Cornelius is a New Destination Inside Grand Central

Photos: Cititour.com                                                                                     

Farm-to-Table meets upscale dining at Cornelius, the highly anticipated new restaurant in Grand Central Terminal from City Winery.  Cornelius is named after Cornelius Vanderbilt who built Grand Central in the early 1900s. It still maintains its grandeur today and Cornelius, tucked away in the former Agern space, is a perfect fit.

Executive Chef Zachary Bondy, formerly of Black Point Inn in Portland and Mopho in New Orleans, is celebrating locally sourced ingredients, many from the Hudson Valley.

A recently introduced three course menu includes starters like Wall-Dorf Salad with apples, baby red oak heirloom lettuce, roasted grapes, and candied walnuts with a champagne vinaigrette; Crab Cakes with roasted carrot sousbise, charred castelfranco, foie gras, and fennel-citrus marmalade; and Vichysoisse, a chilled potato-leek soup with pickled cauliflower and chive.

The second course brings Linguine with truffle and Grand Osetra caviar, Scallop Potato with baked diver scallop, and a Foraged Mushroom Tartlet.  For a main course there is Lobster Strudel with Newburg sauce, Duck Confit with lentils du puy, a NY Strip with béarnaise, and Chateubriand with peppercorn cream and king oyster mushrooms, among others.

Cocktails come with names like the Hanky Panky (gin, sweet vermouth, fernet branca, and orange twist), Oyster Martini with gin or vodka, served straight up or on the rocks with oyster.  A Caviar Martini, meanwhile, offers a caviar bump.  Both are priced above $30. Wines embrace New York’s Finger Lakes region and California wineries while several Brooklyn-based beers are also offered.

We stopped in on the spur of the moment and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and drinks, as well as the warm welcome we received from the restaurant’s staff.  Cornelius is definitely worth a visit whether you are just passing through the station or looking for a destination meal.

For more information, visit cornelius.nyc