Aquavit   

65 E 55th St
New York, NY 10022
212-593-0287
www.aquavit.org

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It is interesting to note that there are many more Ethiopian restaurants in New York than Scandinavian ones, somewhat odd considering the city's immigration history. What's perhaps even more surprising is that Aquavit, the city's best-known Scandinavian restaurant, has an Ethiopian as its executive chef. Marcus Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia and adopted by Swedish parents after losing his to tuberculosis at the age of three. He quickly took to cooking in his adopted country and has since rocketed to fame in the culinary world due not only to his skill, but to his experimental approach to just about everything in the kitchen. Some examples -- oysters paired with mango curry sorbet, tandoori salmon and cheesecake served with black cracked pepper -- have taken more than one diner aback. He has won numerous awards, including three-star ratings from two New York Times critics in 2001 and 'Best Chef New York City' from the James Beard Foundation in 2003. The dish he is perhaps best known for is foie gras ganache, a rich and oozing duck liver pudding, served uncharacteristically in an empirical fashion -- no weird pairings, no fooling around. And of course Aquavit serves its namesake liquor, the herbal neutral spirit popular in Sweden, in a variety of flavors prepared in-house. At least one shot is considered a must. -- Dan Glass