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Sanne Ytting and partner Adam Aamann opened Danish eatery Aamanns-Copenhagen in TriBeCa on Nov. 8 after a week’s delay due to Hurricane Sandy. This 2,000-square-foot restaurant specializes in smørrebrød, a traditional Danish dish featuring a selection of meats, fish, vegetables and spreads atop a slice of fresh Danish-style rye bread.
Smørrebrød has been a signature dish in Copenhagen since the 1800s. When owner Sanne Ytting was looking for a partner to establish the Danish eatery, she summoned Danish chef Aamann, who reinvented the traditional smørrebrød with a restaurant he
established in Copenhagen in 2006.
“When I was looking for a partner on this project, I knew Adam was the one as soon as I learned about his experience, his reputation and his innovative food concept,”
Ytting said.
The restaurant has different menus that offer an array of classic Danish dishes. The smørrebrød menu includes dishes like organic egg with fresh-peeled shrimp, potato/dill mayo and potato crisps, roast beef sirloin with crispy onions, remoulade with freshly grated horseradish and pork breast braised with plums, honey and balsamic vinegar. Smørrebrød prices range from $7 to $10.
The desserts offered include marzipan cake with fresh berry compote and drained yogurt with honey and vanilla, a cold Danish dessert of buttermilk, lemon verbena and honey-roasted oatmeal called Koldskål, and lemon custard served with powdered malt and sweet pickled cherries. The price range for desserts is $7 to $9.
Specials for in-house guests include breaded pan-fried white fish with green remoulade, sugar-salted salmon with watercress emulsion, pickled onions, endive salad and crispy ryebread and a variety of herring selections. The herring specials are priced at $2, while the others are priced at $9.
Aamanns-Copenhagen is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, the prospective patron must be aware that the restaurant closes between each meal for either 30 minutes or 1.5 hours.
Hopeful customer Cedric Giese is expecting the restaurant to keep up with
Danish standards.
“As a Danish-American, I am excited to see what they have to offer,” Giese said. “Most Scandinavian cooking is about the sea or the farmlands, very much about dairy, herring [or] cold-water fish. The food will probably be arranged very beautifully. I know butter will be involved.”
To retain authenticity, Ytting said that ingredients are personally selected from all over New York State, while the herring comes directly from Denmark.
“We’re very committed to providing a truly authentic Danish experience,” she said. “It was my motivation for creating Aamanns-Copenhagen in the first place.”
A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Nov. 27 print edition. Tanay Hudson is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].
