Chef Flynn McGarry is known for his focused New American cuisine, courtesy of his restaurants Gem, the now-shuttered Gem Wine, and Gem Home. The latest is his Hudson Square restaurant, Cove, where he and his team showcase East Coast ingredients through a West Coast lens — though you’ll pay top dollar for both the tasting and a la carte menus (the latter of which I got as a solo diner) and a well-curated natural wine and after-dinner drinks list.
The unassuming front door leads to a dim vestibule with a big fat pumpkin on the floor and hanging aromatic dried herbs. Then you enter the wide, bright space that doesn’t feel overly luxe. Per McGarry’s preferences, the room is made with blonde wood, and there are Impressionistic wildflower paintings on the walls.
McGarry has been cultivating a garden out on actor Isabella Rossellini’s Long Island farm for Cove sourcing, where he had previewed the restaurant with pop-ups — so find preserved shiso in the crab custard, onion blossoms in the schnitzel, and preserved ingredients elsewhere.