Story and photography by Barbara Penny Angelakis and Manos Angelakis
 

Capsouto Frères
451 Washington Street
New York, NY
212-966-4900
www.capsoutofreres.com

Housed in a 1891 Flemish style landmark building at the edge of Canal Street in Tribeca stands a restaurant that was one of the very first to extend culinary excellence below midtown, into an area that was better known for cast iron warehouses than quality eating establishments. Of course, all that has since changed but Capsouto Frères is still going strong and still turning out classic French food… with a Mediterranean accent. And, while the menu would not be considered haute cuisine, it is definitely a cut way above the self-imposed bistro classification.

The twist in food preparation came about by the fascinating Capsouto family history whose roots go back to Ismir, Turkey. After the First World War their exodus led to Alexandria, Egypt and subsequently to Cairo, where the three sons;  Jacques, Samuel and Albert, were born. Mama Capsouto saw a greater opportunity in moving to France and while the family prospered there, America was still the Promised Land. So once again, the family was on the move and in 1961 landed in New York City. Along the way the cuisines of Turkey, Egypt, Israel, and France, were incorporated into the Capsouto cooking repertoire. Jacques the eldest son, developed an interest in food and wine, while Albert the youngest, studied construction and design at Yale and on Thursday, October 16, 1980, the three brothers opened Capsouto Frères – Capsouto brothers – with Mama Eva in the kitchen to back up her sons.

Albert was responsible for the classically designed and appointed restaurant, which has changed little and still, to this day, looks fresh and stylish with its open uncluttered space. The large handsome room has held up well to the test of time with its simple wood floors, supporting iron columns dispersed throughout the room, wood-beamed ceilings and exposed brick walls - broken only by large industrial windows sporting the ubiquitous French Bistro lace curtains. Under the corner windows is a raised platform large enough to comfortably seat up to 50 diners and it serves as a party room. The lighting is low but sufficient to be able to read the menu and clearly see your dining companions. Individual tables with white linen are spaced to allow for private conversations and each table features a single red rose in a silver vase for decoration… elegant like the food. 

We arrived for dinner on a stormy Tuesday night but the weather was no hindrance to the lively activity at Capsouto Frères where almost every table was full. While we studied the menu, Jacques dropped by to entice us with his creative and diverse wine cellar selections. We settled on a white Beaujolais, a true rarity in a US restaurant, and nibbled on an amuse bouche of creamy pâté de foie gras with a slice of cornichon for accent while we read the menu.

For appetizer, we chose Artichoke Maison and traditional Escargots. The artichokes were delicious, perfectly cooked fresh vegetables in a lemony broth that screamed for sopping up with crispy bread. Mama Eva’s recipe of stewed artichoke hearts, potatoes, carrots, and fennel in a lemon sauce was very reminiscent of Greek “Artichokes a la Polita”, the way of cooking artichokes by the Greek community of Istanbul. The escargots were chewy and flavorful, drenched in garlicky and herby butter but with the addition of pignoli nuts, again the influence of a Mediterranean kitchen.

Entrée selection was difficult because there were several options that are not often found these days on Manhattan menus, such as Duck Confit, Calf’s Liver (with Sherry Wine Vinegar), Sautéed Sweetbreads (with Mushroom Fricassee), Bouillabaisse, and Cassoulet, in addition to the more usual selections of Sole (Amandine or Meunier) or Roast Duck (with Ginger & Cassis sauce). In the end, Manos selected the bouillabaisse, one of his all time favorites, and I settled on sweetbreads. The bouillabaisse was handsomely presented with jumbo shrimp, sweet littleneck clams, succulent mussels, and a robust soup just a little heavy on the anise. The sweetbreads were breaded and sautéed, and served over the freshest vegetables cooked to perfection - zucchini, carrots, snow peas, red and yellow peppers, haricot vert, and halved grape tomatoes with mushroom fricassee in a Madera reduction. The trick to preparing sweetbreads - or liver or fish for that matter - is not to overcook it. They must be soft and silken and give no resistance to the tongue… exactly as prepared here.

Dessert is not normally the piece de résistance for me, as my sweet tooth has taken a permanent vacation, but in this case it returned in anticipation of the Soufflé that Capsouto Frères is renowned for. There is fig, chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut to choose from and we settled on the hazelnut and an Apple Tarte Tatin, another dessert favorite at the restaurant. To quote from the movie GiGi “And a soufflé is just eggs, no?” well, no! It is much, much more and no matter what, when dining at Capsouto Frères you must leave room for the soufflé. It arrives in what used to be considered a service ramekin, property overflowing the bowl. The waiter deftly excavated a hole in the middle and poured in the warm hazelnut sauce. He then topped it off with a dollop of whipped cream, which proceeded to melt into the still warm top. Heaven had arrived at our table in the shape of a soufflé… of course the Tatin was no slouch either. An upside down apple tarte accompanied by what I took to be whipped cream flavored with lemon to accent the sweetness of the fruit but which was actually crème fresh, perfectly soured. I must admit that I returned to the soufflé until the ramekin was empty, I just could not leave a drop of that celestial dish.

The wine list is a real quest, even for persons with good knowledge of wines. Jacques is an accomplished oenophile and in his duty as sommelier, carries only wines from three countries, the US, France and Israel, plus a Samos dessert Muscat. There is such a variety of offerings though, some very obscure but definitely delicious, that it is hard to decide what to select with the food. For our main course we decided, with some assistance by Jacques, on a Savigny-les-Beaune Vielles Vignes, a lovely Côte-d' Or red, that accompanied very well both the sweetbreads and the bouillabaisse. With the dessert, we had a glass of Yarden Heightswine, a lovely dessert wine made from frozen Gewürztraminer clusters, with white flowers and honeyed peaches on the nose.

The service was top notch and Jacques was the perfect host, flitting from table to table to make sure everything was satisfactory. That personal attention I am sure accounted for the feeling that you were attending a family gathering instead of eating at a trendy upscale restaurant in trendy Tribeca. Mama would have been proud of her boys.

© April 2010 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.