EN
Take Root can be summed up in 3 figures: 12 seats, 2 employees, 1 Michelin star. It is the pet project of a couple, Elise Kornack and Anna Hieronimus. Elise cut her teeth at Spotted Pig and Aquavit. But the girl had other ambitions and quickly decided to go it alone. Or rather as a duo. She and her partner started organizing a supper club in their apartment. But their landlord eventually discovered the subterfuge and they were forced to relocate. They found their current premises in 2013 on a discreetly charming street in Carroll Gardens.
At just 26, the two young women are managing a restaurant on their own. Elise is in charge in the kitchen – crafting the menu and cooking. Anna runs the front of the house – she hosts, serves and advises on wine pairings. It is undoubtedly the Michelin star restaurant with the fewest employees in the world. And it is not Take Root’s only peculiarity – the restaurant is only open three nights a week, with only one service per evening, making you feel very lucky indeed when you do manage to snag one of the restaurant’s 12 seats.
So yes, you must be (very) patient to get a reservation. But it is not just another New York snobbery. Elise and Anna never intended for their restaurant to become inaccessible. The married couple just wanted a space, a kitchen and a tempo which matched their life style. Having dinner at Take Root is akin to entering the intimacy of the two young women’s universe, it is trying a cuisine primarily focused on pleasure.
It is true that there is a certain happiness to inviting yourself to Elise and Anna’s table. Their tasting menu is a culinary journey in ten dishes. Celery and parmesan, pear and horseradish. Elise conjugates seasonal products with virtuosity. Above all she narrates her creations with a fierce passion: a dish with lobster and squash inspired by a recipe from her grandmother, a black rice dessert with a chocolate biscuit sprinkled with sour-honey sugar evoking the first snowfall. It’s a simple and poetic cuisine with a colossal dose of talent!
Take Root
187 Sackett Street, Brooklyn
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm
Tasting menu at $120
347-227-7116