In the current dining scene, where ’farm-to-table’ menus have become almost a standard expectation, chef Greg Baxtrom and former colleague Ian Rothman, have taken the concept to another level, by bringing the tables directly into the garden at their new Brooklyn restaurant, Olmsted.
Baxtrom established his reputation headlining at the renowned Alinea Chicago, Per Se and Atera in NYC, but for his first solo venture he wanted to create something a bit more laid-back and grounded. At the new Prospect Heights neighbourhood eatery, the menu is ingredient-driven, strictly seasonal and affordable, while the atmosphere is equally approachable and organic.
Named after Frederick Law Olmsted, the mastermind landscape architect behind Central Park and nearby Prospect Park, the experience at Olmsted begins, appropriately, among the roots. In the restaurant’s serene backyard, fiddlehead ferns, asparagus, snap peas and radishes are grown, harvested and served up to diners as they relax on custom pine benches in the horseshoe-shaped garden. A full snack and drink menu is served al fresco allowing diners to nosh on snap pea sushi, refreshing radish top gazpacho with smoked trout roe and crawfish boil crackers before heading inside the airy interiors for dinner.
Baxtrom and Rothman led the design and build-out of the space, soliciting help from Baxtrom’s carpenter father, Mike. The 50-seat restaurant features an open kitchen with chef’s counter seating, a 12-seat central bar and living green wall that will extend down the white brick walls to the maple and walnut butcher block tables. Statuary marble countertops are juxtaposed against repurposed wood salvaged from Baxtrom’s family barn on their farm outside of Chicago, yet another layer of bringing the farm experience into Brooklyn.
INFORMATION
-
Hanker after a 1970s supercar? The Encor Series 1 elevates the Lotus Esprit to a new levelThis limited-edition remastering of the dramatic wedge-shaped Lotus Esprit stops at nothing to improve and enhance the original without losing sight of its analogue excellence
-
A new photo book takes you behind the scenes of some of cinema's most beloved films, from 'Fargo' to 'Charlie's Angels'Set decorator Lauri Gaffin captures Hollywood's quieter moments in an arresting new book
-
This sculptural London seafood restaurant was shaped by ‘the emotions of the sea’In Hanover Square, Mazarine pairs a bold, pearlescent interior with modern coastal cuisine led by ‘bistronomy’ pioneer chef Thierry Laborde
-
A local’s guide to Miami by gallerist Nina JohnsonAs Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 kicks off, gallerist Nina Johnson shares her hometown essentials – from art museums to where to eat, drink and shop
-
The W New York, Union Square gets a grown-up revamp by Rockwell GroupThe noughties hotspot has reopened with a more mature – yet never muted –new look. Wallpaper* checks in
-
An around-the-world art tour with RosewoodFrom London to New York, Amsterdam and São Paulo, the hotel group showcases curated art that reflects the unique local context
-
Dior’s new Beverly Hills dining salon raises the bar for couture cuisineFrom Peter Marino’s onyx bar and faceted mirrored walls to Nicole Wittenberg’s vast, immersive botanical canvas, Dior’s first restaurant outside Paris is here
-
This new Los Angeles restaurant is a mischievous blend of dive bar and 'psychedelic honky tonk'At Marvito, small-batch tequila and a classic rock soundtrack create a delightfully nostalgic night out
-
Fantasy – and incredible seafood – await at Carbone Riviera, now open at the Bellagio in Las VegasInterior design powerhouse Martin Brudnizki drew on the Côte d'Azur and Picasso’s ceramics for Major Food Group’s latest Sin City outpost
-
At Café Zaffri in New York, history is served with a rebellious streakThe team behind Raf's unveils a new Union Square haunt that dishes up redefined Levantine cuisine in a reimagined Old New York dining room
-
Welcome to Polymath Park, where you can spend the night in a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieceA pair of determined Wright devotees have turned four endangered modernist houses into an overnight design retreat
