Assignment:
Review a restaurant.
*Readers will note that this is the same review of Chez Oskar which was published here. I re-post it here for the commentary.
"Chez Oskar, a Funky Bistro with an Accidental Restaurateur"
Charlotta Janssen never planned on being a restaurateur. An artist by trade, she was working in restaurant renovation when her ex-boyfriend left her with a restaurant owing years of back taxes, a loyal staff, and a community that refused to see her fail .^1
Chez Oskar, the former Fort Greene stalwart, moved to its current location after a bitter dispute with its building’s owner. After a massive send-off, Oskar—helmed by its faithful trio: Janssen, chef Octavio Simanca and general manager Angelique Calmet Strakker— inhabited an old wine bar and clothing store at the corner of Malcolm X and Decatur on July 4, 2016.
“We all interpret Oskar in our own way,” she says, beaming at a dancing toddler before conversing with a server in French^2. While recognizing that the restaurant business is just that—a business—Janssen notes that she fought to keep Oskar alive and moved it to Bed-Stuy because of her love for her coworkers and the staff who relied on her more than profit. “I moved Oskar because I liked what we had between us and didn’t want it to stop over a commodifier’s greed,” referring to her former landlord. Oskar and its staff are survivors.
A dedicated coterie of Fort Greene locals began trickling into Bed-Stuy over time. “They didn’t follow us,” Janssen says, “but they met us here when we arrived.” The restaurant is evolving, however—Oskar is part of Bed-Stuy, but Bed-Stuy is a bigger part of Oskar. The community has been welcoming, and while its Fort Greene regulars are very much a part of the environment, many more of Oskar’s repeat guests live nearby.
Janssen admits that her desire is not to be a restaurateur but to provide a space for people to be happy and feel free. The predominant color in the interior space—which was designed, painted and built by Janssen—is a deep teal blue she calls “Oskar blue,” which provides the perfect background, making everyone look just a little happier. The free-flowing jazz music and restaurant design evoke early bebop, the frenetic, virtuosic freeform music popularized by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.^3.
Chef Simanca’s food is decidedly French^4, and Janssen notes that there are certain smells that always greet guests: garlic, caramelized onion, olive oil. The lamb burger (“lamburger”) with goat cheese and the duo of beef (grilled skirt steak and braised short rib with a blackberry-ancho sauce) are excellent. The skirt steak is reminiscent of churrasco-style grilled beef, big, punchy with a salty crust^5, while the short rib, redolent of red wine, is garlicky, comforting and luxuriant, a duo that plays very well together. The burger is simple and well executed, with the creamy tang of the goat cheese balancing the lamb’s mild gaminess.
The beverage program, run by GM Angelique Calmet Strakker, is equally impressive. Unsurprisingly, the wine list is carefully curated, and like the food, designed to provide a range of price points to ensure inclusivity (Oskar’s team considers price points markers of social equity). The cocktail list features a few standouts^6 in a strong lineup: The Black Manhattan (Legent bourbon, Averna, walnut liqueur) is a bracing but restrained take on the classic. The Bergamote (brandy, Earl Grey syrup, egg white, topped with sparkling wine) is clean, bright and comforting, each ingredient shining while playing its role.
Janssen says that a successful restaurant is a happy place where people feel free to live out pieces of their lives in comfortable pleasure. Oskar is very much alive in its own right, with its own identity, infused and informed by everyone who steps through its door.
End Notes
1 This is quite a compelling opening. It already has us rooting for Charlotta and this restaurant.
2 I really like the way you bring this quote into the narrative, and further how you describe her as she shares this comment.
3 A quite poetic way of conveying the aesthetic through jazz.
4 I might give at least a hint of the food style earlier in the story, while still saving the details for here.
5 Nice - I especially like the word "punchy" here.
6 Nice examples - I appreciate that you describe them in such detail.
Comments
Brennan,
Almost immediately after reading this, I followed your link visited Chez Oskar's website to read the menu and find out just a little more about it - it definitely sounds like my kind of restaurant, and your thoughtful, compelling account of it, and restaurateur Janssen's backstory, make for a fascinating story. I'm so happy learn about this little gem and look forward to checking it out in person.
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