Breakfast offers a choice of buffet or waiter-delivered dishes. We chose the buffet, tempted by the smoked Scottish salmon and complemented by a perfectly toasted bagel.
The restaurant is also distinguished by what the staff whimsically refers to as the “Cadillac,” a long, copper, curvilinear bureau. An homage to the city’s café culture – after it opened, the Gresham became a gathering place for intellectuals – the Cadillac is used to present buffet dishes at breakfast and unique desserts at dinner.
The fare is international with a strong Hungarian accent. At dinner, starting out with warm bread delivered with both salmon-and-marscapone spread and hummus told us we could expect unexpected pleasures.
Authentically Hungarian, the recommended appetizer – foie gras curl with rhubarb tatin and five-spices foie gras on a plum and palinka tart - caused my dinner companion to exclaim, “There’s an explosion of flavor in my mouth!” It was followed by chicken paprikas, the Hungarian national dish artfully presented and rolled as tightly and elegantly as a sushi roll.
The staff was eager to share their knowledge of Hungarian wines, and we savored both dry and sweet ones from the Tokaji region. We weren’t disappointed with either the dry Tokaji Furmint Mandola’s 2006 Oremus or the after-dinner Tokaji Late Harvest 2007 Demeter Zoltán.
Dessert was equally flavorful. And if you ask politely, the pastry chef may prepare a sample plate so that you needn’t make the difficult decision of choosing one item from the roster that includes lemoncello, a raspberry dome, caramello, passion fruit, and a Sicilian bombe.
