Secrets of the Chefs – Elm St. Oyster House’s Billy Kulhanek: His Full Story on a Half Shell

– By Janice Llanes Fabry –

Elm St. Oyster House is a pearl of a fish house right off Greenwich Avenue. After 14 years, its oysters are as fresh, its menu as reliable and its dining room as vibrant as the first day it opened. “We know how to keep our clientele happy,” said chef and co-owner Billy Kulhanek. “We are an integral part of Greenwich now.”
Kulhanek recalled that wasn’t always the case. He remembered the days when the Oyster House was “a little greasy spoon” that served burgers and wings called the Elm Street Café, “My mother baked desserts and dad ran deliveries.” Subsequently, he teamed up with Jim Sullivan and Jan Fabry of the Rye Grill and Bar and, together, they transformed it into a seafood house, of which there were none in the area.
Another novelty they incorporated was the open kitchen, which gave patrons full view of the activity behind the stoves. “I liked the idea because I was proud of what we did and it was fun talking to the customers,” said Kulhanek. “About the only drawback is keeping our aprons extra clean.”
Having always aspired to work in a restaurant, the chef’s fondest recollections are ensconced in the kitchen of his childhood. “One of my earliest memories is of my mother in the kitchen, cooking and singing,” he said. Years later, he attended Peter Kump's New York Cooking School. At the same time, he worked in the kitchens and bars of about a dozen restaurants throughout Westchester. He was tending bar in Rye’s old Mug and Ale, when he met Sullivan.
At his own kitchen at the Elm Street Oyster House, Kulhanek has always imparted the same simple, but foolproof philosophy to his cooks: “Make every plate like you’re making it for your mom.” He and his sous chef, Raul Lituma, who is the more familiar face in the kitchen these days, insist on using only extra fresh ingredients and making “just a little bit of everything” at a time.
Some of the signature entrees that faithful patrons have come to crave are the wasabi and sesame crusted seared yellow-fin tuna served with an Asian vegetable salad and the King salmon with stir fried rice, haricot verts, snow peas and roasted peppers. Appetizers that many patrons enjoy at the bar or in the 38-seat dining room as starters are Elm Street’s pan-fried oysters with garlic thyme butter and the ever-popular crab cakes with assorted chutneys and peppercorn dressing.
To what does Kulhanek attribute the Elm Street Oyster House’s longevity? “The kitchen really cares and the customers love seeing the same faces of our staff on the front end,” said Kulhanek about the unusually low employee turn over. “They all put their hearts into it.”
Pleased to share a recipe with The Rye Record, Kulhanek, or “Billy K” as he is fondly known, is currently writing his own cookbook. Having accumulated many an amusing story over the years, it will include behind-the-scenes anecdotes that tie into relevant recipes.
Hours are Monday – Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sunday 12 – 9 p.m.

Seared Tuna in Wasabi and Sesame Crust With Asian Vegetable Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 - 7 oz. yellow fin tuna steaks
1⁄4 c. white sesame seeds
1/3 c. pickled ginger
4 T. dry wasabi
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 c. pineapple juice
1 c. rice wine vinegar
1 T. sesame seed oil
1⁄4 c. soy sauce
1⁄2 c. miso
1 small head bok choy
3 stalks celery
1⁄2 c. snow peas
1 large carrots
1⁄2 red or yellow pepper
2 T. vegetable oil

In a small bowl, mix the dry wasabi with three tablespoons of warm water to make a firm, but moist paste. For the miso vinaigrette, combine the pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, sesame seed oil, half the soy sauce and pickled ginger in a food processor. Mix for 30 seconds while slowly adding the miso and half of the wasabi. Put to the side.
For the Asian vegetable salad, cut the bok choy. Then cut celery, snow peas, carrots and peppers julienne style and combine with the bok choy.
Rub a little soy sauce and wasabi on both sides of the tuna steaks. Coat them evenly with the dry sesame seeds on both sides.
Heat a sauté pan until it gets hot, add two tablespoons of oil and heat. Lay the tuna in the pan slowly, starting with the end nearest yourself and slowly lowering it away from you, so the oil won’t splatter towards you. Cook about one minute per side until the sesame seeds turn golden brown. Lay tuna on the cutting board and slice it on the bias into six to eight slices.
Toss the salad in a large bowl with the miso vinaigrette and arrange on a plate. Top it with the sliced tuna. Put a small pinch of wasabi and ginger on the rim of the plate. Serve with a small ramekin of soy sauce.