Rouge Tomate, “The Red Tomato,” represents a passion for food or a moment of pleasure. It is also the name of a “unique restaurant experience rooted in timeless interior design and a balanced approach to sourcing, preparing and enhancing food,” said Nil Sonmez, the managing partner.
As I stood on extravagant and lively 60th Street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Barry Manilow’s song “Copacabana” played in my mind, along with the vibrating sounds of Latino music. The restaurant’s location was once home to the Latino nightclub The Copa or Copabana. It is now home to Rouge Tomate, which transports you into a magical forest while presenting the spirit of New American cuisine.
Executive Chef Jeremy Bearman offers an exceptional menu amid heaven-sent serenity and harmony. Although the venue is always bustling with guests, there is a sense of quietness as you enter. Creatively multileveled, with a modern marvel interior, this restaurant features many rooms to please your mood, with some private and some semiprivate rooms.
The restaurant’s design, by the firm of Bentel & Bentel, has brilliantly blended the natural elements of wood, light, water, and foliage to emphasize the connection with nature.
Three floor-to-ceiling photos of oak trees with contrasting green leaves are the “foliage.” They capture the essence of summer, creating a sense of strength and wisdom. Being among nature leads to a sense of quietness, simplicity, and elegance that actually permeates the entire restaurant.
The Michelin-star-rated eatery delivers an addictive, sensory experience of excellent food coupled with warm and knowledgeable service. It is dedicated to serving the best quality, organic, sustainable, and natural ingredients, all the while using energy-efficient equipment. The restaurant also has a three-star green rating awarded by the Green Restaurant Association.
The venue serves sophisticated New American cuisine by following the SPE formula—Sanitas Per Escam, or Health through Food. Natalia Hancock, a trained cook and full-time nutritionist works with Executive Chef Jeremy Bearman and Executive Pastry Chef James Distefano.
A good meal should not only taste good but also make you feel better. Unlike at most places, one feels energized after a three-course meal at Rouge Tomate.
One’s visit might start with a cocktail at the curved oak bar in the upper dining area, sipping healthy and satisfying cocktails prepared by one of France’s most acclaimed sommeliers, Pascaline Lepeltier. She carefully selects organic wines from local producers and from different parts of the world, serving many biodynamic and sustainable wines at reasonable prices, ranging by the glass from $9 to $18, or by the half bottle at $20.
All sodas, triple sec, and bitters are made in-house. Some of the smart mixes include the Cucumber Cooler—a mixture of cucumber, lemon, seltzer, and dill, that herb the Russians cannot live without! A Green Tornado is a blend of tarragon, spinach, basil, and butter lettuce, with mint and lemon juice.
The menu items vary considerably, with the focus on New American cuisine, with a nod to the Mediterranean. The restaurant applies scientific methods to obtain the maximum nutrition, synergy, color, and flavor of every dish served.
There is neither grilling nor frying. Neither is there butter, nor is there cream, and there is control over salt and sugar. Servings are mini piatti—small plates, to allow the diner to enjoy a larger selection of food. The process calls for creative and meticulous work by renowned chefs Bearman and Distefano. They create dishes and desserts that are feasts for the eyes, bursting with flavors.
The kitchen masters’ immaculate skills create incredibly imaginative dishes, with a careful eye for simple and unpretentious presentations that are not easy to obtain. Maintaining the right ratio between protein and vegetables, nuts and fruits, salt and sweet, presents challenges.
Chef Distefano told me that he always chooses the ingredients first and then thinks about showcasing that ingredient. He is certain to emphasize what is in season.
“When the Concord grapes are in season, I always relate them to cream cheese and jelly; instead of cream cheese, I use local sustainable quark and farmer’s cheese with Concord grapes,” he explains.
His skills are challenged because he is limited to not using sugar and flour. “It is good because it forces me to think out of the box. I welcome that. It is as if going from black and white television to high-definition television.”
Dinner Delight
Let us journey into guiltless, satisfying culinary bliss.
Diners can begin with a combination of starters—there’s an endless array of choices available that can be shared. Two selections transported me to my childhood days, remembering the food my mother used to prepare: the Heirloom Eggplant Caponata with La Quercia Prosciutto and golden raisin, and the Market Squash Ratatouille with Sheep’s Milk Ricotta and thyme. Their soft and smooth hidden flavors of herbs seep through your palate. Prices are $5 for one, $13 for three, and $20 for five.
The amazing Tombo Tuna Poke ($10) is mixed with edamame, which are sometimes hard to eat, yet mix well with sweet corn, heart of palm, and sesame. All is tossed together with chunks of tuna.
Looking irresistibly beautiful is the Honeycrisp Apple and Baby Beet Salad with walnut, celery, horseradish yogurt, and honey vinegar ($13). A bite of this will make you want to dance with pleasure, but the one dish that I will never have enough of is the Hawaiian Walu Crudo ($17), a combination of avocado, yuzu, soy, jicama, jalapeno, and lemongrass-ginger oil. It provides an elegant, refined taste of Asia, with all ingredients diffusing lively gentleness, like a soft kiss on your cheek.
There is also the Maine Lobster Agnolotti ($15) with sweet corn, tomato, sea urchin, and basil—awakening your senses. The moment I had a bite, I thought I went to heaven. The clean and sweet flavor of the sea urchin, sometimes referred to as the fois gras of the ocean, is a delicacy that should be appreciated. It offers gentleness, similar to slow and long musical notes.
The desserts are exciting and pleasing. All are prepared in-house. The refreshing creamy sorbets ($10) are seasonal. The Coconut Lemon Grass, the Blackberry, and the Peach yogurts are unusual because they are creamy and not sweet.
The Hawthorne Valley Cheesecake looked as if it fell from a painting onto your plate. It is made with Concord grapes, buttermilk ice cream, and is accompanied by a whole-wheat sable—a masterful chef’s creations.
There is so much more to Rouge Tomate; try it at least once and see if you do not get addicted to it. It is an equally ideal place for large celebrations or an intimate rendezvous.
Rouge Tomate is open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, offering private dining and special events.
10 E. 60th St. (between Madison and Fifth avenues), New York, N.Y. 646-237-8977. Rougetomatenyc.com.
