With the president telling the world he’s got a plan to save everybody’s economies and casual lower-impact fare on every restaurateur’s mind, isn’t it a little Clinton-era for a name chef to fly into town to cook Japanese-French fusion in a beautifully appointed restaurant on the western tip of Soho? Well, we at Lush Life are suckers for a good throwback (I’m still bumpin’ Latyrx like it’s ‘98), and Archipelago is no exception. Being fortunate enough to attend a friends and family seating, we got a taste of what their site means when it proclaims a “new wave of French-Japanese nouvelle cuisine.” In culinary terms, it’s not far off from Asiate, the first restaurant that comes to mind from that proclamation. The kitchen perches itself on a high-wire with Salmon crackling in one hand and Cabernet-Yuzu reduction for a reinterpreted Cote de Beuf in the other. Like Norie Sugie, Chef Osaka seems to be plenty cool with taking risks when culling preparations from both cultures. The space is decidedly different, though. The warmth of the room’s design, the open kitchen, and the casually confident service immediately encourage you to relax, you’re safely downtown, not umpteen stories above Columbus Circle.

Highlights included Usuzukuri, an artfully composed appetizer featuring Fluke cradling bites of scallion and yuzu bathed by a clam gelee. The sensation that this thing is great doesn’t hit you until the finish. There’s a definite pay-off in the restraint placed upon the flavor of each ingredient to create a harmonious plate. The menu has an entire section between mains and dessert, Shokuji. I thought, “Alright… clever… ‘Appetizer: The Sequel.’” After ordering the Chawan Mushi, I don’t care whatever American dining habits may eventually make of the course. It’s my official remedy for winter. At first glimpse, it’s deceptively plain. As a server uncovers a small pot there’s no fanfare for the single large ravioli staring up at you. Breaking it releases a perfectly spiced filling of green curry that enlivens the layers of dashi custard and sticky rice risotto that were hidden beneath it. Made aromatic by the chicken jus that ties it all together, this is an intensely satisfying dish that would be perfect alongside a good lager at the bar while the wind howls outside.

More surprising than the Chawan Mushi was a vodka martini that explodes the notion that a vodka martini be little more than a chaser for post-Botox treatment pharmaceuticals. Yeah, that is my notion. The Parisian uses Grey Goose as a canvas upon which to delicately paint an aperitif teeming with soft and savory flavors. This is not just a Vesper without gin and bitters. And this wouldn’t be the Lush Life if we didn’t tell you how to make one (way easier to make than Usuzukuri), so before you get to the slideshow here’s our adaptation of GM Susan Lee’s recipe…

The Parisian

<sup>2.0 Grey Goose
1. Lillet Blanc
Splash of Noilly Prat
Coarse-cracked Pepper & Maldon Salt or Fleur de Sel.</sup>
_{Prep: Combine all ingredients over ice rinsed with Noilly P. and stir thoroughly.
Serve: In a coupe with Nicoise olives for garnish.}