Review: Huso, NYC

Food

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Huso review

Recently, my husband and I had the chance to experience a very special evening dining at Huso, the Michelin starred restaurant led by Chef Buddha Lo. Chef Buddha won the cooking show Top Chef, and then Top Chef All-Stars in 2023 and I have been a huge fan since then. When he opened up his restaurant Huso, featuring a twelve-dish tasting menu centered on caviar, I knew I needed to dine there.

We enjoyed every minute of our meal there, from the moment we walked into the little jewel-box-like space, throughout the meal, and then the kitchen tour where we had the pleasure of meeting Chef. Every moment was special, and every bite we tasted was truly perfect.

We started with cocktails—perfectly balanced martinis with an olive and caviar bump to garnish. The glasses were thin and delicate, and the martinis opened up our palates for the plates to come.

Along with the martinis, we enjoyed caviar service to start. One ounce of Royal Osetra was served to us along with traditional accoutrements: blini, creme fraiche, chopped egg, chives, and shallot. The caviar was briny and mild, and it was truly a luxurious way to begin our evening.

After that we began the journey of our tasting menu. The first course was a perfect bite of scallop, served in an ajo blanco sauce with a dollop of caviar on top. The scallop was firm and sweet, while the ajo blanco was creamy and delicate—complimenting the scallop and caviar perfectly.

Our next offering was a piece of Steelhead trout, served in a little tart shell and accompanied by English peas and tarragon. The trout was lightly cooked and the peas and tarragon brought a fresh spring brightness to the bite.

All of the courses so far had just been one perfect bite. The next one was as well: a fried outer shell containing a delicious barigoule sauce with artichoke and Comte cheese. It was a bite reminiscent of artichoke dip, albeit the most sophisticated one I’ve ever tasted. The inside was so rich with the cheese and artichoke.

Next came a small dish with creamy potato leek soup, and in the liquid, there was also a bite of smoked sturgeon and potatoes prepared two different ways: one was puffed and crispy, and the other roasted and soft. On top of the dish was a generous dollop of caviar, which perfectly complimented the potato and sturgeon.

After that, we were served one of my favorite offerings of the night: two gorgeous pieces of brioche toast and a caviar tin with a rillette inside made from foil gras and duck. It was  rich and buttery, and when spread on the brioche, was one of the most delicious bits of food I’ve ever tasted—full of savory umami flavor.

Following the duck and foie gras, we had a Bluefin tuna tartare served with green radish, and a tomato consommé which was spooned over the dish at the table. The tuna was perfection with the crunchy radish and fresh bright tomato broth.

After the tuna came another favorite dish of our evening: lobster with white asparagus, and a fluffy lobster sabayon that was also spooned on top of our plates table side. The lobster and asparagus were light and delicate, and the sabayon added a creamy texture and savory flavor to the entire dish.

Then we came to the last few savory offerings of the evening. First was the Poulet, a beautiful cut of chicken, served with a beautiful little Morel mushroom stuffed with a cheese mixture. It was perfectly cooked, and the herbs and sauce were so flavorful.

Our final savory protein was a saddle of lamb, served with green asparagus and a savory jus gras poured over it table side. The asparagus tips had tiny flowers delicately-placed on top of them, and the plate was truly gorgeous.

After the lamb, we were served a lovely palate cleanser Oishii Koyo strawberries, basil flowers, and topped with a frozen creamy Burrata whipped at the table and spooned over them. The Oishii strawberries have the most perfect and delicate “strawberry-est” flavor and were really special to eat.

Following our savory dishes, we were offered the chance to tour the kitchen at Huso and meet Chef Buddha. It was truly an amazing experience to see the gorgeous and immaculate kitchen, and even have an amuse bouche of blood orange prepared for us while we were there. After enjoying that, we were able to meet and chat with Chef Buddha, who is even nicer in person than he seemed on Top Chef.

Then it was back to our table for the last few desserts. We had a beautiful and rich chocolate gateau with a cherry sorbet. The cherry was beautifully tart and tangy, perfectly contrasting the richness of the chocolate.

After that we enjoyed our final delectable selection of mignardise: honey madeleines, with cinnamon, 70% Valrhona dark chocolate in a tart shell topped with caviar, sugared Satsuma orange lobes, and candied mandarinquats. They were the perfect bites to end our unforgettable evening at Huso.

Every bite of our meal felt special and we loved every minute from beginning to end. The team there made us feel so welcome and we were truly impressed by the attention paid to each small little detail. It’s worth a special evening out and very deserving of its Michelin star. I hope it earns a second one, and I hope to eat there again sometime soon.