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Despite all the ink that's been spilled over Grayz, Gray Kunz's bar (with bites!) at the former Aquavit townhouse, it was the well-scrubbed bartender who, in between refilling bowls of oversized cassava chips, actually answered one of the main questions hanging over the place’s well-coiffed head.

“The critics need to realize that we are not going for three stars here,” said the soft-spoken ‘keep after pouring a $14 Loretto (Makers Mark, port and maple syrup chilled with a wedge of bourbon-glazed pineapple). He was responding to my grilling about Kunz’s supposed mission (small plates, cozy nooks, private dining for corporate—and chef-worshipping—clients), the crowd (Varvatos, Zegna, J. Lindeberg…suits) and how there was confusion about what the hell was going on at the long-delayed opening.  

And although the initial perception of the East 54th Street townhouse may have been foggy as best—bar? Restaurant? Rich-guy feeding trough?—Kunz exceptionally refined, Asian-leaning (though European-grounded) cooking had no such identity crisis.

Tender weisswurst ($13) arrived steaming in a traditional bath of hot water and paired with sweet mustard and a crunchy pretzel. A knife was unneeded to break the natural cashing to get at the tender meat. The truffle foie gras ($22) was seared perfectly and served with parsnip puree, chanterelles and a sweet port reduction, a showy and decadent dish laden with expensive ingredients (the chanterelles were only there in name) that borrows from the Burger King “meat on top of meat” philosophy.

But not all the fine finger food soared. The crisp calamari ($12) hyped by the server was breaded with graham crackers and cream of wheat and hung seriously flat on the palate, lacking any real sweetness, saltiness or even grease. Served in two cones made from white napkins, the dish was fun to look at and read about, but far too precious (and flavorless). Fussy smoked salmon and caviar ($17) arrived literally as bites on three spoons (annoyingly for a table of two), and was beyond bitter, even when dolloped with a hint of bourbon-spiked maple syrup.

But amidst the Blackberry mashing, clinks of $23 glasses of Shiraz and even the small, sharable portions of the first courses (all earmarks of an upscale lounge), it was the braised short rib that sealed the deal that this is a restaurant, a pretty good one featuring some noteworthy misfires.

With this dish, Kunz riffs on an American steak-house classic by serving his beef (and rich braising liquid) along side a scoop of creamed spinach. Once again the meat was perfectly cooked and required only a fork to tear apart. (We witnessed two older suits in suspenders each wolf down the $39 plate in three minutes flat. Only years of a padded expense account can prepare one for that.) This is a Kunz classic, served today at two-star Café Gray and before that at the shuttered Lespinasse—which was awarded four stars by Ruth Reichel in 1994. It illustrates the chef’s perfectionism and refined cooking techniques, which should be judged and celebrated and, ultimately, slapped with some stars (three in our case).

Photo by Melissa Hom

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