Proving There’s Life After Luksus, Tørst’s Bar Food Selection is Better Than Ever
With one of the most celebrated beer programs in the country, let alone the borough, Tørst could have limited its food offerings to bar nuts and pretzels, without anyone batting an eye. And yet, they dropped the mic with an in-house restaurant (Luksus) as well, which amassed Michelin stars due to the culinary stylings of the accomplished Daniel Burns—who had legitimate rights to the “Noma” line on his resume.
Burns departed this past December (shuttering Luksus in his wake), yet that still doesn’t mean Tørst has lowered its standards. After elevating sous chef, Chuy Cervantes (who was also on Cosme’s opening team) to the top position, edibles are as provocative as ever; offsetting a subdued, Nordic aesthetic with a range of global, in-your-face influences.
Scandinavia remains at the forefront with an all-white expanse of melon-balled turnip and pear, lolling in a dill-flecked “ranch” dressing, as well as slips of pickled mackerel and smoked trout roe, sandwiching a Knaekbrød flatbread cracker. Cervantes takes an abrupt dip south of the border with a black bean torta, and hovers halfway with seabuckthorn sorbet and chamoy, before shooting straight to the Americas with a short rib French dip and deconstructed wings, a flag of crisped chicken skin served with blue cheese dip and hot sauce.
Another noteworthy advancement is an expanded bread selection from Max Blachman-Gentile, not just an alum of Luksus, but Roberta’s and Emily as well. Supplementing Danish Rugbrød (rye), which has been a Tørst staple since day one, options include a sturdy sourdough country loaf, a saline seaweed roll paired with country ham and pimento cheese, and a plush oat porridge roll, baked in Evil Twin’s Yin Imperial Taiji Stout.
Glorious beer, extraordinary bread, and salted plum-beef tartare—Tørst is still anything but a boilerplate bar.
615 Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint
