Olivier's Alsatian Flammenkûche

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
April 23, 2007

DB BISTRO MODERNE
55 W 44th St
(5th & 6th Aves)
New York, NY 10036
212-391-2400

It’s been a while since I last visited DB Bistro Moderne. I remember it to be very pleasant, the staff professional and the food delicious, all of which is still true. But for the purposes of Cravings, I didn’t have a particular craving. Of course, the talk of the town back when the restaurant opened in 2001, was the original DB burger, then one of the most decadent and expensive burgers in town — a sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs, foie gras and black truffle served on a Parmesan bun (it’s now $32 but was $27 when first launched). Since then, many burger joints and restaurants have emulated the concept of high-end burgers at prices that make DB’s seem cheap by comparison. From my perspective, the rest of the menu is so stellar that there are plenty of other goodies to choose from.

The current executive chef, Olivier Muller, is from Alsace, so I decided to try his specialty on the menu, Olivier’s Alsatian flammenkûche. It is absolutely exquisite! Flammenkûche is a typical Alsatian savory tart or flat bread, topped with cooked onions, smoked bacon and fromage blanc. Though the ingredients are all strong flavors, there’s a delicate restraint in assembling them on this thin-crusted tart that makes it an elegant and not overpowering treat. While The Bar at The Modern — another Alsatian-influenced restaurant — is one of my favorites in town and it also has a flammenkûche on its menu, it pales in comparison to the one at DB Bistro Moderne.

The portions may seem dainty, but it’s rather deceiving because the food is filling. I shared the flammenkûche with a friend and ordered a yellow fin tuna tartare with celery coulis, fennel, mango and curry dressing. The curry dressing and tuna tartare juxtaposition is what intrigued me. How would the clean, unadulterated taste of raw tuna work with the forceful flavor of curry? Under Olivier’s expert hands, the ingredients work in unison as friends rather than enemies, as if they had reached a pact to let one another shine modestly in their own right rather than either trying to steal center stage.

A glass of Ayala champagne to accompany my meal completed the ideal power lunch. And my experience overall reminds me now that DB Bistro Moderne is a good choice to return to for a snack at the bar anytime, preferably with a glass of wine and the flammenkûche to start.

Also in Alsatian, American, Bread, Cheese, Midtown West, Pork