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The New York’s takeout boxes say so much.
As you lift tabs and fold back lids, you see the kitchen isn’t merely packing a meal to withstand the jostles and sloshes inherent to the drive home. Aromas waft — sometimes smoky, sometimes subtle — as dishes emerge ablaze with colour and texture. This kitchen prepares those paper boxes as if they were plates meant for their dining room.
“I’m all about flavour. I’m all about colour. I’m all about texture. I believe in presentation,” says The New York’s executive chef, Carl Scammell. “My personal belief is I want everybody who sits in our dining room, or gets our food to take out, to be treated like I care about them.”
The New York is a newish pub that took over from the former Village Well in Cambridge’s Hespeler area. Bars can be a difficult go at the best of times, but opening one in the throes of the pandemic meant quick pivots early in its 14-month life. One of those early pivots was a culinary reset.
Scammell joined the team a couple of months after opening, and immediately charted a different course for the pub’s menu. He didn’t emulate chains or rely heavily on processed foods. Instead, the George Brown graduate drew on his fine and casual dining background and his experiences cooking across Canada and in Louisiana to craft his vision. And that vision — a scratch-made upscale casual take on contemporary pub dishes — is winning over locals.
As happens every so often, my review visit coincides with a menu change. This time, I arrived during the last weeks of their spring-summer offerings. Their autumn-winter menu is set to launch this week, inspired by The Big Apple, The Big Easy, and a nod or two to Big Ben.
While most dishes I’m writing about won’t be available (the Aloo Gobi and New York Cheesecake will stay), this sampling makes it clear some very good things are emerging from this pub’s kitchen.
“I have a tremendous kitchen team. Yes, the creativity comes from me, but they are willing to do anything I ask. I can’t do this by myself because I need them to help me get better at what we do. I give them a lot of credit,” says Scammell.
Drizzled with a honey-kissed yogurty-clementine dressing, the Sunshine Salad ($14.50) — a tumble of cranberries, clementines, red onions, and almond flakes with spinach and frizzy leaves — is a well-crafted and generous classic.
Served on a house-made pretzel roll and topped with Cheddar and Swiss, the Triple Cheese Hoagie ($13) is broiled until the goat cheese is dappled and the cherry tomatoes burst. Fresh basil provides an anisey nip to this tangy, sweet, salty, meaty, summer sandwich. I’m glad I didn’t turn down the Beef Gravy ($2.75) for the fries.
Although the kitchen does very well with Western dishes, it wobbles slightly when venturing further afield. The optional Grilled Chicken Thighs ($7.50) are a good smoky addition to the Vermicelli Noodle Salad’s ($13.50) springy tangle of rice noodles and crisp vegetables. But the cinnamony sweet dressing could use more of a salty-savoury rumble and sprightly squeeze of lime. Placid gravy swathes buttery soft potatoes in the Aloo Gobi’s ($15.50) placid gravy but because the cauliflower was cut to irregular sizes, its doneness ranged from tender-crisp to overcooked.
A place called The New York needs to have a good cheesecake, and here they do. Their New York Cheesecake with Drunken Cherry Sauce ($8.50) is tall, rich and dense with a hint of colour. Rather than a gloopy, cloying electric red cherry sauce, plump bing cherries are poached in red wine. The result is a gorgeous, deeply flavoured and coloured sauce. A more generous person than I would have shared.
There’s an almost-forgotten generosity of culinary spirit wrapped in contemporary style in this Cambridge pub. With friendly service out front and skilled hands in the kitchen, it’s time for some Big Apple dreamin’ at The New York.
The New York
19 Queen St. E., Cambridge
519-260-0062
Facebook: @thenewyorkcambridge
Instagram: @thenewyorkcambridge
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday: 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday: 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturday: 2 p.m. to midnight; Sunday: noon to 8 p.m.; Monday: closed.
Menu: Upscale casual dishes focusing and contemporary pub fare. Seasonal menus feature very good scratch-made dishes. Some plant-based options and gluten-free options (wheat and nuts are in the kitchen). Some dishes can be adapted to dietary needs. Halal chicken. Check Facebook for special menus and events.
Drinks: Fully stocked bar. Craft, local, and popular beers. Accessible Old World, New World and Ontario wines. Craft cocktails. Beers, spirits and wines available for pickup.
Payment: Cash, debit, Mastercard, Visa, American Express.
How to get your food: Dine-in: Bar and dining room. Reservations recommended. Preordered pickup: Phone to place your order. Walk-in. No Delivery.
Accessibility: Fair: Wheelchair users will need assistance entering the restaurant as there is no ramp to manoeuvre the step up. High stools and tables in the bar room. Dining room is friendly to the mobility impaired. Washroom appears large enough for a wheelchair. Menu is clear and easy to read. Lighting is good. Television is not obtrusive. Street parking and public parking lots within a short walk.
The Bill: $85.03 for two dinner salads and mains; and one dessert.
Ordering food in the time of coronavirus: As restaurants are making decisions on a day-to-day basis, please check their social media or call them for updates. Lists of restaurants operating while dining rooms are closed can be found at https://bit.ly/3d2JV74 and wilmotstrongertogether.ca; a crowdsourced list is on Facebook’s Food In The Waterloo Region at bit.ly/3d1cKAX
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