The Musket Room

The Musket Room has been around for a while, and it is located close to the Broadway/Lafayette train in Manhattan. Chef Mary Attea is the head chef of this restaurant, and according to the Michelin Guide, the kitchen is predominantly women. We picked this restaurant to try for tonight primarily because the menu looked like a slightly different take on New American than what we were used to. I was easily able to book a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM on a Friday evening a few days in advance.

The Musket Room has 1 Michelin Star.

From their site:

Musket Room is a celebrated neighborhood restaurant offering a reliably indulgent experience, whether for a special occasion or enjoying dinner with friends. Since 2013, the Michelin- starred establishment has been committed to the kind of caring, personalized service that makes regulars feel like family and newcomers feel like regulars.

Chef Mary Attea leads a culinary team that draws on their heritages, world travels and personal inclinations to create vivid flavors and inventive dishes that deftly cross borders and defy categorization. The result is transporting food in a warm, refined space with a long bar, intimate nooks and a spacious garden for dining al fresco.

Ambiance & Service

The interior has a lot of exposed brick, and we were seated toward the back. The lights are quite dim, so it was hard to get decent lighting. We saw that the bar counter had lights directly above where the foods are placed, but it probably would be not as comfortable sitting on a stool for 2.5 hours. When we arrived at first, it was nice and quiet, but around 6:30, that’s when larger parties started entering. The noise level was not too loud, but it was almost to the point where I couldn’t hear what the servers were saying.

The service was pleasant and fast. The sommelier was also our server, and they were fun to talk to about why they picked certain wines.

Food

The Musket Room menu has a choice of Omnivore or Vegan for $125. You could add a few supplements if preferred. I also added the reserve wine pairing for $115.

The Tinto de Falso ($15) non-alcoholic cocktail came with pomegranate, tart cherry, juniper coloring gentian tincture, and pear butter. The drink was pretty decent. It definitely had a lot of red fruit flavors, and it wasn’t as sweet as what I thought it would be. My partner said this was not their favorite, but they enjoyed it.

The first pairing for the canape was the Les Quatre Terroirs which came from Pertois Moriset, Grand Cru Brut, Champagne, France. This Champagne Blanc de Blancs is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. This had a nice crisp and bubbly taste to it and complemented the canape well.

The canape was Kristal Caviar with Horseradish, Crème Fraiche, and Dill. This tasted basically like cream and caviar. The caviar had subtle, salty flavors, and the cream was fairly straight forward. I did not get much sense of horseradish in there, and my partner who is typically sensitive to that also did not notice it.

They also gave some House-made Sourdough Boule with Salted Anchovy Butter. The bread was warm with a nice, crispy outside. The anchovy butter definitely had strong tastes of anchovy, so it may not be for everyone.

The second pairing was the Xarel-lo from Can Sumoi, Catalonia, Spain 2023. This definitely had a very creamy aftertaste, which I feel is not for everyone. The flavor was very forward, and it finished very smooth. I can see why it was picked for the next course.

The next course was the Tuna with Apple, Ginger, and Chinese Five Spice. The tuna was very fresh and clean, and the overall dish flavor reminded me of a fusion of Chinese flavors mixed with some New American flavors. Unsurprisingly, my partner wasn’t fond of the flavors as much. They are not a fan of ginger, which there were thin slits of it spread throughout the dish. In addition, they dislike white pepper, and there was definitely some of that in this as well. Overall, I thought the dish was decent flavor wise.

The third pairing was the Rancho Vinedo ‘Dona Martina’ Chardonnay which comes from Santa Maria Valley, CA 2018. California is not known for their Chardonnays, but surprisingly, this one really stood out. It had an interesting aftertaste that tasted like a mix of citrus and apples, and it had slight acidity to it.

Next was the Razor Clam with Potato, Celery, and Leek. The razor clam was a little sparse, but this dish tasted like a very delicious clam chowder.

We ordered a Scallop supplement (+$34) came with 2 fresh scallops, a cauliflower foam, and toasted hazelnut crumble. The scallop had a perfect crust, and the flavors overall were delectable. It was one of our favorite dish for the night, despite it being a little on the pricy side.

The fourth pairing was the Orlegi de Luberri Cosecha came from Rioja, Spain 2023. This was from tempranillo grapes, and its taste had nice aromatic blend of red fruits and floral. The taste was fairly straight forward with not much memorable character. When I was sipping this through the night, I thought it was a basic red wine.

The Pork Jowl came with Grits, Red Eye Gravy, and Huckleberry. The jowl was a little fatty, but it had good flavors with the sauce and everything around it.

The fifth pairing was the Mestre Daniel Talha XV from XXVI Talhas, Portugual 2022. This was a medium body, dry red wine that was stunning and surprisingly delicious. It has punchy red fruit, smoke, and oaky flavors. I not only enjoyed drinking this alone, but when taking it with red meat, it was divine. The tannins seem rounded with noticeable earthy finish to the palette.

My partner ordered the Pekin Duck with Pear, Coriander, and Blue Cheese. The duck had a nice crust to it and tasted good. There was some separated duck meat to the side that was way too salty. The duck jus was decent. My partner was not a fan of the little onions filled with blue cheese. Overall, the duck was good, but there were some mishaps with the salt.

The Wagyu Beef (+$30) came with Maple, Koji, Hon Shimeji (edible mushrooms), and Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin). The wagyu was cooked perfectly and quite tasty. The red jus had a nice thickness to it and was seasoned well. It was not salty, and could’ve also fit with the duck too. I didn’t care for the mushrooms, so I gave most of that away. The squash puree was sweet. And lastly, the vegetable on the top right reminded me of pickled mustard greens.

For a palette cleanser, they gave us a Squash Sorbet. It was cold and heavily carbonated with some sweetness to it. It definitely did the trick though to clean the palette.

For the last pairing, it was a pour of Summer Orange sake from Heiwa Shuzo Tsuru Ume, Wakayama Prefecture. This basically tasted like unfiltered sake with a lot of orange flavors. The sake and orange complement so well that you couldn’t taste the alcohol much.

The Dessert was a play on Croque Madame with Gruyère, Fig, Fig Jam, and Candy Prosciutto. This dessert tasted like a cracker with cheese and fig on top. It was a strange dessert, and I can’t say I was super excited about it. I definitely appreciate the creativity, but it tasted more salty than sweet.

To close out the night, they gave us Petit Fours to take home. I decided to eat them right there. I don’t quite remember what was in each, but I enjoyed the left and right one. The left one I believe was a almond praline truffle, and the right one was some sort of crispy ball with a filling inside. The one in the middle reminded me of a shortbread cookie.

Final Verdict

The Musket Room was definitely a different New American experience than your typical American restaurant. I felt the courses this evening used a mix of Asian ingredients to make American food. The wine pairing was good and affordable. If you’re looking for a Michelin restaurant that doesn’t break the bank, this might be worth a try, especially if you’re vegan.

Yelp Jabs

Without a shred of doubt, Musket Room has the most incredible deal out of any high end place I’ve eaten in the city.

It seems Elitists have this common pattern where they boast about how they have eaten the greatest thing ever in their life (or in the city). The dishes this Elitist loved was the crudo and caviar. Let’s think for a second that if raw fish and caviar were the best things you’ve ever eaten here, then what about the hundred of restaurants that also serve the same with higher quality?

The service is pretty great as well. The waitstaff is personable and excited to serve you. But, perhaps there’s not enough of them? They aren’t as present or as attentive as would complete what feels like Musket Rooms vision of itself as a truly superlative restaurant.

Maybe this Yelper came on an off night because there definitely were a lot of servers all around.

Revisions

1. Oct 25, 2024 - Initial revision.