In 1860, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills set out with a team of men to cross Australia from south to north - they were the first non-indigenous men to make the crossing. When Australian nationals Tim Harris and Matilda Boland decided to open a new restaurant, they called it "Burke and Wills," drawing on the adventurous spirit of colonial Australia. Unlike the Australian exploring duo, however, who died on their journey home, the restaurant has been thriving. So much so that a few months after taking over the space in 2013, Tim Harris and Matilda Boland decided to open the Manhattan Cricket Club upstairs.
Guests are welcomed into Burke and Wills by the long stretch of bar and booths that are lit with lamps decorated with Australian maps. The cartographic theme continues into the back dining room. While chatting with Matilda, she pointed to a southern Australian city on a nearby map, noting that both she and Tim are from Melbourne.
When I asked how she and Tim had met, Matilda told me that she had moved to New York in 2010 after graduating from university in Australia. Her first job was working for the Sunburnt Cow downtown, a casual Australian pub-style restaurant where Tim was also employed. When Hurricane Sandy caused the restaurant to close, along with its uptown location, the Sunburnt Calf, the two decided to go into business together and take over the 79th Street spot. Greg Seider, author of Alchemy in a Glass, also joined them and it was he who developed the cocktail menu for both Burke and Wills and the Manhattan Cricket Club.
The restaurant quickly became a local hangout. "The neighborhood is our bread and butter," Matilda said, but added that she gets a mix of people each night. Though fellow Australians occasionally visit, she admitted, "Expats are not our target." Burke and Wills is a place where people can "tick kangaroo off their culinary bucket list." The menu is "Australian-inspired" and the restaurant buys Australian products whenever possible, but mostly Matilda is proud to fill a niche in the neighborhood. "No one is doing this level of casual fine dining."
During the years since it has opened, the food at Burke and Wills has become more refined. Matilda's personal favorite is the Roasted Spiced Duck. "I need to have it at least once a week," she said with a smile. Since Australia is such a young country, she is excited that Australian dishes are still morphing and becoming their own beast, and that Burke and Wills is playing a part in that shaping process. "We're creating our own cuisine."