Gabriel Kreuther is feeling fired up about his new restaurant.
Saverne marks the follow-up to the chef’s eponymous two Michelin-starred restaurant, located across from Bryant Park, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. The invitation to open a new dining concept within The Spiral, a distinctive office building in Hudson Yards, aligned well with Kreuther’s desire to “do something different” while returning to the basis of cooking: fire.
“I always had in the back of my mind to do something with an open fire concept,” Kreuther says. Everything at Saverne revolves around the open kitchen, and the proximity to open flame is both a source of entertainment for diners and an invitation for internal reflection.
“In a city where everybody goes 70 miles an hour, it makes you pause and think,” the chef says. “You forget a little bit what’s going on, what happened to your day, and you wander a little bit with your spirit as well.”
Dishes from the Saverne menu.
FRANCESCO SAPIENZA
The opening of Saverne is also a full-circle expression of Kreuther’s own cooking origin story. The brasserie-style restaurant is named for a town in Alsace, France, close to the farm where Kreuther grew up. And while the smell of fire brings Kreuther back to memories of his childhood, the menu represents the culmination of his experience as a chef. The cuisine is Alsatian, with a mix of French and German influences, and takes cues from the region’s traditional brasseries.
“That’s why I love [New York]: mixing cultures, mixing different kinds of foods and coming into your own interpretation and creating a style,” Kreuther says of his approach. “I cook what I like to eat also. I tell my cooks that if they’re not hungry creating a dish, then there is something wrong with the dish.”
Dishes are designed to be shared with wide appeal across several categories. For starters, there are croquettes seasoned with horseradish and a country farm sausage with sauerkraut, followed by a selection of wood-fired tartes flambées, a cornerstone of Kreuther’s menus for many years. Even the caesar salad makes use of the wood-fire flavor, pairing charred broccoli with boquerones and kohlrabi. The menu also features a selection of house-made pastas and wood-fired entrees, proteins including a juniper-gin cured venison and a classic hanger steak with spinach and fries.
Taking cues from the traditional brewing focus of brasseries, several dishes make use of Saverne’s extensive beer list, including the beer-braised pork belly and an Alsatian beer soup.
“There are a lot of different flavors, and I think there is a little bit of something for everybody,” Kreuther says of the menu’s range. “I want people to be curious. I want people to feel like they can take one extra thing and try it. I want it to be approachable.”
He’s hopeful that sense of discovery will also run through the beverage program, with sommeliers guiding diners to try unexpected wines or an unfamiliar beer.
While many brasseries are anchored in old-fashioned design, Kreuther wanted to lighten the atmosphere. The air room features high ceilings and windows, with views of Hudson Yards’ greenspaces. The design makes use of natural materials — stone surfaces and wooden flooring — a nod toward keeping the connection grounded to the open kitchen. A 12-seat wooden “chefs counter” bar puts guests close to the action, while red leather banquettes are elevated to provide better vantage into the kitchen.
“As cooks, we have fun doing it for the guests, but also I think the guests have fun with us. It’s an exchange. I want really great products done the right way, but in a fun way, and not overly serious,” Kreuther says. “You’re going out to have a good time.”
