster bisque);
tasting selection of artisanal cheeses.
Opposite, clockwise from upper left: Steak au poivre;
Salade Niçoise; Portobello napoleon; Cuisses de grenouilles en
persillade (frog legs); Tarte de lapin (rabbit pie); Paupiettes de
poisson du jour (market fish wrapped in crispy potatoes).
COURTESY OF EDWINS
COURTESY OF EDWINS