There’s no shortage of French fare in New York City. Putting coq au vin, croque monsieur and raclette dishes aside, a classic Parisian dish has been neglected in Americanized menus: the tartine.
“I wanted to open a concept like what I loved in Paris because something like it was missing in New York,” said Nicolas Dutko, founder and head chef. “All French restaurants were very traditional; Tartinery could offer guests a French concept with simple, delicious cuisine.”
The elevated French café specializes in the open-faced sandwich composed of fresh, all natural ingredients. With four bistros in New York City, Tartinery opened its fifth location in the central hub of Grand Central Terminal’s dining concourse in early February.
“With our new location, locals, commuters and tourists will have the opportunity to enjoy a fully-immersive sit-down dining experience at Tartinery,” Dutko said, which differs from the rest of the dining’s grab-and-go style offerings.
While Tartinery’s menu and overall experience will mirror the other locations, the Grand Central outpost offers an exclusive cocktail, the Track 75, which is a French 75 with a twist. Plus, early birds can take advantage of the Commuter Combo: a large coffee with a ham and cheese ficelle for $6, available Monday through Friday, 7a.m. until 11a.m.
Dutko comes up with the menu offerings and flavor fusions before discussing them with the kitchen team so they can execute.
“We don’t ‘cook’ in the kitchen,” Dutko clarified. “We only assemble high-quality ingredients in beautiful combinations. This means we can’t hide poor ingredients by frying or grilling, so it’s incredibly important for us to select fresh, vibrant produce.”
Pain d’Avignon provides Tartinery’s bread while its produce comes from Manhattan Fruit Market in Chelsea Market. Its coffee is from Toby’s estate and the tea is from Harney & Sons.
The most popular dishes? The classic croque monsieur (or madame!) and the quinoa salad, a menu staple for the past five years as a proven bestseller thanks to its Asian-inspired dressing. Not to the mention the roast beef tartine, which features roast beef, pecorino, arugula and truffle mayonnaise. Pair it with a Sweet Ginger (an apple, pear and ginger fresh-squeezed juice) for an authentically French feast.
Photos courtesy of Tartinery
