Trestle on Tenth: Swiss Comfort Food for the Gayborhood

Although I’m not entirely sure how ‘trestles’ could ever apply to food or restaurants, Trestle on Tenth certainly knows how to spit out a good meal with few flaws. While the restaurant isn’t going to get a Michelin star anytime soon, it is uncomplicated and warm with delicious food. It is also enjoying a certain amount of press right now as its sous-chef Ash Fulk is the only New York-based chef on this season’s Top Chef TV show on Bravo (note: this is admittedly how I first heard about Trestle on Tenth).

Situated in the hot art gallery hub in West Chelsea at the current terminus of the High Line Park (near 24th St), Trestle on Tenth is modern and simple neighborhood joint, with a large exposed brick wall, soft lighting, the ubiquitous brasserie chalkboard, and a back garden. A ‘Swiss Brasserie’ by its own calling, T-o-T serves up comforting yet still sophisticated Swiss food with modern American and French twists.

The brunch menu offers classic brunch/lunch options such as a burger, a variety of omelettes, buttermilk waffles, crab cakes, and a Cobb salad. It also mixes it up with an elegant steak tartare, duck confit hash with poached eggs, and oysters on a half shell. My boyfriend ordered the burger, which was absolutely gigantic. A thick patty with crispy bacon and cheddar topped with lettuce, tomato and onion on a thick brioche bun, the burger was as tall as my water glass and remarkably difficult to eat. However, when served with salty and seasoned fries, it was scrumptious. My good friend Danielle went for the greenmarket omelette, which included a plethora of ingredients such as squash, chanterelle mushrooms, herbs, and goat cheese. While it was served beautifully, it was suspiciously missing the goat cheese and looked to have a bit too much going on flavor-wise. I opted for the steak tartare, which was served with 8 pieces of toasted baguette and a quail’s egg. Too heavy on the onions for my taste and served as a shapeless mound of meat, it was definitely not anywhere near the best steak tartare I’ve had in the city, but it was tasty nonetheless.

All in all, the food tasted fresh and healthy, like a dressed-up version of something you could make from home after meticulously picking out the best ingredients. It wasn’t a gastronomic delight nor was it a study in culinary mediocrity.

Best of all? Trestle on Tenth is amazingly affordable, for New York. Each dish at brunch averaged only $12 per person!

Trestle on Tenth seems to attract all sorts of patrons: couples, families, friends meeting for a good cup of coffee, lone diners with the weekend paper, and perhaps even a couple tourists straggling off the High Line. Bright and airy, the scene is refreshingly modern. It is warm without being old-fashioned and homey without being kitschy. Trestle on Tenth embodies the rejuvenation of its surrounding neighborhood – young, fresh, and simple.