"Mesmerizing Atmosphere -
Tantalizing Food"The new flavor of old Stone Street
By Chad Brokaw, Pace Press
While most of the urban renewal projects in Lower Manhattan have focused on modernization, one venture in particular has endeavored to put an old face on a new friend.Stone Street, a small, winding corridor between Coenties Alley and Hanover Square, was, until its recent renovation, a largely forgotten remnant of Dutch New York. The purpose of the renovation was to revitalize the area, and, in the process, restore the street's Nineteenth Century ambiance. The result is a cobblestone street filled with tables and lined with restaurants that attempt to satisfy the insatiable hunger of the Financial District's lunch crowd.
Always being one to devour the slightest bit of New York's prodigious history, ever-changing present and mouthwatering food, I decided to take a stroll down Stone Street to test its reawakened flavor.
I proceeded down the cobblestone street and stopped abruptly in front of the ubiquitous Ulysses Pup - an Irish bar that offers traditional pub fare. The pub teemed with life, but left me unsatisfied. I wanted something special, something unique. To put it frankly, I wanted something new.
Then I saw the sign: Smörgås Chef. Not only did the place have funny letters in the name, but it also had a presence. In the street, surrounded by cobblestone and brick and prefaced by the dark façade of the Irish pub stood this small restaurant with tall windows and bright yellow frames showcasing an even brighter room - I had found my place.I was seated at a small table in one of the window nooks with a grand view of the street outside. Instantly, the atmosphere mesmerized me. In the hectic world of Wall Street, Smörgås Chef manages to maintain the feel of a quaint European café. I made some quick observations of the décor. One portion of the restaurant is exposed brick while the other is painted yellow and decorated with black and white photos depicting twentieth-century Scandinavia. Track lighting provides luminance. Above my table hung a small lamp, homemade out of glass bottles by co-owner Morten Sohlberg.
Menu in hand, I perused the list of Scandinavian sandwiches. My eye quickly locked on one of my all-time favorites: Swedish meatballs. The tantalizing dish arrived soon after I ordered and was all that I had hoped for - each morsel possessing the perfect portion of sweet lingonberry preserve. I finished with a double stack of vanilla cloudberry waffles.
Before I left, I had a chance to discuss the restaurant with co-owner Min Ye. While the food was wonderful, I told her that the atmosphere also impressed me. "We wanted people to have a nice experience just being here," she said. She wanted it to feel "more accessible."
Smörgås Chef, opened on September 12, 2003, is the newest restaurant on Stone Street. It serves fine Scandinavian sandwiches, pastries and deserts. The restaurant also offers brunch specials on the weekend. An menu is available online at www.smorgaschef.com.