The New Park & Orchard
Refining the Art of Farm-to-Table Cuisine
It’s a gorgeous Tuesday at 10 am—the kind of warm, sunshiny June morning that seems to promise a great summer. I arrive at Park & Orchard restaurant at 240 Hackensack Street in East Rutherford, a block away from the corner of Park and Orchard Streets, and the bustling downtown scene. The unassuming location is a familiar one to local foodies; it’s the site of the same-named landmark restaurant created in 1981 by Buddy and Ken Gebhardt, who, by all accounts, were innovators who offered farm-to-table cuisine a good decade or two ahead of the current trend.
Brothers Gebhardt operated their business until just about this time last year, when, after 34 years, they retired and sold the restaurant to friends, restaurateurs David Madison and Andrew Guarino, who kept the name along with an abiding dedication to guest-focused, sustainable eating. After nine months of painstaking renovations, Madison and Guarino opened the doors of their new establishment just eight weeks ago, in April. I’m here to see what they’ve created.
I’m greeted at the door by executive chef Christopher Albrecht, a convivial yet calm personality who has been here since earlier in the morning prepping for the day’s lunch service that begins at noon. I can tell in an instant that Albrecht is both earnest and excited about showing me what makes this new place unique. He brings me inside, and I immediately recognize that this restaurant remains the same in name only. Sleek, charcoal walls have replaced the former sage; mahogany wooden flooring lies in place of black and white diagonal tiles. The new seating consists primarily of intimate booths composed of leather bench seating and wooden tables, each of which has its own distinct focus from precisely positioned overhead lights. Exposed brick rounds out what the new owners call an “industrial chic” ambience.
As Albrecht seamlessly begins a tour of the dining room, he speaks articulately about everything from the environmental ethos of this new eatery, to the aforementioned lighting, to the stools for the new bar that now lines the far right wall. About the stools, Albrecht tells me that I really need to check them out before I leave. “They may be the most comfortable bar stools you’ve ever experienced,” he says, and I make a mental note to make sure I try one out to see if he is a man of his word.
For their part, the overhead lights in the dining room serve as spotlights on each individual table to place attention where it should be, on the plate. “The food is meant to pop when it hits the table,” Albrecht explains, “and the lighting really creates a cozy atmosphere in each individual booth.” As he says these sorts of things, I recognize that my instincts about him were correct: He is at once erudite and down to earth—deeply knowledgeable about that of which he speaks, and passionate, yet practical, when doing so. We walk, and we talk, and I find Albrecht describing both larger concepts and all the little details with the insight and thoughtfulness of an artist—or an engineer.
This is fitting for a chef who, after training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, spent his early career under the tutelage of “Top Chef” Tom Colicchio—first on the line at Gramercy Tavern for three years, then as a pastry chef with Gramercy’s James Beard Award-winning Claudia Fleming for another three. Albrecht then served as sous chef at the iconic Craft in Manhattan until he was named chef de cuisine in 2002 of the new Craftsteak at the MGM Grand, Colicchio’s gamble to build his brand in Las Vegas at a time when fine-dining brands were popping up all over the Strip. The gamble paid off: Craftsteak was bestowed Las Vegas Life magazine‘s Epicurean (“Eppy”) Award for Best New Restaurant in 2003, as well as Best Steakhouse in 2005. During this time Albrecht also managed another one of Colicchio’s concepts, the artisanal sandwich shop, ‘wichcraft.
Albrecht then found himself back on the East Coast to open the much-anticipated Craftsteak in New York, a venture that was met with mixed reviews. In all fairness, Albrecht explains, “it was a time when chefs were being maligned for opening these palaces of excess—300-seat restaurants with ridiculous rent numbers that were just seemingly unsustainable.” After 12 years together, Colicchio and Albrecht parted ways, and the latter came back to his native New Jersey to work on a couple projects, including the historically serene and successful farm-to-table restaurant, The Farmhouse at The Grand Colonial in Hampton.
In 2007, Albrecht hooked up with restaurateurs in the Princeton area, brothers Carlo and Raul Momo, who were opening Eno Terra, a restaurant and wine bar in Kingston focused on the “principles of regionalism and seasonality.” Albrecht provided vision and direction for the venture, which sourced its menu items from local farmers and fishermen, grass-fed beef and poultry producers, and harvests from what ultimately became the eponymous EnoTerra Canal Farm. “I worked with them for seven years, and it was an incredibly satisfying time,” Albrecht says. “While we opened up Eno Terra, we also integrated the farm a half mile away to grow all of our produce—250+ varieties of vegetables and herbs, some fruits—and it really gave me an appreciation for what farmers do and what they don’t do. Farmers don’t plant things that they don’t have a market for,” he says. It’s up to chefs to create that market, I later learn. (Along with the knowledge that a goal of the new Park & Orchard is to one day similarly partner with a local farm that will, as Albrecht says, “allow us to have the ingredients that we want—and I’ll say when we want them, but Mother Nature has a bigger role in that.”) Albrecht’s involvement earned Eno Terra huge kudos from the New York Times, which bestowed a rare 4 stars in August 2009.
Albrecht then moved down to Washington, DC to work with the co-op farm eatery, Founding Farmers, where he found himself missing the distinct one-on-one relationships with local producers that had made his time at Eno Terra and Canal Farm so satisfying. “It’s important for me to align with like-minded people who understand that our health is in what we eat. And there’s no better medicine than food,” he says. “And so here we are today, in a restaurant that 34 years ago had the thoughtfulness to serve organic ingredients." He continues, "Whether they knew it or not, they were ahead of their time.”
All of this experience, and respect for what came before, is evident as Albrecht and I make our way through the kitchen to the storerooms to the walk-in freezer. Clearly skilled in his trade, Albrecht sincerely cares about the food he puts on your plate, and throughout our talk he makes clear to me the sentiment that everything his team does is for the sake of flavor. Case in point, this gem: “In flavoring our food, the 'natural' ingredient is obviously the most important thing. For instance, if the chicken doesn’t taste like chicken to begin with, then no matter how many other things I put on it, it won’t taste good. I don’t have ‘powdered chicken’ spice.” And this one, which gets more to the heart of his hands-on sustainable ethos: “'Organic' is important but it is not the ‘be-all, end-all’—Having that relationship with a farmer and talking to him is. Because there are plenty of instances in which you may farm organically—or maybe even better standards than 'organic'—but you don’t choose to be certified. There’s a cost for any farmer for to have this organic certification." He explains, "Frankly, I think that what’s even more important right now is avoiding antibiotics and hormones. These are things that we do not need in our food system. We don’t need it in our bodies outside sort of dire circumstances, and we put them in there because it’s just easier for a farmer to inoculate everyone, and say, ‘Alright, I’m done.’”
Albrecht speaks passionately about all of this stuff, and what’s even better, I don’t feel stupid as he explains it all. What becomes clear to me in no short order is that connections like these—between chefs and small family farms—is what makes for healthier food. And better flavor. “It’s literally in going to the farms, talking to the farmers, walking the fields,” Albrecht explains. Interacting one on one gives him the opportunity to ask questions like, “Hey, can we eat this? What’s that flower? Can we try this?” he says, continuing, “and all of a sudden, you realize, my God, the whole farm is edible!” According to Albrecht, “As part of the cuisine, having a relationship with a farmer is essential if you’re really going to live up to the mantra of ‘farm to table’ because everything we eat comes from a farm. But what kind of farm is it? Not that big is bad, but the bigger it is, the less of an ability to really know what’s going on, especially for artisanal ingredients.”
One of the things Albrecht says he likes to tell cooks and people in general is that if there’s one international language, it’s food. “If I give you a terrific strawberry and we both bite down on that strawberry, it doesn’t matter what language you speak, when you moan, how much more communication do you need? We’ve all just experienced that pleasure.”
It’s a level of thoughtfulness that any patron of Park & Orchard will appreciate. As co-owner Andrew Guarino, who met up with us just after the tour, explained, “The depth of thought that goes into [Albrecht’s] dishes is remarkable to me. He can start at 50,000 feet and he’ll take you right down to below the earth, literally, in the soil.” It’s an ability that comes from an entire career focused on preparing uncomplicated, fresh food.
According to Albrecht, specifically “the farm at Eno Terra, Canal Farm, allowed [him] to understand more of the biology and science behind what we eat.” He then elucidates this most clearly through the analogy of your grandmother’s chicken soup, which, no matter how hard you try, you cannot get it to taste just like hers. Why? Because “the animals are eating different things these days,” Albrecht explains. “And the soil that the vegetables are grown in is completely depleted.” However, he says, “there’s a way to rebuild the mineral content, the nutritional value of the soil, which is thereby absorbed into our food, which is then received by you as flavor.” An example: “You want more flavorful carrots? You have to put more minerals and elements into the soil. Period. That’s the only way.” He continues, “Heirloom varieties are genetically predisposed to pull these from the soil, as opposed to the hybrid stuff today, which is predisposed to look like a carrot, and that’s about it.”
If you haven’t already noticed, it’s worth mentioning that Albrecht’s attention to detail pertains as much to the process as to the end result on the plate. He takes particular pleasure in introducing me to several vegetable components such as garlic scapes and beet greens and how each piece makes its way into various Park & Orchard dishes. Every part is fastidiously labeled by name and date in bins located in the storeroom or the walk-in, and, about the lettuce, harvested yesterday morning, he tells me: “I picked them up myself from the farmer. He cut them between 5 and 6 am—at 6:30 I picked them up, and here they are. And they’re fresher, they have great texture, they have great flavor.” Albrecht is also keen to answer questions related to the placement of appliances and serve-ware in the kitchen; he’s organized it all, just so.
Speaking of the kitchen, it is open to the dining room, framed by the same red-hued wood of the booths. As we had entered, I was cautioned to watch my step. The kitchen is actually situated up two small steps from the dining room—setting a stage, so to speak, for diners. “We want to be transparent about our food, our technique, and our service,” explains Albrecht. “These are the things that are part of what made Park & Orchard so special.”
This stage was a defining characteristic of the new Park & Orchard since its inception, explained co-owner David Madison, with whom I later spoke by phone. “That’s really where the vision started from—It’s like a picture framed out.”
When I asked whether having the kitchen on display like this makes their job more difficult, it’s Guarino who says that the natural rapport between Albrecht and Madison, who serves as the restaurant’s general manager, keeps such tensions in check. The two have known each other since the days of Albrecht’s post as executive chef at Craftsteak in New York. At the time, Madison was working as a general manager for the three brands of Collichio’s Craft Restaurant Group—Craft, Craftsteak, and Craft Bar—opening up restaurants in New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles. “With Chris, I just always had this kind of synergy,” Madison says. “We would go out to dinner socially. We have similar interests—we’re both golfers, we both love the Yankees, we both love music, we’re very passionate about Italian food... the list goes on. We have so much in common, that it was almost a ‘no brainer.’” (Incidentally, “no brainer” was a term that Albrecht used a number of times during our interview.)
Madison continues, “I mean of course I knew that Chris had had some great accolades and accomplishments—all of that I was familiar with—but that’s just one piece of the puzzle, right? There’s been so many teams that get together and they’re just not lined up, even though they’re both stars—Sometimes it just doesn’t work.”
This present-day coupling almost seems like serendipity, which was reignited when, according to Madison, a mutual friend asked him, “‘What does the name Christopher Albrecht mean to you?" Madison replied, "Really good things" and recalls, "It was pretty much instantaneous when I heard the name, and we reconnected. I went down to DC to meet with him and we hung out.” And the rest is (new) history.
It’s important to note that on this stage, there are no Gordon Ramsay-esque meltdowns, no public family fights for all to endure. “He has to be very mindful that he’s on view,” Guarino says of Albrecht, mimicking one of the hand signals that, he says, means “Come get the dish now.” (Albrecht laughs uproariously at this, and at once I’m a firm believer in anything they all have to say about professional relationships built on trust and mutual respect.) Guarino continues, “You know, that kind of nonverbal communication is so important. You can see that they get it. From an owner’s standpoint, I’ve seen them coalesce into a team, and that is amazing to me.”
Guarino continues, “The one thing that’s amazing about David, and as well about Chris, is that they’re never satisfied with where they are. And they’re constantly trying to make things better, and that’s what really attracted me to David in terms of a business partner, and that’s what David brought in with Chris. They’re always looking to take things to another level. And I think in this business—because you earn your wings every day—you have to have that attitude. You can rest on your laurels for a month or two and let the menu get stagnant.”
Clearly, that’s not in the DNA of anyone working here. All three see to it.
As Christopher explains, “On a very basic level, I think people want to be held accountable and we have a staff that wants to be held accountable.” One of the things the Guarino, Madison, and Albrecht apparently excel at is in empowering their staff to be able to talk all of the menu items with guests—the ingredients and where they come from. “Something both challenging and rewarding about that endeavor,” Albrecht explains, “is in training the staff to know 'when to say when,' meaning: There are certain guests who just want to order and they’re not concerned with the backstory. There are other guests who if they don’t get the backstory, they’re not satisfied. So it’s up to us to sort of read you as a guest… Do you just need your steak medium rare? We can do that. Did you also want to know that it’s antibiotic and hormone-free? We can talk about that, too. Do you want to know the name of the farm? We can tell you. But if you don’t care about those things and you’re like, ‘Get off me already, it’s too much’… our staff needs to recognize that. It’s important for them to have this information at the ready but it’s also important for them to understand how to use it. Too much of a good thing, well, it’s too much.” For what it’s worth, Albrecht is says he is involved with speaking with the front of house staff every single day.
What’s more, Albrecht says, staff members “take it upon themselves to do extra reading just so they can be a part of a conversation that two other cooks are having—whether it’s the maps for where the oysters come from or, you know, simply talking about the origin of the salmon. This is information that for our staff doesn’t just pass from one ear out the other, they take it and they say ‘Okay, what else can we do with this? How can this benefit us?’”
As far as what’s popular lately at the new P&O: The salmon, Albrecht says, admitting that “the question is sort of a funny one to answer.” He continues, “Look, the chicken and salmon, they’re the most popular apps on the menu. But frankly, our salmon is not like any other salmon you’re gonna have. While it is a farm-raised product, it is easily the most responsible farm-raised product, and it is farm-raised King Salmon, as opposed to all the other salmons… which, not only has superior flavor but a way higher nutritional value than that of any other salmon. Now, look, does it cost us more? Absolutely! In some cases, three times the price of these other salmons, but if you want to be able to talk about it, part of the payback for buying a more expensive ingredient is making sure that the guest knows that when he needs to.”
Other wise choices? “The crawfish pasta, Le Ruths, is very popular,” Albrecht says. “Right now the frito misto is also very, very popular item. These are fried vegetables that are not batter dipped. They’re quickly fried, seasoned, and presented with roasted pepper mojo aioli.” He continues, “Our kale salad is a really flavorful salad—It’s interesting how we were talking about educating our staff—so I had mentioned to our staff that, in general, the darker the leafy green, the more nutritious it is. Who’s gonna pick up on that? The person who has their organic shake every day or is it going to be the bodybuilder who’s gonna go, ‘Holy shit! If I eat kale every day, it’s gonna change my life?!’ He’s probably the most gung-ho about it. You gotta put it out there and see what you get.”
Another slam-dunk is the roasted prime rib sandwich, Albrecht says. “People just seem to love that.” (And, as he says the words "prime rib sandwich," Guarino moans in the background—again speaking that international language.) “It’s super buttery and rich—there’s no butter in it!—the prime rib is shaved paper thin, and it’s just terrific.”
Also of note is that vegetarian and gluten-free items are indicated on menu, and many of the dishes can be easily modified, too. “For instance, the risotto is vegetarian,” Albrecht says. “The only thing that would make it not vegan is that we finish it with butter and parmesan cheese, so I can remove those because we haven’t done anything with dairy prior to that. We’re happy to finish it without. These are things that our service staff knows and can chat with our guests about when it comes up.”
Guarino chimes in that the “meat-free lasagna is really ridiculously good. It’s layers upon layers of vegetables and you would think maybe it wouldn’t be—I mean, I’ve tried to make it at home—but this is just unbelievably delicious. I think texturally it’s amazing, and the flavor profile, and the way he finishes it off with the ricotta... If you’re vegan, obviously we can do away with that, but it’s an amazing dish. I just can’t believe it’s that good.”
On my way out, I remembered to take a moment to sit at the bar to check out these other-worldly stools Albrecht mentioned an hour ago. I’m gratified to confirm that he was correct: They’re pretty comfee. My short legs don’t dangle, and I can easily turn my seat without the base moving—and without interfering with guests next to me. There’s a nice, comfortable arrangement at the bar.
When I realize I might look a little silly, swinging back and forth as the front-of-house staff moves quickly all around me to set up lunch, which now begins in 25 minutes, I hop off and inquire about Happy Hour—It’s Mondays through Fridays, 4 to 7 pm with $3 beers and wine and $5 cocktails. Also: sliders, a pound of wings, frito miso, mussels, and $1 oysters. I'm told that every one of their cocktails uses juice or a sour mix that is made from fresh juice. Looking through the list, I'm enticed by the Strawberry Fields, made of lemon vodka, strawberries, lemon juice, and basil, and one of Guarino’s favorites, Park & Orchard’s new twist on the Old Fashioned," which he tells me is "unbelievable.” I believe him.
I can’t wait to come back and try them all.
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Park & Orchard: 240 Hackensack Street, East Rutherford; 201.939.9292; parkandorchard.com
Monday-Friday: 12–10 pm
Saturday: 5–10 pm
Sunday: Closed
Brothers Gebhardt operated their business until just about this time last year, when, after 34 years, they retired and sold the restaurant to friends, restaurateurs David Madison and Andrew Guarino, who kept the name along with an abiding dedication to guest-focused, sustainable eating. After nine months of painstaking renovations, Madison and Guarino opened the doors of their new establishment just eight weeks ago, in April. I’m here to see what they’ve created.
I’m greeted at the door by executive chef Christopher Albrecht, a convivial yet calm personality who has been here since earlier in the morning prepping for the day’s lunch service that begins at noon. I can tell in an instant that Albrecht is both earnest and excited about showing me what makes this new place unique. He brings me inside, and I immediately recognize that this restaurant remains the same in name only. Sleek, charcoal walls have replaced the former sage; mahogany wooden flooring lies in place of black and white diagonal tiles. The new seating consists primarily of intimate booths composed of leather bench seating and wooden tables, each of which has its own distinct focus from precisely positioned overhead lights. Exposed brick rounds out what the new owners call an “industrial chic” ambience.
As Albrecht seamlessly begins a tour of the dining room, he speaks articulately about everything from the environmental ethos of this new eatery, to the aforementioned lighting, to the stools for the new bar that now lines the far right wall. About the stools, Albrecht tells me that I really need to check them out before I leave. “They may be the most comfortable bar stools you’ve ever experienced,” he says, and I make a mental note to make sure I try one out to see if he is a man of his word.
For their part, the overhead lights in the dining room serve as spotlights on each individual table to place attention where it should be, on the plate. “The food is meant to pop when it hits the table,” Albrecht explains, “and the lighting really creates a cozy atmosphere in each individual booth.” As he says these sorts of things, I recognize that my instincts about him were correct: He is at once erudite and down to earth—deeply knowledgeable about that of which he speaks, and passionate, yet practical, when doing so. We walk, and we talk, and I find Albrecht describing both larger concepts and all the little details with the insight and thoughtfulness of an artist—or an engineer.
This is fitting for a chef who, after training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, spent his early career under the tutelage of “Top Chef” Tom Colicchio—first on the line at Gramercy Tavern for three years, then as a pastry chef with Gramercy’s James Beard Award-winning Claudia Fleming for another three. Albrecht then served as sous chef at the iconic Craft in Manhattan until he was named chef de cuisine in 2002 of the new Craftsteak at the MGM Grand, Colicchio’s gamble to build his brand in Las Vegas at a time when fine-dining brands were popping up all over the Strip. The gamble paid off: Craftsteak was bestowed Las Vegas Life magazine‘s Epicurean (“Eppy”) Award for Best New Restaurant in 2003, as well as Best Steakhouse in 2005. During this time Albrecht also managed another one of Colicchio’s concepts, the artisanal sandwich shop, ‘wichcraft.
Albrecht then found himself back on the East Coast to open the much-anticipated Craftsteak in New York, a venture that was met with mixed reviews. In all fairness, Albrecht explains, “it was a time when chefs were being maligned for opening these palaces of excess—300-seat restaurants with ridiculous rent numbers that were just seemingly unsustainable.” After 12 years together, Colicchio and Albrecht parted ways, and the latter came back to his native New Jersey to work on a couple projects, including the historically serene and successful farm-to-table restaurant, The Farmhouse at The Grand Colonial in Hampton.
In 2007, Albrecht hooked up with restaurateurs in the Princeton area, brothers Carlo and Raul Momo, who were opening Eno Terra, a restaurant and wine bar in Kingston focused on the “principles of regionalism and seasonality.” Albrecht provided vision and direction for the venture, which sourced its menu items from local farmers and fishermen, grass-fed beef and poultry producers, and harvests from what ultimately became the eponymous EnoTerra Canal Farm. “I worked with them for seven years, and it was an incredibly satisfying time,” Albrecht says. “While we opened up Eno Terra, we also integrated the farm a half mile away to grow all of our produce—250+ varieties of vegetables and herbs, some fruits—and it really gave me an appreciation for what farmers do and what they don’t do. Farmers don’t plant things that they don’t have a market for,” he says. It’s up to chefs to create that market, I later learn. (Along with the knowledge that a goal of the new Park & Orchard is to one day similarly partner with a local farm that will, as Albrecht says, “allow us to have the ingredients that we want—and I’ll say when we want them, but Mother Nature has a bigger role in that.”) Albrecht’s involvement earned Eno Terra huge kudos from the New York Times, which bestowed a rare 4 stars in August 2009.
Albrecht then moved down to Washington, DC to work with the co-op farm eatery, Founding Farmers, where he found himself missing the distinct one-on-one relationships with local producers that had made his time at Eno Terra and Canal Farm so satisfying. “It’s important for me to align with like-minded people who understand that our health is in what we eat. And there’s no better medicine than food,” he says. “And so here we are today, in a restaurant that 34 years ago had the thoughtfulness to serve organic ingredients." He continues, "Whether they knew it or not, they were ahead of their time.”
All of this experience, and respect for what came before, is evident as Albrecht and I make our way through the kitchen to the storerooms to the walk-in freezer. Clearly skilled in his trade, Albrecht sincerely cares about the food he puts on your plate, and throughout our talk he makes clear to me the sentiment that everything his team does is for the sake of flavor. Case in point, this gem: “In flavoring our food, the 'natural' ingredient is obviously the most important thing. For instance, if the chicken doesn’t taste like chicken to begin with, then no matter how many other things I put on it, it won’t taste good. I don’t have ‘powdered chicken’ spice.” And this one, which gets more to the heart of his hands-on sustainable ethos: “'Organic' is important but it is not the ‘be-all, end-all’—Having that relationship with a farmer and talking to him is. Because there are plenty of instances in which you may farm organically—or maybe even better standards than 'organic'—but you don’t choose to be certified. There’s a cost for any farmer for to have this organic certification." He explains, "Frankly, I think that what’s even more important right now is avoiding antibiotics and hormones. These are things that we do not need in our food system. We don’t need it in our bodies outside sort of dire circumstances, and we put them in there because it’s just easier for a farmer to inoculate everyone, and say, ‘Alright, I’m done.’”
Albrecht speaks passionately about all of this stuff, and what’s even better, I don’t feel stupid as he explains it all. What becomes clear to me in no short order is that connections like these—between chefs and small family farms—is what makes for healthier food. And better flavor. “It’s literally in going to the farms, talking to the farmers, walking the fields,” Albrecht explains. Interacting one on one gives him the opportunity to ask questions like, “Hey, can we eat this? What’s that flower? Can we try this?” he says, continuing, “and all of a sudden, you realize, my God, the whole farm is edible!” According to Albrecht, “As part of the cuisine, having a relationship with a farmer is essential if you’re really going to live up to the mantra of ‘farm to table’ because everything we eat comes from a farm. But what kind of farm is it? Not that big is bad, but the bigger it is, the less of an ability to really know what’s going on, especially for artisanal ingredients.”
One of the things Albrecht says he likes to tell cooks and people in general is that if there’s one international language, it’s food. “If I give you a terrific strawberry and we both bite down on that strawberry, it doesn’t matter what language you speak, when you moan, how much more communication do you need? We’ve all just experienced that pleasure.”
It’s a level of thoughtfulness that any patron of Park & Orchard will appreciate. As co-owner Andrew Guarino, who met up with us just after the tour, explained, “The depth of thought that goes into [Albrecht’s] dishes is remarkable to me. He can start at 50,000 feet and he’ll take you right down to below the earth, literally, in the soil.” It’s an ability that comes from an entire career focused on preparing uncomplicated, fresh food.
According to Albrecht, specifically “the farm at Eno Terra, Canal Farm, allowed [him] to understand more of the biology and science behind what we eat.” He then elucidates this most clearly through the analogy of your grandmother’s chicken soup, which, no matter how hard you try, you cannot get it to taste just like hers. Why? Because “the animals are eating different things these days,” Albrecht explains. “And the soil that the vegetables are grown in is completely depleted.” However, he says, “there’s a way to rebuild the mineral content, the nutritional value of the soil, which is thereby absorbed into our food, which is then received by you as flavor.” An example: “You want more flavorful carrots? You have to put more minerals and elements into the soil. Period. That’s the only way.” He continues, “Heirloom varieties are genetically predisposed to pull these from the soil, as opposed to the hybrid stuff today, which is predisposed to look like a carrot, and that’s about it.”
If you haven’t already noticed, it’s worth mentioning that Albrecht’s attention to detail pertains as much to the process as to the end result on the plate. He takes particular pleasure in introducing me to several vegetable components such as garlic scapes and beet greens and how each piece makes its way into various Park & Orchard dishes. Every part is fastidiously labeled by name and date in bins located in the storeroom or the walk-in, and, about the lettuce, harvested yesterday morning, he tells me: “I picked them up myself from the farmer. He cut them between 5 and 6 am—at 6:30 I picked them up, and here they are. And they’re fresher, they have great texture, they have great flavor.” Albrecht is also keen to answer questions related to the placement of appliances and serve-ware in the kitchen; he’s organized it all, just so.
Speaking of the kitchen, it is open to the dining room, framed by the same red-hued wood of the booths. As we had entered, I was cautioned to watch my step. The kitchen is actually situated up two small steps from the dining room—setting a stage, so to speak, for diners. “We want to be transparent about our food, our technique, and our service,” explains Albrecht. “These are the things that are part of what made Park & Orchard so special.”
This stage was a defining characteristic of the new Park & Orchard since its inception, explained co-owner David Madison, with whom I later spoke by phone. “That’s really where the vision started from—It’s like a picture framed out.”
When I asked whether having the kitchen on display like this makes their job more difficult, it’s Guarino who says that the natural rapport between Albrecht and Madison, who serves as the restaurant’s general manager, keeps such tensions in check. The two have known each other since the days of Albrecht’s post as executive chef at Craftsteak in New York. At the time, Madison was working as a general manager for the three brands of Collichio’s Craft Restaurant Group—Craft, Craftsteak, and Craft Bar—opening up restaurants in New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles. “With Chris, I just always had this kind of synergy,” Madison says. “We would go out to dinner socially. We have similar interests—we’re both golfers, we both love the Yankees, we both love music, we’re very passionate about Italian food... the list goes on. We have so much in common, that it was almost a ‘no brainer.’” (Incidentally, “no brainer” was a term that Albrecht used a number of times during our interview.)
Madison continues, “I mean of course I knew that Chris had had some great accolades and accomplishments—all of that I was familiar with—but that’s just one piece of the puzzle, right? There’s been so many teams that get together and they’re just not lined up, even though they’re both stars—Sometimes it just doesn’t work.”
This present-day coupling almost seems like serendipity, which was reignited when, according to Madison, a mutual friend asked him, “‘What does the name Christopher Albrecht mean to you?" Madison replied, "Really good things" and recalls, "It was pretty much instantaneous when I heard the name, and we reconnected. I went down to DC to meet with him and we hung out.” And the rest is (new) history.
It’s important to note that on this stage, there are no Gordon Ramsay-esque meltdowns, no public family fights for all to endure. “He has to be very mindful that he’s on view,” Guarino says of Albrecht, mimicking one of the hand signals that, he says, means “Come get the dish now.” (Albrecht laughs uproariously at this, and at once I’m a firm believer in anything they all have to say about professional relationships built on trust and mutual respect.) Guarino continues, “You know, that kind of nonverbal communication is so important. You can see that they get it. From an owner’s standpoint, I’ve seen them coalesce into a team, and that is amazing to me.”
Guarino continues, “The one thing that’s amazing about David, and as well about Chris, is that they’re never satisfied with where they are. And they’re constantly trying to make things better, and that’s what really attracted me to David in terms of a business partner, and that’s what David brought in with Chris. They’re always looking to take things to another level. And I think in this business—because you earn your wings every day—you have to have that attitude. You can rest on your laurels for a month or two and let the menu get stagnant.”
Clearly, that’s not in the DNA of anyone working here. All three see to it.
As Christopher explains, “On a very basic level, I think people want to be held accountable and we have a staff that wants to be held accountable.” One of the things the Guarino, Madison, and Albrecht apparently excel at is in empowering their staff to be able to talk all of the menu items with guests—the ingredients and where they come from. “Something both challenging and rewarding about that endeavor,” Albrecht explains, “is in training the staff to know 'when to say when,' meaning: There are certain guests who just want to order and they’re not concerned with the backstory. There are other guests who if they don’t get the backstory, they’re not satisfied. So it’s up to us to sort of read you as a guest… Do you just need your steak medium rare? We can do that. Did you also want to know that it’s antibiotic and hormone-free? We can talk about that, too. Do you want to know the name of the farm? We can tell you. But if you don’t care about those things and you’re like, ‘Get off me already, it’s too much’… our staff needs to recognize that. It’s important for them to have this information at the ready but it’s also important for them to understand how to use it. Too much of a good thing, well, it’s too much.” For what it’s worth, Albrecht is says he is involved with speaking with the front of house staff every single day.
What’s more, Albrecht says, staff members “take it upon themselves to do extra reading just so they can be a part of a conversation that two other cooks are having—whether it’s the maps for where the oysters come from or, you know, simply talking about the origin of the salmon. This is information that for our staff doesn’t just pass from one ear out the other, they take it and they say ‘Okay, what else can we do with this? How can this benefit us?’”
As far as what’s popular lately at the new P&O: The salmon, Albrecht says, admitting that “the question is sort of a funny one to answer.” He continues, “Look, the chicken and salmon, they’re the most popular apps on the menu. But frankly, our salmon is not like any other salmon you’re gonna have. While it is a farm-raised product, it is easily the most responsible farm-raised product, and it is farm-raised King Salmon, as opposed to all the other salmons… which, not only has superior flavor but a way higher nutritional value than that of any other salmon. Now, look, does it cost us more? Absolutely! In some cases, three times the price of these other salmons, but if you want to be able to talk about it, part of the payback for buying a more expensive ingredient is making sure that the guest knows that when he needs to.”
Other wise choices? “The crawfish pasta, Le Ruths, is very popular,” Albrecht says. “Right now the frito misto is also very, very popular item. These are fried vegetables that are not batter dipped. They’re quickly fried, seasoned, and presented with roasted pepper mojo aioli.” He continues, “Our kale salad is a really flavorful salad—It’s interesting how we were talking about educating our staff—so I had mentioned to our staff that, in general, the darker the leafy green, the more nutritious it is. Who’s gonna pick up on that? The person who has their organic shake every day or is it going to be the bodybuilder who’s gonna go, ‘Holy shit! If I eat kale every day, it’s gonna change my life?!’ He’s probably the most gung-ho about it. You gotta put it out there and see what you get.”
Another slam-dunk is the roasted prime rib sandwich, Albrecht says. “People just seem to love that.” (And, as he says the words "prime rib sandwich," Guarino moans in the background—again speaking that international language.) “It’s super buttery and rich—there’s no butter in it!—the prime rib is shaved paper thin, and it’s just terrific.”
Also of note is that vegetarian and gluten-free items are indicated on menu, and many of the dishes can be easily modified, too. “For instance, the risotto is vegetarian,” Albrecht says. “The only thing that would make it not vegan is that we finish it with butter and parmesan cheese, so I can remove those because we haven’t done anything with dairy prior to that. We’re happy to finish it without. These are things that our service staff knows and can chat with our guests about when it comes up.”
Guarino chimes in that the “meat-free lasagna is really ridiculously good. It’s layers upon layers of vegetables and you would think maybe it wouldn’t be—I mean, I’ve tried to make it at home—but this is just unbelievably delicious. I think texturally it’s amazing, and the flavor profile, and the way he finishes it off with the ricotta... If you’re vegan, obviously we can do away with that, but it’s an amazing dish. I just can’t believe it’s that good.”
On my way out, I remembered to take a moment to sit at the bar to check out these other-worldly stools Albrecht mentioned an hour ago. I’m gratified to confirm that he was correct: They’re pretty comfee. My short legs don’t dangle, and I can easily turn my seat without the base moving—and without interfering with guests next to me. There’s a nice, comfortable arrangement at the bar.
When I realize I might look a little silly, swinging back and forth as the front-of-house staff moves quickly all around me to set up lunch, which now begins in 25 minutes, I hop off and inquire about Happy Hour—It’s Mondays through Fridays, 4 to 7 pm with $3 beers and wine and $5 cocktails. Also: sliders, a pound of wings, frito miso, mussels, and $1 oysters. I'm told that every one of their cocktails uses juice or a sour mix that is made from fresh juice. Looking through the list, I'm enticed by the Strawberry Fields, made of lemon vodka, strawberries, lemon juice, and basil, and one of Guarino’s favorites, Park & Orchard’s new twist on the Old Fashioned," which he tells me is "unbelievable.” I believe him.
I can’t wait to come back and try them all.
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Park & Orchard: 240 Hackensack Street, East Rutherford; 201.939.9292; parkandorchard.com
Monday-Friday: 12–10 pm
Saturday: 5–10 pm
Sunday: Closed