Cagen—a small East Village sushi counter a few steps below street level—signed out its decade-long tenure last year to make way for Smithereens, which debuted a month ago on East 9th Street and continues the compact restaurant’s marine dive. Chef/owner Nick Tamburo describes his diminutive restaurant—with a dark, modern tavern-style design—as a seasonal, seafood spot that’s inspired by the flavors, ingredients, and food traditions of New England, where he grew up. He’s joined by partner Nikita Malhotra, former wine director of nearby and now-shuttered Momofuku Ko, who won MICHELIN Guide New York’s Sommelier of the Year in 2022.
While the restaurant feels relaxed and cool, the food and wine are hyper focused. Tamburo, known for his light and seasonal, high-acid cooking at places like Momofuku Ko (where he and Malhotra met) and later Momofuku Nishi (where he led the kitchen), continues in his style with preserved cherry blossom and kombu-accented rolls of cured fatty tuna wrapped around julienned Asian pear in a broken vinaigrette of tomato water, red wine vinegar, shio koji, olive and lovage oil. And just as bright are his lime zest and sansho pepper-garnished sliced scallops and paper-thin shaved matsutake mushrooms in a crimson vinaigrette flavored with yuzu and white tamari, shallot, and a blend of rice wine and white balsamic vinegars. Sop up the extra dressing with Tamburo’s dark and rustic anadma bread (more on that below), which he pairs with a luscious seaweed-enriched butter.
And for every kid who grew up on the northern East Coast going apple picking in the fall, Tamburo offers the most dialed-in apple cider doughnut, whose sweet-sour exterior is reminiscent of the outer shell of a Sour Patch Kid. He tosses his brown butter doughnuts in a vibrant exterior seasoning made from freeze dried apple, sugar, cinnamon, plus malic acid and salt for just the right oomph.
Naturally, wine drinkers will likely reach for a white to drink alongside this meal—and good thing because Malhotra’s opening list, which includes around 65 bottles, offers mostly whites from Germany (and a handful of whites from elsewhere around the world). Think of this as the German white chapter, which will eventually change to something else, maybe an exploration of texture found in wines from Burgundy, Jura, and Savoie together, or a tribute to mono varietals grenache and pinot noir from around the world.
Below, we caught up with Tamburo and Malhotra to get the inside scoop.
Are there any particular ingredients or flavors that you feel define Smithereens' menu?
NT: Fish, shellfish, seaweed—these are the cornerstones of our menu. Along with that, there are definitely some flavors that are emblematic of New England such as molasses, maple, and apples. Much of our seafood comes from the Northeast—Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Montauk—but we also look elsewhere for specific products.
Tell us about your bread service.
NT: For our bread, we looked to historic New England recipes from the 1800s. We make something called anadama bread, which incorporates molasses as well as rye flour and roasted cornmeal from River Valley Community Grains in New Jersey. Ours is a sourdough so it is a bit of a departure from tradition. We serve the bread with cultured butter from PloughGate Creamery in Vermont, which we season with dulse and nori seaweed. A story from New England folklore tells the story of how this bread got its name. There was a fisherman who grew tired of the meals his wife prepared for him; every day she made porridge of cornmeal and molasses. Then one day he had enough, he dumped a bunch of flour into the porridge and threw it in the oven saying "Anna, damn her!"
And how about your doughnut?
NT: Apple cider doughnuts are a fixture of fall in the Northeast. It's something I grew up with and something I see every time I go to the farmers' market here in New York. Whenever I eat an apple cider doughnut, I'm disappointed that it just tastes like cinnamon and sugar rather than apples or cider. We set out with the goal of creating a doughnut that actually tastes like its namesake. We incorporate a bunch of apple cider into the recipe and then season it with a spice mixture that includes freeze-dried apple and malic acid. This really boosts the natural flavor of apples.
What’s the significance of the restaurant’s name?
NT: The name comes from the 1982 film Smithereens directed by Susan Seidelman. It's a coming-of-age story set in the punk scene of the East Village. We've found the name to be increasingly relevant to what we do here. Smithereens literally means "small, broken pieces," and in some ways, we're taking pieces of what we've learned over the years in this industry and figuring out how we want to put them back together.
How has your past shaped Smithereens?
NT: The food is a culmination of everything I've learned working in kitchens here in New York as well as Europe and California. I always think of my time working with Sean Gray at Momofuku Ko as the most formative experience in my career when it comes to creating and thinking about food. Being part of the opening team at Claud, I learned a lot about what it takes to open an independent restaurant from the ground up; that knowledge has been indispensable.
What goals do you have for the restaurant?
NT: First and foremost, we want this restaurant to be a place for ourselves and our team to learn and grow. We want to create dishes and explore new techniques and flavors. I've always wanted our team to be the priority here; I want us to cook what keeps us engaged and excited and not be beholden to any expectations.
How often will the menu change?
NT: We'll change the menu regularly and with the seasons. The availability of seafood is always in flux, and we want to be nimble enough to work with what's best at the moment. Every day we hand write a couple dishes on the menu that we have limited quantities of. This allows us to experiment and also to work with off cuts and ingredients that are more difficult to source. This could be things like fish heads and collars, rare fish from farther destinations, or by-catch coming from Montauk.
You created a unique wine program. Tell us more.
NM: The idea behind the wine program was to be able to showcase it in the form of vignettes or short stories, an ode to my time spent working in a bookstore as a teenager. I want to capture moments and create something cohesive. I came into an atmosphere 15 years ago where wine programs were judged by the depth and verticals and blue-chip selections. I gained so much insight working in programs like that and having the ability to talk about a vast number of regions, vintages, and wine. But I learned the most from visiting wine regions and talking to winemakers, and I found myself closing wine lists and talking to guests one on one, gleaning what wine they wanted to have and also sharing stories and insights from my travels, visits, and long nights of sharing bottles of wine with producers.
We print a selection of wines daily, but it's a snapshot of what is in the cellar; again, the list is meant to be a short story. Right now, we are focused on white wines, with high acidity being the central theme. Nick and I have enjoyed many bottles of refreshing red wine, grenache from Australia, and syrah from the Northern Rhone, so I am excited to see how thematically the list will evolve and our short stories will evolve.
Why start with German whites and coastal selections?
NM: I have spent the past year focused on classic French wine, and prior to that, I was becoming deeply invested in German wine. Being at the helm of a wine program offers the chance to explore and be curious, and I wanted to continue my study of German wine, as well as delve into regions I am learning more about such as coastal Italian, Portuguese, and Greek wines. I can still remember the first time I drank wine from Mount Etna; it was electrifying. I went on a binge with Frank Cornelissen, Benanti, Passopisciaro, and Girolamo Russo. I had a chance to go to Vinitaly a couple of years ago, and I lingered in the Sicilian section, asking probably too many questions and forgetting to spit. When Nick and I started talking about the menu I kept envisioning different Rieslings that I wanted to have with the dishes. To me, the primary reasoning behind the wines chosen has been the dishes that Nick has created.
Is not offering any red wines risky?
NM: My choice of highlighting white wine has been well received thus far, and most guests default to German wine when they see how many selections there are. I have a small collection of red wines in the cellar at the moment, but if and when the occasion arises, I will be more than happy to pour a spätburgunder or a garnacha from Sierra de Gredos.
Who are some of the producers you’re most excited about right now?
NM: John Lockwood and his wife Amy Seese at Enfield Wine Co. make me excited about California wine again. Iliana Malihin of the namesake winery from Crete makes wines that really explore the terroir of the region, and she is focused on ancient varietals. Andrew and Emma Nielson at Le Grappin are making complex and expressive wines from Burgundy, and it is hard to get excited about such a well-established region, but new voices and a philosophy of care and dedication makes this a project that makes me fall in love with the region all over again.
What are some gems on your list that wine enthusiasts will get excited about?
NM: Any time I list one of the rare bottlings from Julian Haart like the Wintricher Ohligsberg White Label, collectors are excited. I think sommeliers have been more excited to try a Riesling they may not have had before, so Alexander Schregel or Materne & Schmitt come to mind. A lot of times a conversation with a guest means I grab a bottle that isn't listed, but I can infer that this would be a "gem" for the guest.
What’s your philosophy on food and wine pairings?
NM: Earlier in my career, I rarely acknowledged pairings, and my philosophy was to choose what wine you would want to enjoy rather than figure out what would pair best with certain ingredients. My outlook changed once I got to talk to cooks and chefs and was able to build a program that included their insight. I love to pair dishes with sake, beer, and certain spirits as well, so my general idea of pairings is more inclusive than the traditional wine pairing. Recently we tasted the candied seaweed with black licorice dessert, and I grabbed a bottle of Akishika Shuzo Yama Sake and the savory notes in the sake aligned quite well with the dessert. If I were to pair the dessert with a traditional wine, I would choose the Domaine Oikonomoy Assyrtiko. This wine has high acidity and also interesting notes such as cumin and hazelnut, and the slightly oxidative notes would work well with the dessert in question.
Hero Image: Bernard Lin / Smithereens
Thumb image: Bernard Lin / Smithereens exterior
