Openings

Olmsted, From 3 Atera Alumni, Opens in Prospect Heights Tonight

N.Y. grass-fed steak with potato
N.Y. grass-fed steak with potato “dauphinoise,” tarragon, and lemon Photo: Melissa Hom

It couldn’t be a better time for Greg Baxtrom, a chef who’s worked at Alinea, Per Se, Atera, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Ian Rothman, formerly the horticulturist at Atera, to open Olmsted. The Prospect Heights restaurant has a 25-seat backyard garden, where the two are growing produce like asparagus, wild ginger, figs, and stinging nettles.

Fittingly, Baxtrom’s cooking draws heavily from what’s seasonal, and his spring menu includes fried fiddlehead ferns, spring-onion chawanmushi with summer truffle and lovage, grilled dogfish with rhubarb and Swiss chard, and roasted guinea hen with ramps and morels. (One dessert is cheekily named “Strawberry Sorbet With More Strawberries.”) The cocktails are similarly seasonal — like lavender with Herbs de Provence–infused bourbon — and Jeff Ruiz, another Atera alum, is overseeing the wine list and the tea offerings.

As for the space, it’s a 50-seat dining room with an additional chef’s counter and 12-seat bar. The repurposed wood used in the restaurant actually comes from Baxtrom’s family home in Chicago. Take a look:

Grilled broccoli rabe with romesco.
Grilled broccoli rabe with romesco. Photo: Melissa Hom
Radish-top gazpacho with smoked trout roe and lemon balm.
Radish-top gazpacho with smoked trout roe and lemon balm. Photo: Melissa Hom
Carrot crêpe with surf clams and sunflower.
Carrot crêpe with surf clams and sunflower. Photo: Melissa Hom
Grilled dogfish with rhubarb and Swiss chard.
Grilled dogfish with rhubarb and Swiss chard. Photo: Melissa Hom
Strawberry Sorbet With More Strawberries.
Strawberry Sorbet With More Strawberries. Photo: Melissa Hom
Lavender cocktail: bourbon, Herbs de Provence, sherry, black walnut.
Lavender cocktail: bourbon, Herbs de Provence, sherry, black walnut. Photo: Melissa Hom
The dining room.
The dining room. Photo: Melissa Hom
The garden.
The garden. Photo: Melissa Hom
Fresh!
Fresh! Photo: Melissa Hom


Menu [PDF]

Olmsted, 659 Vanderbilt Ave. at Park Place, 718.552.2610

Atera Alumni Open Olmsted