BWW Previews: Australian Bistro Experience at Burke & Wills on the Upper West Side

Exploration is at the heart of Burke & Wills, the new bistro on the Upper West Side of New York City. Named for the pioneering adventurers who made an expedition across Australia in 1860, this spot has fine cuisine and a uniquely charming atmosphere. Burke & Wills is shaped by the Australian influences of the 1850's: Gold Rush, post WWI immigration from Greece and Italy, and 20th Century immigration from Southeast Asia.

Owner Tim Harris and partner Matilda Boland, both formerly of Bondi Road, Sunburnt Cow and Sunburnt Calf are offering a complete experience not typically found on the Upper West Side. They combine modern Australian cuisine, world-class wines from the Southern hemisphere, craft beers and artisanal cocktails. Burke & Wills has a casual bar, a fine dining room, and The Manhattan Cricket Club, an exclusive cocktail lounge on the second floor. In each area, guests experience top-notch service in a setting that is casual enough for our guests to relax, but formal enough for fine service.

Harris, the Director of Operations grew up in the restaurant business in Australia. He can be found in the front of the house, behind the bar, on the floor, and helping guests to select wine. He worked closely with Executive Chef Rodrigo Nogueira, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, to create a menu that is seasonal, produce driven fresh and approachable with Mediterranean and Southeast Asian influences. They also feature Australian ingredients like kangaroo meat and barramundi. Chef Nogueira previously cooked at Montmartre, the Monkey Bar, Colicchio and Sons and Resto.

Guests have a choice of experiences. In the front room there is a long bar with plenty of seating. There are daily raw bar selections like oysters, little neck clams, shrimp cocktail or Jonah crab claws and bar snacks such as toasts topped with chicken liver mousse with pickled onions, beef tartare with smoked egg and capers, and crispy pork belly with blue cheese and dates.

The innovative cocktails are by renowned mixologist and partner Greg Seider of Summit Bar, La Bernardin, The Mercer Kitchen and author of Alchemy in a Glass. Inspired by what's coming out of the kitchen, Seider creates cocktails such as the Bushfire Margarita with Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, fresh lime, orange bitters and agave and the Sydney Sour with Temptation bourbon, peach bitters, fresh lemon and agave. Australian, New Zealand and South African wines are among the impressive wine list to be paired with your meal.

In the more formal, yet comfortable dining room, you'll find slate gray banquets and distressed stained wood floors under a sky-lit atrium along with photographs and paintings of flora and fauna, and maps of Australia. The expansive dining menu includes the raw bar. There are also plates like the fork-tender, lamb crépinette with roasted cauliflower, capers and a deeply flavored lamb jus and the kangeroo loin with roasted mushrooms and fingerling potatoes, cooked sous vide and then pan-seared to order.

One special feature of Burk and Wills' kitchen is the rotisserie used to create daily specials such as whole roasted joints of lamb or beef. A popular menu item is rotisserie chicken brined with aromatics, and served with roasted patty pan squash in brown butter sauce. The rotisserie is also used with vegetables like the rotisserie carrot salad, with dates, oranges and pistachio vinaigrette and in the side dish of rotisserie beets.

Desserts include a deconstructed interpretation of the whipped cream, passion fruit curd and fruit-layered Pavlova, an affogato, bomboloni filled with dulce de leche, and off-the-menu treats available by request.

In addition to the bar and fine dining a third type of experience can be found at Burk and Wills. The Manhattan Cricket Club is an escapist throwback to the Colonial Era, the British Empire at the turn of the 20th Century, pays homage to the classic cricket clubs in Australia complete with cricket paraphernalia and photographs of players. Housed in an apartment restored to its original layout and aesthetic, it is located on the second floor where it is accessed through a stairway behind an upholstered door. The Manhattan Cricket Club is a place where guests can experience the full range of Greg Seider's classic and bespoke cocktails, including his special tea cocktails, as well as boutique champagnes, exotic aperitifs, top shelf spirits and wines in a luxurious setting. The décor includes a wood paneled living room and library, gold brocade wallpaper, leather sofas, and all the comforts of home. A selection of small plates including cheese platters, salmon rillettes, assorted housemade pickles and mixed olives are offered to accompany the drinks.

The Manhattan Cricket Club offers exclusivity without snobbery. When space permits, all are welcome. It is a gentleman's club where women are equally welcome. But membership does have its privileges: priority seating with guests on a walk-in basis, reservations, access to member only events, gatherings and tastings, private liquor lockers, the opportunity to book a room or the entire apartment for private functions, and private menus with advanced ordering. For more information on how to join, visit the website at http://www.mccnewyork.com.

Burke & Wills is open 7 days a week for cocktails, happy hour, dinner, bar snacks, late night and weekend brunch. They also have a schedule of live jazz and DJ entertainment. Burke & Wills is located at 226 W 79th Street in New York City. For more information, call 646-823-9251 or visit their web site at www.burkeandwillsny.com. They are open seven days a week for cocktails, bar snacks, dinner and late night. For information on private parties and special events, please contact Matilda Boland, matilda@burkeandwillsny.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Burke & Wills

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