The Osprey at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is a collaboration between four men of incredible talent: Tribeca restaurant mogul Matt Abramcyk, Partner and Culinary Director Michael Oliver (Lafayette), Chef de Cuisine Mike Poiarkoff (Vinegar Hill House) and Barry Sternlicht of 1 Hotels. Reclaimed wood and living walls wrap the dining room and bar, bringing the outdoors in.

The Osprey feels bold and smart. Zero waste, farm-to-table ingredients, creative cooking: the menu offers ambitious cuisine for the new millennium. Heirloom veggies, local meat and fish go into fare like the Coney Island clam chowder, roasted mushroom and Hubbard squash toast, Montauk squid and NY strip steaks. Executive Chef extraordinaire, Michael Oliver, took a moment to talk to LUXE magazine.

COULD YOU TELL US OF YOUR DECISION TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DINING SCENE IN BROOKLYN WITH THE OSPREY?

While I had always worked in Manhattan, I have actually lived in Brooklyn for the past 17 years. It has always been my dream to have a neighbourhood restaurant in Brooklyn. It is my hope that The Osprey will become a local favourite where our neighbours bring their children and celebrate their milestones. Working in such a beautiful environment is so inspirational. I get to look out at one of the most beautiful views in New York every day, and that really comes through in my work.

HOW WAS THE MENU AT THE OSPREY CREATED AND ORCHESTRATED FOR THIS WINTER SEASON?

This season’s menu is the product of intense collaboration with my amazing team, but I think that we all view it as an ongoing evolution, even now. We are constantly tweaking and perfecting, so we can keep delivering fun and surprising experiences to our guests. I am very fortunate to have such a fantastic team supporting me; they believe in the restaurant’s vision as much as or even more than I do.

COULD YOU SPEAK TO US ABOUT YOUR FARM-TO-TABLE PHILOSOPHY HERE IN BROOKLYN?

New York is an amazing city, so metropolitan and yet located between the coast and beautiful farmland upstate. So we have close access to fantastic butchers, fishmongers and farms. While I have worked with local purveyors for many years, I credit my Chef de Cuisine, Mike Poiarkoff, for bringing to our restaurant some fantastic vendors that I had not worked with previously.

COULD YOU SHARE YOUR SECRET FOR THE ROASTED CHICKEN?

Our rotisserie chicken begins with great birds, which we source from Goffle Farms, in New Jersey. We slowly roast them in a Rotisol rotisserie, imported from France. We then pair it with simply roasted vegetables and a sauce inspired by the French countryside.

www.theospreybk.com

Text: Barbara Stehle