Mazzer

Well, then, yeah. I would go to that steakhouse.

Is the flank steak farm-raised by the restaurant, of discernably higher quality than that available elsewhere, and guaranteed to be unavailable in two weeks' time? That is what Blue Hill's asparagus provides.

So I just mixed this up using my guesstimates and with Cointreau in place of the Solerno, and it's pretty good. I went a little light on the Fernet Branca (a touch over 1/8 oz.) and was glad I did.

? ← I believe it was Solerno. I've seen it at Astor and figured it has been around long enough to generate knock-offs, but apparently it's fairly new. Cointreau might be an acceptable substitute at home.

Death and Co. currently features a cocktail called the Frisco Club which contains Fernet Branca. If memory serves (and it probably doesn't) it's a base of gin with blood orange liqueur, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and Fernet Branca. If I had to guess at the recipe, it would be: * 1 1/2 oz gin (they used Plymouth) * 3/4 oz. blood orange liqueur * 1/2 oz. lime juice * 1/2 oz. grapefruit juice * 1/4 oz. Fernet Branca This is probably a terrible approximation but is a good base to tinker with. The only measurement I'm sure about is the Fernet Branca, because I asked. At a quarter-ounce, the Fernet Branca was definitely present and clamoring for attention, but still well-balanced. I think it's a very good drink to highlight the ingredient for the uninitiated.

Just to update an old thread for informational purposes: LeNell's is (temporarily?) defunct, but you can find Fee Brothers bitters at Kalustyan on Lexington near 28th or at Spuyten Duyvil Grocery in the Williamsburg mini-mall off of Bedford Ave.

http://www.momofuku.com/ssam/menu.asp

Somewhat of a non sequitur, but don't forget the guys and girls downstairs. It's more like six chefs/cooks (or seven, if you count Chang occasionally bumbling around) for twelve diners.

So did you go to Ko or not? I'm just curious which restaurant you had a bad experience at—you're posting in a Ko thread but your post was vague.

You went to Ko, or one of the other Momofukus? When and where has anyone ever praised Momofuku for their attractive wait staff? In what world does that even matter? Prepare to be surprise. Very surprise. You didn't like the food, and there's nothing wrong with that. But dismissing a restaurant after one visit as "MUCH HYPE FOR NO REASON" is not what this board is about. Go back to Babbo, sure (and give it the calculator treatment, too, while you're there). But you should probably give "MOMO"—one of them—another chance sometime.

The english muffin (with fried poached egg, onions, and bacon) is seriously delicious.

The service has been improving steadily, I've noticed. The Hitachino has been gone for some time. I haven't found anything else on the beer menu that I'm nearly as fond of, so I've been sticking to sake or wine. Can anyone recommend standouts?

There is retail space for rent directly adjacent to the rear of Ssam Bar, on 13th. If this rumor proves true, this is almost certainly the destination. There is also vacant retail space directly above Ssam Bar, on the second floor—it's always been there. It's too large a space (as big as Ssam Bar, I assume) for a takeout venture, but I've always found it intriguing as a potential expansion opportunity.

Incessant photography is supremely annoying at any restaurant, flash or no. At a small restaurant the effect is magnified. At a small restaurant like Ko it annoys the chefs as well. Fine by me. Eat your food, talk to your date, talk to your neighbor, talk to the chef. I appreciate those here that have shared their photographs, but I'd rather have their words.

Appetites obviously vary, and I don't think anyone can dispute your personal opinion that it's overpriced for what you get. That's your judgment call. But if leaving hungry is dampening an otherwise enjoyable meal, I might suggest stacking a seasonal dish -- which tend to be smaller and pricier due to a focus on high quality ingredients -- with a hearty staple like the kimchi stew or one of the ramens, which can really fill you up. That way, perhaps, you can get the best of both worlds. I have to say, though, that if you really did have the duck salad, the rice cakes, (small?) soft serve, and two Shake Shack burgers ... wow. I'm impressed. I really don't get this argument, which seems to crop up more and more lately. I'd like to see an objective menu analysis at a number of restaurants across cuisines, and the resulting map of ingredient frequency, plotted over time. (Kidding. Maybe.) Seriously though, I think the relative underuse of kimchi, et al., at other NYC restaurants makes it seem like overuse at Momofuku, but in reality it's just chefs operating in their element, same as anywhere else. I'm willing to concede this point, however, as I don't even see it as a bad thing, either way. Good report, thanks.