Lifestyle

The Taste of Tin dinner series featured a dish from several restaurants you’ll find at the Tin Building. | Photo credit: Grant Hao-Wei Lin

We all know the drill: you and your friends want to go out but you can’t figure out what you want. Some of you truly would be happy with anything, while others are too nice to say that you’re not in the mood for that one place. 

Instead of letting this oft-repeated ritual lay claim to yet another one of those nights where you all opt to go to the neighborhood pizza spot and proclaim that the next time, you’re going to that place you were reminded of mid- mid pizza bite, how about heading to a place that has it all?

Enter the Tin Building. Located in the Seaport and boasting great views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, the Tin Building by Jean-Georges brings a new definition to the classic food hall. Filled to the brim with specialty shops, grocery stores, and more cafes, restaurants, and bars per square foot than you managed to fit in your Sims superblock community, the Tin Building truly has it all. Whether you need freshly cut flowers or are trying desperately to find that gourmet French cheese you tried when you studied abroad, the Tin Building is where you’ll find it.

The tuna tartare with lotus root chips. | Photo credit: Grant Hao-Wei Lin

Everyone from the on-the-go New Yorker looking for a quick coffee to the visiting from out-of-town family looking for a memorable sit-down meal will find something for them in the Tin Building’s two-story footprint. Through a multi-year effort, world-renowned Chef Jean-Gorges Vongerichten was inspired to create the Tin Building based on his many years of eating various cuisines while traveling around the world, and of course, those from his native French home. One can grab a coffee from T. Cafe, a pastry from the T. Brasserie, and for lunch, a sandwich, taco or salad from the multitude of other eateries in the building.

Chefs checking in on the bass. | Photo credit: Grant Hao-Wei Lin

Dinner and drinks really are where the Tin Building shines. Last week, The Knockturnal was invited to a special Taste of Tin dinner series that highlighted just a couple of the myriad choices you can choose for dinner in the building. The Taste of Tin dinner series featured a five-course meal that was each paired with a wine chosen by the building’s beverage directors that you will be sure to find on your next visit. 

Sitting at two large communal tables with people who would later become friends, we knew we were in for a treat when the night began with clam chowder and champagne. I spoke with Wes, one of the sommeliers for the night, about a Skurnik-imported wine (one of my favorite distributors in the city– no wine they import will steer you astray), and he mentioned just how quickly diners are requesting the perfect wine pairing for each dish, let alone a meal, and how much fun he’s having choosing the wines. Our experience was no different. 

First up was a yellowfin tuna tartare that was paired with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, just a stone’s throw from

Preparing the sea bass | Photo credit: Grant Hao-Wei Lin

Sancerre. The wine’s citrus notes brought out the tartare’s lime and chili flavors, but I think the real winner of the dish was the crispy lotus root chips that acted as an unconventionally perfect vessel for the tartare, something you’ll find at the Fulton Fish Co. as soon as you walk into the building.

Next up was a butternut squash agnolotti, a quality dish found at the Italian-French fusion restaurant, The Frenchman’s Dough. Paired with a buttery chardonnay from Domaine Jerome Fornerot, the agnolotti immediately melted in your mouth as you tried to scoop as much of the basil and butternut jus at the bottom.

The steamed black sea bass might take it home for me and the four people around me that I did little cajoling to admit was their favorite dish. Paired with a German riesling from Dönnhoff (another Skurnik wine!), the bass was topped with ginger, scallion, red chili and coriander that left the whole table asking for more. Luckily you can get it too at the Tin Building’s  Chinese-inspired restaurant, House of the Red Pearl.

Is it art or is it dessert? Poached pear with a dark chocolate brownie. | Photo credit: Grant Hao-Wei Lin

Just when we thought we had seen it all, a 28 oz. bone-in ribeye served with potato puree and roasted brussels sprouts was laid before us as was a 2019 Bordeaux blend from Chateau Les Grands Sillons. Reader, believe me when I say the whole table let out a collective “ahh” as we all managed to find extra room for the steak. Juicy, tender, and cooked to perfection with each bite reminding you of the care and attention that went into its preparation. Asking for seconds was encouraged, but by the time a few guests asked for thirds and fourths, the steak was, rather obviously, already devoured. Instead, we all know now to head to T. Brasserie for that special treat once again.

Not too long afterward, our plates were once again filled with a part-art piece, part-delectable dessert: a poached green

Two communal tables left us with filled stomachs and great friends | Photo credit: Grant Hao-Wei Lin

Clapp pear with a dark chocolate brownie, pear sorbet, and a whipped dark chocolate ganache. Again served with a Skurnik-imported wine – this time, a Banyuls from the Languedoc – the dish was almost too beautiful to cut into. Plating was half the artwork, however, because that feeling soon waned as the table took their first bite and voraciously wanted more of the sweet poached pear and bitter dark chocolate. 

The Taste of Tin dinner series truly showcased what the Tin Building has to offer, and that was just a small percentage of everything else we can find in the food hall. So next time you and your friends are having trouble deciding what to eat, make your way to the Seaport and you’ll find something for everybody.