One of New York’s most romantic restaurants, at least in the eyes of Citysearch, Zagat and those typing “romantic New York restaurant” into Google, has long been One if by Land, Two if by Sea, a candlelit carriage house tucked mid-block on Barrow Street in the Village. And even though the place has always been crowded (funny how Google does that), the actual food being served was as timely as the 18th-century brick lining the walls: beef Wellington, chicken Kiev, chocolate soufflé. Or the cuisine from your great aunt’s 80th-birthday bash at the Fishkill Ramada.

Craig Hopson was hired last fall to dust the musty menu. Previously a number two at Picholine (and Star Chef’s Rising Chef Award winner), the Australian brings a fine French background—Restaurant Guy Savoy and Lucas Carton—and flair for whimsy to his $75 prix fixe: Hopson, a longtime fan of kitchen gadgetry, was doing sous-vide with Alain Senderens around the time “Top Chef” baddie Marcel Vigneron was learning to pair hot dogs with boxed mac-and-cheese. And like a “Chef” frontrunner, Hopson serves complex dishes with a clear intent for theatrics.

Cobbler made with wild mushrooms, parmesan and sunchoke “Chantilly” wildly riffs on the Southern peach dessert, while a rich Gruyère puff pastry is called gnocchi (“Parisian-style” according its creator) and is served with snails soaked in Burgundy. And in an obvious bone thrown to the regulars, beef Wellington stayed on the menu, but accompanied with not only root vegetables but foie gras sabayon.

We recently spoke with Hopson about cooking light, sunchokes and New York’s Australian “pub grub” scene.

You moved yesterday. How was that?
Fucking terrible! The guys were there from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and now there are boxes everywhere. I moved from the Upper East Side to Tribeca, which is nice because it’s closer to the restaurant.

What are some of the Tribeca spots you are happy to be nearby now?
I’ve got Nobu, The Harrison and Tribeca Grill nearby. Devin Tavern too.

So what had you heard about One if by Land, Two if by Sea before you took over the kitchen?
I knew what pretty much everybody else knew: that it was a really romantic restaurant with not much of a reputation for good food. It was old-fashioned, if you like.

Had you ever eaten there?  
After I interviewed, the owner Oscar [Proust] wanted me to come in for dinner to see what I thought.

Did you pull a Gordon Ramsay and vomit in the bathroom before the second course?
Nothing like that [laughing]. I mean, the food was OK. Nothing good, nothing bad. Desserts were terrible, and there were huge portions.

What was your vision when you overhauled the menu?
To offer food that was fresher and cleaner-tasting. They used to have 10 to 20 vegetables on the plate, and the sauces were so heavy. My style of cooking is lighter. I try to cut back on the oils and butters as much as possible. I prefer a vinaigrette with meat, rather than a heavy jus. I like spice and acidity, things that liven the palette.

What are some of the new dishes?
I have turbot poached in a broth made with coconut milk, served with cauliflower puree,  pickled mango, peekytoe crab and sea beans, with an additional crab reduction…to give it that punch!

I think your Gruyère gnocchi is, to bite Bruni, “heavenly.”
Well, I am pretty proud of that dish, and it’s starting to become a signature.

What does one of New York’s most romantic restaurants have planned for Valentine’s Day?
I haven’t really determined what dishes I am going to do, but it’s going to be a $95 prix fixe menu complete with luxury ingredients like lobster, foie gras and caviar, as well as some aphrodisiac dishes. Obviously oysters. Maybe cote de boeuf or a veal rib for two.

What is your favorite winter ingredient?
Sunchokes. They have such a pronounced and unique flavor…sorta earthy and nutty. On our tasting menu we have sunchoke puree with squab. I also do a mushroom crumble with wild mushrooms in a tart shell with a parmesan crumble mix on top. I then add a sunchoke mousse on top.  

In the last five years Australian food has really emerged in New York. What spots do it right?
There are bars that do the Australian pub food right. The Sunburnt Cow and Bondi Road are great. There is a big British influence in Australia, particularly with the seafood, so there is a lot of fish and chips. Most of the fish is flown in from New Zealand, but I tell you I have had shipments of John Dory where you open up the case and the fish is fresher than the wild striped bass that was caught off Long Island. Also, Lammington cake is great!   

Is there a bar that you like to go out to after service?
BarFry is a lot of fun, and they are open late, which is a bonus.

It seems like Josh DeChellis has been catching some heat from blogs recently, even though you and Joey Campanaro have called it out as a favorite…
Right, I read some stuff [long pause]. I like the wasabi peas, which is pea leaves and sugar snap peas with a wasabi dressing. It’s a great tongue-and-cheek take on deli wasabi peas.

Photo by Melissa Hom