The Crossroads of Gwynnett St.

Call it good timing or right place at the right time or even fate but no matter what you call it something was drawing us towards Gwynnett St. last night. A little over a month ago that something compelled me to make a reservation on a random Thursday at a random new Brooklyn restaurant. I don't recall what sparked my interest but I knew I should make that reservation. Fast forward to 3 days before our approaching reservation and Pete Wells assigns it two stars in The Times and the buzz surrounding this new establishment reached a fever pitch. The evening of our dinner arrived and not moments after we are seated in the darkened brick and wood room do I see one of the founders of Immaculate Infatuation (an established site that I admire) is seated not 6 feet away from me, yet another sign of good timing!

Gwynnett St. itself represents an intangible culinary crossroad, paying homage to the once real street which connected different Brooklyn neighborhoods, now Gwynnett St. has brought together some great culinary minds. The present day crossroads that brought the team together was Esca and WD-50, the temple to modern cuisine. And while there are echos of modern technique in Gwynnett St.'s cuisine it is more reminiscent of traditional and comfort food with contemporary influences. The technique isn't what I first noticed upon sampling the dishes but instead the rich and dense flavors nestled within artful presentations. And while not all the flavors fell within my palate I must admit they were very well conceived and well executed.

Among the noteworthy dishes; the surprisingly hearty Bok Choy with cauliflower, grapefruit and whipped feta was plate-lickingly good; the slow poached egg "soup" with pork and peas which I found slightly under-conceived but basically delicious; the sunflower seed tofu with artichokes reminded me of a rich halavah and unfortunately I felt some of the flavors were lost; I particularly enjoyed the scallops with delicate black trumpet mushroom, celery root and meyer lemon however something in this dish screamed fois gras to me and it weighed the dish down a bit. The cashew, apricot meringue was an effervescent and refreshing way to end the meal. I found the staff eager and very friendly despite working to overcome some new "it" restaurant kinks. Overall I think our experience was excellent but warrants a repeat visit to sample some other offerings.

My instincts which pulled us toward Gwynnett St. last night were correct. Any place where great culinary minds congregate is a place I want to be. From the ambiance, food, staff and clientele, it is clear that a lot of good paths are crossing at Gwynnett St.

Gwynnett St.
312 Graham Avenue btw Devoe and Ainslie