The Stars Shine Bright in Maysville

[rebecca greenfield for the times]Pete Wells files on the newly opened Maysville on West 26th Street today. The American-inspired restaurant is the shared vision of Sean Josephs (owner of Char No. 4 in Brooklyn) and chef Kyle Knall, "whose understated American style," Wells wrtes, "is a winning blend of the refined and the unpretentious." This approach to cooking was honed at Gramercy Tavern, where Knall worked before signing on to open Maysville.

"Encountered as words on the menu, some of his food may have a been-there, done-that feeling. But if you have done this before, it feels different this time." Wells notes the frequent use of hay in kitchens around town these days, writing, "I’ve had more hay set in front of me in the past year than a thoroughbred training for the Kentucky Derby, but never was it used to as good effect as it is at Maysville, where its smoke infuses warm oysters." "True, some things I ate erred on the side of subtlety," Wells writes of Knall's food, but concludes, "More often, he nailed the nuances."

Maysville takes it name from the city in Kentucky where Kentucky bourbon was born, and the restaurant boasts a list of 150+ American whiskeys. Domestic products also get their due in "a deep wine list that does well by the United States. Wells finds the list, "is surprisingly extensive even if its large number of three-digit prices feels out of place."

Maybe Wells will hit Char No. 4 sometime this year. For now, he awards two stars to Maysville, a restaurant in his eyes that's "a confident restatement of the American tavern."