Offering impeccable New American fare and bourbon alongside, Maysville made dreams come true for one southerner on our team. Opened by Sean Josephs, owner of Char No. 4 in Brooklyn, the restaurant mixes upscale locavore themes with Southern cuisine to produce refined yet soulful dishes. It is open and bright, with understated colors and a long bar reminiscent of a wraparound porch. On the wall opposite the bar, three huge horses, rendered in charcoal, gracefully strut for diners and lend the space an air of majesty.
In addition to the bourbon, there is a large selection of craft beers, both domestic and imported. We ended up settling down and spending a few hours at Maysville one September day. We had the pleasure of speaking with sous chef Arun, for quite some time. He explained that all of their produce is locally grown and seasonal, bought from the Union Square farmers market a few blocks away. “We think of the veggies first, and then create our daily menu around that.” The extra care is noted: the roasted zucchini dish is one of our all time favorites, sporting a scrumptious medley of flavorful flora, ricotta, tomatoes, a cilantro pistou and garnished with an explosive lime vinaigrette - everyone agreed with me that this particular dish is certainly not for plant-lovers alone; the crispy fried grits with prosciutto were one of the best takes on this classic that our southerner has tried; the char was also excellent, served with grilled nectarines, mini roasted eggplants and hazelnuts; the creme de la creme for another on our team, was the hay-roasted mouth-watering oysters. As seasons change, the menu will be changing accordingly. Every week, following local growing patterns, dishes are swapped in and out. The menu is comprised of "things I would like to cook at home," Arun explained. “So we might go to the market, buy some produce, cook them, and then try to figure out how to bring them into a restaurant setting.” Now that fall is approaching, Arun is looking forward to reintroducing some favorites from their original autumn opening a year ago. We can’t wait to find out what they unveil next.