Agern
“We decided on the Land & Sea tasting menu and the beverage pairing (they have both alcohol and non-alcohol pairing.”
“When I heard that Claus Meyer the co-owner of Noma is opening a new restaurant in New York City, I knew I have to pay a visit!”
“Both a la carte and chef's tasting are available and I just skipped everything and went directly to their "Land-and-sea".”
Agern
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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My boyfriend took me here as a surprise for our anniversary. This was my first time eating Scandinavian food and it was an amazing experience! I normally hate meals like this where it's course after course because you feel over stuffed at the end. I did feel overstuffed, but the food was wonderful. We both ordered the Land+Sea tasting menu for $145/person with tip included. The meal took about 2.5 hours start to finish.
Snack Starters:
East coast oyster with plum and shallots, rose vinegar, and lavender
Celeriac and dill mayo – This was a delicious, albeit small bite. The celeriac tasted similar to a daikon radish and potato.
Amberjack and horseradish in kohlrabi taco
Sweetbread with broccoli lovage puree – I absolutely loved the savory broccoli puree. It went so well with the crispy sweetbreads. Unfortunately, they only give you one small sweetbread per person and no silverware during the snack part of the meal, so I wasn't able to finish the delicious puree.
Potato bread with pickled vegetable and smoked buttermilk puree – Not a fan of the buttermilk puree since I dislike creamy things, but the potato bread tasted like a savory fried doughnut.
Lemon balm and salted cucumber water – Our waiter explained this was to cleanse our palate before the savory dishes. It has a strong salty, vinegary taste and takes some getting used to. My palate was definitely cleansed after drinking this.
Complimentary Bread:
Sourdough barley bread with Hudson Valley butter whipped with buttermilk – It's only free bread, but usually the bread is one of my favorite parts of any meal. This bread was exceptionally good. The sourdough was unbelievably soft and delicious by itself without butter. But wow that butter. Once you add that on, you'll forget that you have so many other courses to eat after. It was hard not to eat another entire basket when the waiter asked if we wanted to refill.
House-made rye bread – Not as tasty as the sourdough barley bread. The texture is a bit more dense and the taste somewhat more sour.
Savory Dishes
Lemon cucumber salad with trout roe, cantaloupe, and dill infused cream
Beef heart with garlic scapes, pickled green strawberry and asparagus – The beef heart was delicious. I think it is raw in this dish, but paired with the vegetables, you can't even tell.
Salt and Ash Baked Beetroot – This came out as what looked like a large, hardened ball. The waitress than proceeded to chisel at the ball. I think they only served us about half of the beet, so not sure what happened to the other half. According to the waitress, the shell is made of leftover vegetables incinerated to ash mixed with egg whites and salt. It is then wrapped around the beetroot and baked for four hours. The beet honestly didn't taste like anything more special than if you wrapped the beet in tinfoil and grilled it for a few hours. I do love the concept of reusing leftover vegetables for another dish.
Beets three ways (fermented, raw, pickled beets, huckleberries, crème fraîche, shaved horseradish) – The waitress took a piece of the baked beetroot and placed it on top of this dish. If you're a beet lover, you'll love this dish. If you're not…well then tough luck.
Monkfish with pearl onions, white currants, pickled sea kelp – This was not my favorite dish of the night. The monkfish was a more meaty fish than a flaky one and I thought there were way too many onions covering the fish. The white currants are also very sour, but I did like the savory broth. I'm not positive, but there seemed to be mini tapioca pearls swimming in the broth.
Pork neck, bean salad, pea shoots, pork rinds, snap peas – One of my favorite dishes of the night. The pork neck tasted like sausage but with the texture of pork loin. The flavors were fantastic. I especially loved dipping the pork neck in the bean puree.
Dessert:
Frozen Skyr, cucumber granita, cantaloupe, lemon balm – Skyr is a Norwegian-Icelandic yogurt like dairy product. I didn't realize what it was until later. This dessert was also kind of like a palate cleanser. Very refreshing and not too sweet.
Summer berries (Raspberry, strawberry, dehydrated strawberries, rose wine granita) – Not my favorite dessert. This dessert was somewhat bitter, but still refreshing.
Complimentary Chocolates:
Aerated chocolate, butter mints, caraway dusted caramel – I wasn't expecting a complimentary third dessert! But what a pleasant surprise. Favorite was the caramel.
There was a lot of cucumber and cream in the dishes. I'm not a huge fan of cream, but this was one of my favorite tasting menus to date. The portions may seem small at first, but after the onslaught of courses + complimentary bread + chocolate, I felt extremely full at the end. It may seem expensive, but with the amount of food you get it is well worth the money. Seems like Agern might be another Michelin star contender.
I'm really conflicted on my star rating here as there are some really fantastic points to this place. I think the reason that I could not in good conscience give more than 3 stars is due to the cost. I know, I know, this is definitely in the Michelin star/s category but $36 for a corn entree? I'm not sure about that. We made a Saturday night reservation and when we finally did locate the place we were still a bit early. We were offered a seat at the preparation counter which ended up being nice because we had the whole bar to ourselves. We weren't sure about the tasting menu because everything that we had wanted to try was offered a la carte and there were a few things we didn't want. The space is pretty much what you would expect, Scandinavian sleekness and clean lines. The service was impeccable, from the Hostess to our servers, bus boys and manager. The wine list is interesting so we chose a unique bottle from California's central coast that would work well with what we were ordering. We started with the bites, $14 per person and we were presented with 3 lovely little bites. An oyster, some skip jack and a celery bite, the first two mentioned were fantastic, the last one, meh. The bread they serve in between your bites and the next course is fabulous. We ordered the salt encrusted beet, of course and it was well worth it. They serve it with mini loaves of the best rye bread I've ever had. For main courses I ordered the corn entree and my bf the skate. Don't get me wrong, the corn was very tasty and beautifully presented. Although it was rich it still didn't fill any voids. I did not like the skate at all. The consistency was mushy for some reason and although what it was served with was interesting, I couldn't get over the mush. I make skate quite often and it's never come out mushy. The crowd was what you would expect, older foodies with one or two tourists in shorts sprinkled around. To sum it all up, we had an enjoyable night but I'm not sure I would revisit.
Absolutely unbelievable. Can't believe this is in Grand Central, but I think this is he direction that Grand Central is trying to go in (like most of the rest of NYC): catering to the very wealthy. After hearing that this was the new restaurant to try in NYC and knowing that the people who run Noma were at the helm.
The inside was clearly very Scandinavian: very classy, modern, clean lines. A chevron pattern was consistent through the entire restuarant, including in the bathrooms. Neutral colors throughout with modern lighting fixtures. Simple tables and chairs. It was all very simple and elegant.
You have the option of choosing from 2 tasting menus (one with meat and seafood and one vegetarian). You can also order things a la carte. My husband and I chose this option. He ordered the beef with the horse radish sauce and I ordered the corn entree. While we waited for our food, house made bread came out. It was made with barley flour and the server explained to us that it took 48 hours to rise. That gave it the chewy texture inside. The butter was from the hudson valley. The bread was absolutely incredible and the butter was magnificent. It had just incredible flavor. We got 2 servings because it was so good!
While we waited for our entree, the server took ti upon herself to bring us a few amuse bouches to try. Each bite was incredible. We knew we were in for a treat with out meals. What a nice touch from the server too!
My husband throughly enjoyed his beef. My corn entree was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. There was corn and chanterelle mushrooms and some sort of a foam on top. When I ate my first bite, my mouth was exploding with flavor. I couldn't get enough of this dish. The flavors were incredible and powerful. My husband loved it as well.
We got the raspberry sorbet dessert. It was quite good as well. Very tart and refreshing.
We were impressed every step of the way at Agern. The service was incredible. The meal was very expensive, but i'm telling you it is worth every penny. It was one of the most delicious and unique meals I have ever eaten.
Stopped in for a glass of rose with my GF after work. Very relaxing atmosphere and classy decor. Loved the rose we ordered wish I could remember the vineyard. Would like to return for the fare.
Unique experience. We ordered the "Land and Sea" course. Everything was quite tasty. The standouts were the fluke tacos, the homemade bread and homemade butter, and the beef heart. Was actually quite full by the end of the meal. The skyr ice cream topped with sweat pea sorbet was also a pleasant surprise. Highly recommended.
amazing amazing amazing!!! Came here for my anniversary and the food and service was amazing! We both had the Land and Sea tasting menu along with the beverage pairing. Each dish was spectacular and delicious. I never had Scandinavian food before and I must say, I've been missing out! Some of the favorite dishes were the lemon cucumber (cucumber, melon, trout roe), beef heart tartar, baked beet root, and their bread. I could seriously eat the bread everyday for every meal….so good. I'm glad that we got to do the beverage pairing also. Each drink went so well with each dish! Normally my boyfriend and I would get a bottle of wine, but we found at times the wine would clash with a dish. Not in this case! Each pairing accented the dishes so well! It was cool to see that Brooklyn Brewery created a beer just for Agern. Would definitely go back again! Time to start saving up again!
Agern is a great place to have a fancy-pants dinner with friends or loved ones…but it's not necessarily for foodie beginners. If you've never experienced a tasting menu or are wary of flavor profiles more complex than your average bacon-wrapped date, Agern might not be for you.
But heck, you're in New York! You'll try anything! If you're feelin' the Agern-burn and ready to give this a try, here are 10 things you ought to know:
1. It's pronounced "ay-gurn." Not "ah-gurn" or "ah-jern." We debated this pretty extensively and finally just asked the hostess. "Ay-gurn."
2. When you Google-map the address and it just points you to Grand Central Station, that's because the restaurant is IN Grand Central Station. Specifically, it's in the 42nd Street Passage, the one that takes you to the Shuttle, across from the Rite Aid. (Congratulations, you get to be on time for your reservation now.)
3. The space was formerly an MTA storage unit. If you go upstairs to the bathrooms (you SHOULD go upstairs to the bathrooms, they're really pretty), you can see pictures on the walls of what it used to look like. Before that, it was the men's smoking lounge. Now, the whole area has been transformed into a sort of Little Denmark, with Agern, a Danish hot dog stand, and a provisions shop.
4. Gratuity is included–but the waitstaff are still as friendly, attentive, and accommodating as if they were working for tips. I had some annoying dietary restrictions, and our server went out of her way to tell me when dishes contained ingredients I couldn't eat and help me find alternatives.
5. There are two tasting menus (Land+Sea for omnivores, Field+Forest for vegetarians), or you could order a la carte. If you have a few hours to kill, go for the tasting menu. It claims to be seven courses, but once you factor in all the amuse bouches and extras it's more like fourteen. ARRIVE HUNGRY. You will leave stuffed.
6. There are also two drink-pairing menus. One is wine and beer (many from the Finger Lakes region, since they try to source as much of their menu locally as possible). If straying from Chardonnay makes you nervous, skip this and just get a bottle: some of the wines are pretty unusual. Also, if you are a lightweight and want to do the wine and beer pairing, skip the pre-dinner cocktail.
7. But really, I'm here to talk about the non-alcoholic drink pairing menu, which is why I chose Agern for my birthday dinner in the first place. This option, which costs $45, is so refreshing for those of us who still want the fancy tasting-menu experience but aren't drinking for medical or personal reasons. The beverages are well thought-out, unusual, and (best of all), not too sweet. It is REALLY hard to find a mocktail that isn't, like, pineapple juice and simple syrup with a sugar float, so I especially appreciated the somehow not-treacly cold chai with maple (served in a sweet little sherry glass), the fizzy grapefruit soda, and the tart strawberry shrub.
8. At some point, they will bring you bread. It will likely be the most delicious bread you've ever had, served warm and steaming with a side of perfectly soft local butter that you swab on with a wooden paddle. You'll want more, and they'll sense this. They'll ask if they can bring you more. DON'T FALL FOR THIS. If you fill up on bread you won't have room for the spectacular lamb course with caramelized sunchokes, and you'll have to ask them to put it in a doggie bag.
9. The frozen pine soufflé tastes like Christmas. Christmas, as it turns out, tastes amazing.
10. If it's your birthday, they give you a present. No, I'm not going to tell you what it is. But I savored mine for days.
KenScale: 8.5/10
I've always been a fan of Scandinavian/New Nordic cuisine for the freshness of ingredients and the clean flavor. New York City has some outstanding places like Aquavit but suffice to say the cuisine is still somewhat underrepresented with all the worldwide accolade bestowed upon the cuisine, with the famed Noma in Denmark (I'm still very sad I won't get to visit that place before it closes at the end of this year) being at the forefront of culinary innovation and excellence. I guess at least one person noticed this trend and decided to fix that underrepresentation, none other than Noma's co-founder Claus Meyer. His decision to invade the Big Apple with a brand-new food hall and restaurant in Grand Central Terminal was something I was very excited about, despite the weird choice of the location (why not some trendy place in downtown Manhattan or Brooklyn, where Aska, which will re-open soon, and Luksus have drawn universal praise)? Anyways, the location challenged Agern had long been on my radar ever since its opening, and a recent dinner gave me an opportunity to re-explore the delightfulness of food from the region.
The way to truly enjoy food at Agern is to go with tasting menu ($145 per person for land and sea option and $125 per person for vegetarian option). The entrees in a la carte options are sufficiently pricey so it makes so much more sense to opt for the tasting menu for more bangs for the buck. The meal started with a series of snacks in typical Scandinavian fashion, such as the aromatic ocean broth to the fresh oyster and pine to delightful bites of asparagus and coppa (cold cut of pork). All the ingredients were fresh and the flavor of each bite had very nice balance that made me such a huge fan of Scandinavian food. Next came delicious sunflower seeds with scallops, maitake and daikon where all the ingredients worked beautifully together for a very satisfying start to the meal. I don't normally comment on bread served by a restaurant, but the one at Agern is top-notch; if it weren't for all the foods coming later, my dining companions and I might've just stuffed ourselves with bread alone. Some dishes looked better than they tasted. Beef heart with green garlic, asparagus and green strawberry, with the mix of seemingly incompatible ingredients, showed a lot of promise, but it didn't quite deliver as much as I hoped, as was salt and ash baked beet root (which the server opens up from a bread "container" to spectacular effect) that came with horseradish and huckleberries. On the other hand, I was floored by potato salad with green rhubarb, cured egg yolk and ramps that delivered so much satisfaction (the beautiful plating certainly helped too) that I think I could have this for lunch every day. Roasted guinea hen with peaches, rye berries and angelica was another winner, with the way the meat worked so harmoniously with the rye berries to create wonderful texture. The desserts were just as great in plating and taste. Rapeseed with honey and mustard flowers was a delightful bite, and the English peas with goat's milk, peanuts and mint were also quite memorable with the way these ingredients combined for elegant sweetness without overpowering my palate. The greatness of Scandinavian cuisine lies in how the chefs think about the combination of different ingredients from nature, whether from mother Earth or the sea, and I can tell that the kitchen has spent a lot of time thinking about what works best together for a truly unique gastronomic experience.
As noted above, perhaps due to the location, getting a reservation at the restaurant wasn't as challenging as I had thought, and the dining space wasn't nearly full despite the profile of the owner. Another proof that in New York dining scene, location matters greatly. Will Mr. Meyer reassess the need to move the restaurant to a more visible location? I can definitely envision that possibility. We had a full beverage pairing option (at $55 per person), and there were some funky beer and white wine pairings, and I wished there were at least one red wine in the selection. The space has trendy, minimalistic vibe fit for a modern Scandinavian restaurant. I'm very pleased that Agern is now in New York City to provide another viable option for New Nordic style dining, and would love to see how the kitchen evolves over time.