Michelin-recognized Sweetbriar focuses on live-fire cooking with wood and charcoal, seasonal vegetables and prime meats. The restaurant is helmed by Executive Chef Bryce Shuman who has an impressive background, having worked under Daniel Humm at three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park for six years, opening his own successful restaurant, Michelin-starred Betony where he received a three-star review from The New York Times critic Pete Wells and was named Food & Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chef” of 2015.
Spring is Chef Bryce’s favorite season as the rebirth of nature’s bounty gives him and his kitchen team the opportunity to work with delicious, fresh vegetables and greens. His excitement to showcase new seasonal ingredients is evident as he obsesses over dozens of details to construct complex dishes with layered flavors that takes a team to create, but present simply on the table.
From the Market section of the menu are: Grilled Baby Romaine, a whole head of baby romaine grilled over the fire and served with braised gigante beans and a vegetable consommé accented with nutritional yeast; and Chilled Asparagus, braised Provencal white asparagus and jumbo green asparagus dressed in an herb vinaigrette and served with a gribiche-like lemon caper vinaigrette.
New main courses that harness the power and flavor of the wood-fire oven are: Smoked Chicken, Snow Dance Farms chicken smoked with hickory and apple wood then finished over the fire to crisp the skin to a golden brown. The chicken is served with grilled spring onions and escarole finished with a light chicken jus scented with a dry Amontillado Sherry; Hanger Steak, pasture-raised, grass-fed New Zealand hanger steak grilled over the fire and served with asparagus and a brown butter hollandaise; Bouillabaisseis roasted in the wood oven, cooking the cockles, shrimp, chipirones, octopus and scallops in a rich broth, and is accompanied by house-made sourdough bread spread with a saffron rouille; and Grilled Octopus, octopus tentacles grilled directly on coals to be rendered crisp by the fire, served with an aromatic caper and herb vinaigrette and garnished with a bouquet of herbs.
The Wood Oven Section is devoted to signature sourdough pizzas that are naturally leavened using no commercial yeast, made with half Italian 00 flour and half spelt flour from Happy Valley Milling in Pennsylvania. The new addition is Spring Garlic Pesto Pizza, spread with a green garlic pesto then topped with asparagus and morels, finished with a combination of ricotta and feta, and drizzled with olive oil right before it is served. Also featured in the Wood Oven section are:
Fire Roasted Mushrooms, cremini, oyster and maitake mushrooms roasted with spring garlic and topped with a caraway crumble and thyme; and Chef Bryce’s Stone Ground Cornbread that echoes his upbringing in North Carolina served in a cast iron pan with whipped honey butter.
The spring menu items complement Chef Bryce’s signature dishes: Smoked Black Pepper Maple Duroc Ribs that feature a crispy exterior and meat tender enough to fall off the bone; the Sweetbriar Burger, that uses a lemon-caper vinaigrette to bring out the well-seasoned meat’s flavors, served with crispy potato wedges; and Spicy Mangalitsa Pizza, spread with a spicy pickled chili sauce then layered with Mangalitsa ham, fired in the 800-degree oven, finished with honey and thyme.
The Wine Program was created in collaboration with Dylan York, a principal of the Sommelier Society of America, boasting a robust selection of wines by the glass as well as a reserve list. With the help of York, the restaurant has recently begun a Coravin Wine Program, serving wines from their reserve list at an approachable price per glass.
A great way to start a meal at Sweetbriar is by savoring one of their cocktails designed by Beverage Director Ivan Papic (formerly of Balthazar, Pastis and Macao Trading Co.), in collaboration with Head Bartender Sasa Radovanovic (formerly of Schilling NYC). Divided into three sections, Martinis, Sweetbriar Signatures and Classics, highlights include: Smoking Pistolas, Dos Hombres Joven Mezcal, lime and Piri Piri Agave; Pick-Me-Up, a twist on the espresso martini made with Belvedere Vodka, pistachio syrup, black walnut bitters and espresso; and American Beauty, Rose Hip Luksosowa Vodka, lemon, rose water, egg white and rose buds.
Designed by Lea Cojot, Sweetbriar’s interior complements Chef Bryce’s live-fire-cooked modern American cuisine, featuring a spacious dining room that utilizes soft notes of leather and wood to bring his warm, welcoming and vibrant vision to life. An open kitchen provides a view of the wood-fired oven and the meticulous work that goes into creating the meal. At the entrance to the restaurant, there is a bar and lounge area where guests can enjoy pre-meal beverages and on Saturdays, enjoy the stylings of the Sweetbriar house band. Set next to the dining room is a white marble bar with emerald accents that provides full dinner service.
The restaurant is managed by TH/RST Group, headed by Partners Nick Bathurst, Dennis Konen and Brian Kelly, who also oversee GG Tokyo and ROOF at Park South.
