OPENING: Hildur
A French Bistro with a Scandinavian heart opens in DUMBO (and there will be homemade Swedish Fish).
Thirteen years is a long time for a restaurant, particularly in New York where diners are constantly lured by the next shiny new thing. Even neighborhood restaurants with a solid reputation can get a bit dull and dusty, in need of a fresh perspective. Which is what happened with Gran Electrica, the festive Mexican restaurant with a magical margarita-friendly backyard, opened by the Colonie team a dozen plus years ago on Front Street. It was a great concept (with fabulous wallpaper!) but then it just was, well, sort of stuck and stagnating.
“It’s such a special spot, but the last few years have felt a little tired, and we felt it was time for a refresh,” said co-owner Emelie Kihlstrom. “We love our landlord and wanted to stay in the neighborhood and try something different and a little bit unique.”
Enter Hildur, named for Emelie’s grandmother – a French bistro that leans into her childhood memories from a youth spent in Stockholm. “I come from a long line of ancestral female cooks, and I spent a lot of time cooking with both of my grandparents,” she said. “My favorite thing was being in the kitchen with them. They used a lot of French techniques and did beautiful breads and sauces and patés. It was really beyond what people were cooking then.”
Hildur is her fourth restaurant with business partner Elise Rosenberg. The two met in 2004 while they were running Michelin-starred Public and went on to open Brooklyn’s beloved Colonie, Pips and Gran Electrica over the next two decades. With Hildur, Emelie and Elise are leaning into the feminine energy of the space and their namesake: “Hildur is a nordic name that means battle. We felt that really suited the time we are in,” said Elise. Truth.
The menu by Executive Chef Brennan Taulbee (an alum of Colonie), offers appealing and approachable bistro fare, but with some fun twists and turns into dark bread, pickled things, ferments, and complex rustic flavors that make it a bit more interesting than your average steak frites joint.
Pickled herring, yes, comes with dollops of creme fraiche, but also a hunk of fried rye, a soft egg and flurry of dill. Melted Onion Soup gets topped with crispy leeks and rye bread; and yes, more rye for the fat gougères stuffed with gobs of melted comté.
Roast chicken, garlanded with turnips, yellowfoot mushrooms and a bright sauce vert, tastes like something Granny cooked up to warm you up after a trek in the winter forest. Swedish Meatballs get a little bistro makeover with au poivre sauce coming in with lingonberry and pickled cucumber; Charred Cabbage gets paired with a beautiful beurre blanc and trout roe. There’s also a big badass burger fit for a Viking topped with gruyere with house pickles and dijon. Yes, please.
Brennan is also planning a menu for kids served on a hand-drawn Pippi Longstocking placemat, with easy weeknight dinners like grilled cheese, Swedish meatballs, and roast chicken. There’s also a Swedish dessert, a Princess Cake, served as a pastry with a French twist of caramelized creme diplomat.
I love a good cocktail, so I’m pretty excited about what Abraham Zumba is cooking up at the bar. The alum of of Bathtub Gin is crafting drinks heavy on house made ferments and sodas, lots of clarification, and teas set up with bright flavors for some unexpected cocktails.
His martini section includes a Mirepoix Martini that’s stirred from vodka and dry vermouth and comes with a sidecar of homemade “mirepoix caviar,” a spherification of celery, shallot, and carrot liquid. So cool. A house made lingonberry soda shows up in the Lingon Baby, mixed with whiskey, lingonberry, alpine liqueur, lemon, and soda garnished with housemade Swedish fish! The Kobe is a Danish-inspired drink based on a popular popsicle similar to a creamsicle; the drink is tropical but wintery, like an island vacation in a snowstorm, a mix of rum, combier, pineapple, orange, cardamom cream, and nutmeg.
The space, like Colonie and Pips, is inviting and warm, with a flirtatious and feminine beauty and glow. The team has filled the iconic 200 year old building with graceful touches like plaster walls, raw concrete, lots of oak, striking brass details and taper candles that give the place the feel of a Brownstone home. The secret garden out back remains, waiting for the thaw. See you there!
Hildur will open Friday February 14th. Hours are 7 days a week for dinner, brunch coming soon. Hildur is located at 5 Front Street in DUMBO. Reserve here or walk in.