Although food pundits and prophets are busily proclaiming the demise of nouvelle cuisine and the return to favor of steaks, chops, hearty stews, and old-fashioned alliances of red meat, potatoes, and gravy, Anne Finance, owner/manager of N.E.W. Cuisine, is betting otherwise. This small bistrolike River North eatery emphasizes grains, vegetables, and fruit; the animal kingdom is represented only by fish–the finny variety, for shellfish, as well as mammals and fowl, have been banned to keep cholesterol down. On the other hand, N.E.W. Cuisine is not your basic bean-sprouts-and-brown-rice parlor–whose typical clienteles George Orwell once dismissed as “bearded fruit juice drinkers and high-minded female sandal wearers.” While it shares with those modest establishments an emphasis on fresh, wholesome ingredients, it also offers variety, imaginative combinations, complex preparation, and the attention to visual presentation and garniture characteristic of more ambitious restaurants.
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The decor reflects a concern for comfort, even elegance. Its second-floor location requires climbing some steep stairs, but once inside you’ll find linen-covered tables, cloth napkins, bentwood chairs, and handsome cutlery. Walls are white; the high, beamed ceiling is painted black for contrast and punctuated by bright red ventilation ducts and track lighting. Near the entrance, a glass-enclosed counter displays wines and pastries. Wooden pillars break the space, as do a few anemic-looking plants. In keeping with the current vogue in restaurant design, it looks like, and is, an industrial space that has been turned into a restaurant.
For entrees we chose sauteed salmon in fresh ginger with spinach fettucine ($13.50) and cabbage farci ($10.50). The salmon came rare in the center, as requested, and was indubitably fresh. Surrounded by green noodles, and flanked by two wedges of lemon, it made a pleasant presentation. Unfortunately, it was a bit too simply prepared. There wasn’t enough sauce, and what there was lacked oomph. The spinach fettucine was simply boiled green noodles. Cabbage farci was more interesting, cabbage leaves rolled around nuts and cheese, served with a star-shaped timbale of rice and a fresh tomato coulis. It tasted sweet, crunchy, and tangy–a fun dish, the kind one puts together in a crazy mood and is surprised by when it turns out so well. Other entrees offered periodically include a tart of leeks and chevre, or leeks and gruyere ($8.75); hazelnut zucchini terrine ($8.75); bluefish en papillote ($12.75), and eggplant stuffed with vegetables, nuts, and cheese, served with basil rice ($10.75).
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jon Randolph.
