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TESTED RESTAURANTS
With the arrival of chef Gerardo Mén-
dez, the menu has gained new nuan-
ces: a hamachi crudo refined with ci-
trus flavours, an SFO Clam Chowder
that looks to San Francisco, and a
poussin that reinterprets family stews.
Many dishes are finished in front of the
customer, adding rhythm and charac-
ter to the experience. Among the des-
serts, a memorable chocolate mousse
stands out: light, delicate, crowned with
EVOO and salt flakes.
Product as the Starting Point
Gerardo’s cooking is based on one
premise: flavour rules. His larder is fun-
damentally national, with Galician fish
sent by a trusted goose barnacle su-
pplier, meats from Los Norteños, and
fresh vegetables from the market gar-
dens of Aranjuez. The dishes, though
simple in appearance, hide worked-on
bases and refined techniques. Among
his essentials are the shrimp tartare
with sauce américaine, the reinterpre-
ted Oysters Rockefeller, the Café de
Paris burger bathed in its legendary
butter and spice sauce, and the glazed
rib with demi-glace and celeriac purée.
Seasonal offerings provide lightness:
Tudela tomato dressed simply, sea
bass as sashimi with blood orange and
grapefruit vinaigrette, and leeks with
romesco that pay homage to his Cata-
lan heritage. There’s also sea bass a la
vasca, a nod to the connection with the
north shared with Diego himself.
A Young Team That Makes
the Difference
The third pillar of Tribeca Bistró is its
front-of-house team. Led by Javier
Utrera, a 27-year-old Venezuelan, the
dining room operates with a clear philo-
sophy: to make the customer feel good.
“If they leave happy, we’ve succeeded,”
he summarises. Their youth doesn’t
detract from professionalism: the ser-
vice is friendly, attentive, agile, and wi-
thout rigidities, with an explicit desire
to recover the personal treatment that
is so lacking in contemporary hospi-
tality. Knowing the customer’s name,
remembering their favourite table, un-
derstanding what they’re looking for:
that is the aspiration.
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