If you happen to find yourself in the middle of an eight-way intersection known as Chatham Square on a Friday night without a reservation at Bar Oliver, the courage to face the overhead lighting at Dim Sum Go-Go, or the energy to take on the crowd at Dr. Clark, you’re in luck. Cavalier, a new restaurant founded by Yasmin Kaytmaz (founder of Derby Cup Coffee and co-owner of The River) and Mason Lindahl (formerly the executive chef at Diner and Monkey Bar), just opened its doors on East Broadway, and it’s already piquing interest. Last week, I decided to make an impulsive foray into food journalism and paid the restaurant a visit myself. My findings: It’s a dimly lit, sexy enclave that looks like the Middle East and Las Vegas had a love child. Pink-lacquered tables, a gold-leaf ceiling, Art Deco sun-shaped light fixtures, and leather pillows you can melt into make the whole place feel ultra-decadent and seductive. There’s also a seriously fun mural by Georgia Gardner Gray hiding in the back room. The food, meanwhile, is Mediterranean by way of the American South: collard greens in our duck risotto and a bed of mashed potatoes holding up our snapper. The lavash bread skips over the Southwest entirely, and it was so good we ordered it twice. And while I can’t personally attest, word is the chocolate mousse is a major winner. To celebrate the restaurant’s opening, we snuck into the kitchen to give Yasmin and Mason our ATE questionnaire, as well as find out a little more about their dining habits and food-related neuroses.
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What’s the last thing you ate?
YK: Borscht at the Russian Turkish Bathhouse.
ML: One taco I made for family meal.
What do you love to eat alone?
YK: Pad Thai in bed.
ML: Riley’s beef jerky.
What dish do you wish you’d invented?
YK: Pho.
ML: Head cheese.
What do you think when someone sends back a dish?
YK: I can’t tell you what I really think.
ML: What have I done?
What’s the one food trend you’re relieved is finally over?
YK: Dubai Chocolate. I think that’s over.
ML: I don’t know. I don’t follow food trends.
What’s the one food trend you’re embarrassed to admit you love?
YK: Frozen yogurt. Yes, I’ll wait in line.
ML: Don’t follow them.
What’s a food hill you’ll die on?
YK: Basil on a bagel is amazing.
ML: Tomatoes need to be cut on the stem.
What won’t you eat?
YK: I’ll eat anything.
ML: Shellfish. I’m allergic.
What do you drink too much of?
YK: Hot water.
ML: Iced tea.
What do you eat straight from the fridge?
YK: Extra dark chocolate.
ML: Leftover family meal.
What’s the first thing you notice about a restaurant when you walk in?
YK: The lighting.
ML: How I am greeted.
What’s the most underrated city to eat in?
YK: Philadelphia.
ML: Milan.
Where do you eat on your night off?
YK: Chicken broth.
ML: Vietnamese.
What did nobody tell you about owning a restaurant?
YK: How little you get to eat.
ML: Life is hard. Restaurants are harder.
What’s a dish that defines you as a chef?
YK: Only a chef in my own kitchen, and probably grape leaves.
ML: A perfect green salad.
What do you do in the hour before you open?
YK: Readjust the lighting 12 times.
ML: Run around prepping.
What is the ingredient you could not live without?
YK: Sumac.
ML: Cilantro.
What do you eat when you’re sad?
YK: Rotisserie chicken from just about anywhere.
ML: Jerky.
What’s the restaurant everyone should go to before they die?
YK: Cavalier.
ML: Chez Panisse.
What’s the cookbook everyone should own?
YK: The River Cafe cookbook.
ML: Simple French Food by Richard Olney.
What’s the dish everyone should learn to make?
YK: Roast chicken.
ML: A French omelet (it’s harder than you think).
What’s the one condiment that changes everything?
YK: Vinegar.
ML: Bagna cauda.
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