spaetzle_maker

I don't think so - I've seen it on the menu as well. Edit: Here's an explanation of what "Crossabaw" is: http://thelinkery.com/blog/?p=319

I thought it had to be something like that, simply because the white of the egg was still so white. Thanks! I had been wondering...

This was an amazing article.

I was able to eat the food fast enough, but I did have trouble drinking my wine fast enough.

Actually I think they've cranked up the AC to compensate. We were there last night and I found it comfortable but my wife actually found it uncomfortably chilly. ← I was comfortable the first time I went, but felt a bit chilled the second time I went.

Has anyone noticed the little mascot Ko has to the left of the door (on the inside of the restaurant, not the outside)? It's a little stuffed toy - a donut man. Very funny. The food is refined, but there's certainly still a sense of humor.

well, that we agree on. but there's a flipside to it...when I'm spending a couple hundred dollars at a restaurant whether it's the first time or the fiftieth time, I expect good treatment. when a restaurant is concentrating primarily on taking care of its regulars, the treatment for the non-regulars (who are paying the same money) often suffers. ← I think that there was a misinterpretation here of what I'm saying. I'm grateful for my situation that I can eat out on a regular basis. I walk into a restaurant feeling happy about that. I'm not walking into a restaurant thinking "How am I going to get even more". It's not that I'm grateful to a restaurant for letting me eat there and spend a lot of money. That's ridiculous.

Or not, and try as we may, according to our own levels of curiosity, to get a reservation and experience his food, regardless. I, for one, would like to know how the wine list is set up. I realize that they have a pairing for the set menu. But, will there be other selections in addition to the pairing option, for those (like me) who can (barely) handle/want only a glass of wine? Or would I be limited to choosing a wine from the pairing list? ← UE, I'm generally a one glass diner as well. I experienced the pairing on two occassions. Each beverage in the pairing was very small - maybe 3 or 4 sips. The amount was enough so I could enjoy the pairing but not too overwhelming for me.

Peter Serpico is the executive chef at Ko. Favorite dish? It's between the shaved foie and the egg with onions. Edit: are people calling it shaved foie or grated foie?

I think it depends on what you consider "special treatment". I'm a regular at a number of places where I don't get comps or buybacks. But at these places, they do say hello and they know my name. I do consider this to be a very welcoming and special feature of being a regular. I don't require anything additional and I'm being completely sincere when I say this. I'm with Daisy17 - If someone takes time to make a new drink or dish for me and they value my opinion, I'm completely flattered and appreciative. I'm human and I like that my opinion is valued. But this is not a requirement for my regular patronage at an establishment.

If I'm having a medical emergency, my doctor better squeeze me in. I think being in need of a doctor is quite different than expecting to be bumped up in line at a busy restaurant. Those hostesses are nice people. The last thing I'd want is to be moved up in line and have some guy start screaming at the hostess that he was there before me. The chefs in the kitchen are working their asses off. I don't want them to fall behind because they are making something extra for me when they are already incredibly busy. I also respect people with extraordinary talents in the kitchen and in service and I don't want them to have to compromise some aspect of their work so they can be generous with me in ways that I don't require. That just isn't necessary for me to enjoy my time at their restaurant. I think the key distinction is that many people on this thread, myself included, "appreciate" the times when the kitchen or staff has gone out of their way for our benefit. You on the other hand "expect" them to go out of their way. We are different in this manner. There is a saying about horses, death and beating. Good night.

So am I. But I fail to see how this is in any way related to the point we're discussing. ← Fat guy, feel free to go into a restaurant and demand preferential treatment because you are a regular customer. I'm not trying to stop you. If you only partially quote me and ignore the context of what I was responding to, you will most certainly fail to understand my point. This has gotten boring.

What if Chang served it? ← Obviously, I'd be furious. Edit: I'm talking about actual shit here. As far as food goes, if there was a total change in quality of food (and service) then the restaurant would be a different restaurant for me - not the same place that I've enjoyed so regularly. And I don't envision any of this ever happening anyway. Editing again: If something happened to the quality of the food and service to a point where I wouldn't want to go anymore, I'd probably have to go into mourning. I'd really miss the momofukus. And I don't envision any of this ever happening anyway.

I'm grateful that I can afford to spend money on the luxury of eating out on a regular basis at places that I love. This really is a luxury and you can choose to be grateful for it or not. This does not define me as a "submissive consumer". I'm certainly not going to restaurants where the food isn't good or where the service is rude. I'm not being served shit on a paper plate and saying "Oh goodness, thank you!"

I eat regularly at a small and select group of restaurants and I view every dinner at these restaurants as a privilege that I can't believe I'm so lucky to have. I am not trying to be a pollyanna about this but I am so grateful to have this luxury. I guess that is why I do shudder when I hear words like "entitled", "expect" and "pull strings". They are on the opposite ends of the spectrum from my feeling of gratitude at being able to eat the way I've been eating.

You may be over-estimating the amount of "reaching out" that either goes on currently or that people are willing to do in the future when it's difficult to get a reservation at Ko.

The kitchens at both restaurants are way too busy to be expected to entertain someone's sense of entitlement to something more than what they ordered. I'm in agreement with others who have said that they appreciate any nice gesture of an extra dish, but it really is NOT expected. I have just as much appreciation that they know my name and say hello and for me that is the most important benefit of being a regular.

When I spend money, I expect to get the food that I've paid for (nothing more). ← Well, we all expect to get what we pay for. I think it's a bit disingenuous to say that any number of regulars, at either of the older Momos, don't "expect" that they're gonna be thrown a dish or two...just read through the threads. ← I'm not being disingenuous. I was going to Noodle Bar very, very regularly way before the Ssam Bar Soigne started because I loved the food and found the place to be homey. In those pre-ssam bar days, I think on rare occasions my drink at noodle bar would be comped. I thought it was a mistake so I was always adding in the cost of the drink - I didn't even realize that it was intended as a comp! I became a regular at Ssam Bar by extension of my positive feelings for Noodle Bar and because the food is just so damn good.

Lighter fare at later hours works better for me... I can only dream of being capable of eating a steak ssam and brussels sprouts plus some oysters and dessert at 1 am.

When I spend money, I expect to get the food that I've paid for (nothing more).

I think they're going to go with the scaled back After Hours menu from 11pm - 2am on sunday - wednesday nights. I'm just glad that they're continuing to stay open till 2am even if it means I can't get the full menu. Besides I can't wait to see what other "snacks" they come up with. ← That sounds perfect. If I'm first getting around to having dinner after 11pm, I really only want a snack (or 3) anyway. This makes total sense.

I'm incredibly grateful to have been included in Ko's F&F. Why should I feel "alienated" that they won't do even more for me -- especially when it would be contrary to a business model that I have great respect for? ← Exactly again! I can't imagine ever feeling "alienated". The idea is ridiculous to me.

I don't get this. Why will I ever feel badly about not being able to get into Ko, if I get treated well at Ssam Bar? Is my sense of entitlement as a New Yorker supposed to be so great that I'm supposed to abandon a place if it doesn't do me every single favor it conceivably could, but rather only a lot of them? I think that people who EXPECT special treatment should go fuck themselves. ← Exactly!

How does being up at 10am clicking a mouse any different than you getting on the phone at 10am and hitting redial for an hour to get through to Babbo? It's the same methodology, just a different technology. The big different is there are back doors into Babbo. Calling someone you know, showing up at 10am to speak to the reservationist in person. Ko doesn't (or say they don't) have any back doors. Everyone treated equally. First come first serve (assuming you have a computer) ← Right! They have to find a way to limit to only 12 people per sitting and using an online system is the most impersonal (and therefore unbiased) way to do it.

I've had some of this ham as well! It's absolutely beautiful. Are the potatoes the same as what is on the skate dish? Thanks for the info Donbert! And that popcorn sounds great! I look forward to trying it out.