kathryn

Some new places opening up soon: Graffiti "Jehangir Mehta, who has created sweets at Jean Georges, Virot, Aix and Union Pacific, will open his own place with pizzas, pastas, savory pastries and the desserts that made his name. There will also be a retail bakery and a dessert bar. The décor plays on the graffiti theme with a Hindu twist." -- NY Times 224 E. 10th St. (between 1st and 2nd) New York, NY 10003 212-677-0695 "irreverent dishes such as green tomato salad with salty caramel tapioca." Cocoa Bar LES (you may be already familiar with the Park Slope location) 21 Clinton Street (between Houston and Stanton) New York, NY 10002 212-677 7417 And of course, the long-awaited Tailor, and the newly opened p*Ong.

I don't see how they're really VIP tickets, though! The AMEX FastPass is $100 for $100 worth of BBQ. The normal FastPass is $100 for $84 worth of food. And the wording leads me to believe that both FastPasses will be in the same line? At least it's a punch card this year. I'm also a little worried that I see Brother Jimmy's BBQ on the list of Pitmasters. But at least they'll be holding the seminars on site.

Oh, definitely! It must be very difficult to feel like you're not repeating yourself or getting stuck in a rut. My "plagiarism" comment was only in jest. Even though some of the flavor combinations were not to my liking, I enjoyed the desserts very much. For the ones I didn't like quite so much, I'm glad I had the experience and ability to try them out. And I will definitely be back, many times, in the future. Thanks for responding, Alex!

I dined at the Bar Room last night with my boyfriend and two friends visiting from out of town. We all ordered three dishes so I think we got the a good portion of the menu covered: The Arctic Char tartare and Steak tartare really wowed my compansions; I regretfully forgot to try some since I was busy with my own first couse. My friend must have thought that they were good, though, since her eyes were rolling into the back of her head. I had the Foie Gras Torchon with muscat gelee. I didn't think the gelee really added much to the dish. I did, however, have trouble finishing the torchon and must've eaten 4-5 slices of bread in trying to do so. Another one of us ordered the warm veal and goat cheese terrine, which he likes a lot, but I thought was a little too subtle, a little too ordinary, like many others have observed. For seconds, two of us were wowed by the Roasted Long Island Duck, served with peppercorn crusted apples, and a creative pistachio-truffle dipping sauce. It was the perfect combination of textures and flavors. Lots of umami here and I was very jealoud that I hadn't ordered that dish. One of us also ordered the seared foie gras, which was reported to be very very tasty; I didn't have any because I was very foie'd out by this point. Instead I focused on my dish: the adorable egg in a jar, with perfectly juicy and tender lobster and asparagus, topped with uni foam. I didn't really taste the foam once I pierced the egg, but the combination of egg yolk with lobster and asparagus is unstoppable. Looking at the online menu, it appears that the vegetable in this dish changes seasonally. My only complaint was that I wish they'd put more of the tender asparagus in my jar. There was plenty of lobster, though, and it was delicate and very comforting. Also, I wish that I had gotten to keep the jar. For thirds, I enjoyed the simple but well-executed duck confit with "pommes lyonnaise." My companions thought the lamb loin and quail were good but not as outstanding as some of the first and second dishes we had. I was happy with my duck confit but getting very full by this point. My boyfriend, however, was knocked out by the crispy yellowfin tuna with cauliflower and onion consomme and I could only happily concur, and second what U.E. has already written. And for dessert, we shared the ultra-fluffy and popular beignets. I don't know about you guys, but this portion is definitely too small! Then again, my boyfriend is a nefarious beignet stealer. I loved the caramel sauce, not too hot on the maple ice cream (too cold and heavy for a warm, fluffy beignet) and was "eh" on the apple? malmalade. It said mango on the menu, but all I could taste was apples, strangely. I did, however, grab my spoon after the beignets were spent, and ate the maple ice cream straight up--delicious, and reminiscent of Shake Shack's maple custard flavor. Service notes: water refilling was very very good. Oddly, it took a while for the bread to come out to us; it reached the table a good two minutes before our first courses arrived. Not sure why, I surmised that they had run out of bread, since ours arrived hot and piping. Our server was competent but didnt' have that "Danny Meyer" service touch that I was expecting. He seemed a little harried in the beginning, as we arrived when the bar room was nearly full (around 8:30pm) but became more and more visible and available as our meal progressed. It's also worth noting that I could barely hear what he was saying at the other end of the table at 9pm but had no trouble later on in the evening. I love the buzz of the room and the hip-factor, but, dammit, it sucks when you can barely hear your server. Regardless, I'll definitely return, but perhaps at a less busy time.

I had dinner in the Tavern Room tonight, for the first time; I've only ever eaten in the Dining Room, and that was before Michael Anthony took over. I had the grilled scallops to start, which were delicious and tender, and flavorful although the cream based sauce was a little heavy. I didn't really get much of any impact from the cabbage and wished that it had been a stronger foil for the other components of the dishes. I did enjoy a single piece of fried prosciutto (I wanted more), and the presentation was very elegant because the prosciutto looked kind of like a piece of very thin bacon. It was a very light appetizer, composed of the prosciutto and two scallops. My date ordered the portobello tart to start, which turned to be a large potion and looking more of a three-layered cake. The goat cheese was presented in a ball on the side so you could proportion it out more efficiently. The pastry was delicate and flaky, and overall, it was a wonderful blending of hearty, earthy flavors. I usually don't like mushrooms, and even I liked this. The arugula portion was a simply dressed salad on the side that provided a counterpoint to the tart's richness. The portion was fairly large and looked to be filling. My main was the stuffed meatball, which was presented already cut in half on the plate, on top of a bed of potato puree. The meat was crumbly and moist, and covered with strands of melted fontina. Hearty and comforting, and perfect for a brisk night. This dish was a big hit, and also a big portion, so I needed help finishing it. My only complaint is that eating a huge, loose meatloaf-like entree is a little monotonous after a while, so I made sure to drink lots of water and take breaks. I can definitely see myself craving this dish on a snowy evening. I was quite full at this point, and opted for a simple pot de creme for dessert. It was well executed but not a standout. My date's main was the pulled pork sandwich. Great bread, good, high quality, juicy pork. I've only had NC BBQ style pulled pork before so it's hard to compare this sandwich with other pulled pork experiences, but it was very delicious, just in a different way than I'm used to. My date polished it off in about ten minutes. Also, I loved the coleslaw on the side, which included savoy cabbage and apples. It wasn't excessively creamy and a good counterpoint to the sandwich. For dessert, he ordered the chocolate peanut butter cake with frozen milk. The cake was tasty, as the combination of peanut butter and chocolate usually is, but it really shone in combination for the frozen milk. The frozen milk came in a tiny glass with a tiny straw and was very impressive. It was somehow whipped and fluffy, and sweet, but not icy or like ice cream or frozen yogurt or sorbet. It's a mystery to me exactly how they make it! Overall, we spent about $45-50 per person, including tip and tax. We went early and were seated immediately by a window, and it was nice enjoying the natural light until the sun finished setting and the room got more crowded.

Huh, you are right. I should probably check a menu before I post! I go there so often, I order from memory now.

Yes, definitely! Also: I'm 26. David Chang is 29. We like the same music (Pavement, Pixies, other indie rock wonders) and food (his, obviously). I spend a good amount of times in loud rock clubs and bars, so, I feel more comfortable at Ssam Bar than other people might. I've been to places like the Dining Room at the Modern and felt young and slightly out of place, although I loved the design and the energy.

Funny, I thought that this situation only happened to me! It's even worse when they have TWO tasting menus available and you wonder if you could get away with each person ordering a different one! Oh, and then of course you're so impressed by the amuses or palate cleansers or petit fours that you mention it to your server, and of course, they bring you yet another one... The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem...right?

Seconding Murray's for cheese, and it's a great area to walk around in, not to mention that it's close to Ottomanelli (butcher), Amy's Bread, the oh-so-famous Magnolia Bakery (mock the people waiting in line!), Rocco's (an italian bakery known for cannolis), Cones (OK gelato but lots of people seem to like it), John Pizzeria (no slices!). That stretch of Bleecker has a lot boutique clothing shopping as well but on the pricier side. And make sure they know that you're looking for knockoff designer bags. Many places hide stuff behind a door or a counter due to police raids a while back. And, um, make sure you don't get locked in the basement. Yes! You can order both pork soup dumplings (AKA steamed tiny buns), and Gui Zhou Spicy chicken (from the fresh chicken menu). It's St Marks Place. Can't be beat for atmosphere and cheesy but fun faux-punk and rock'n'roll shopping: records at Kim's and Sounds, tattooed kids with mohawks running around, hordes of Japanese student-types waiting for yakitori (and to get drunk), Trash and Vaudeville (where Debbie Harry and others used to shop). There's even a CBGB's store there now. It's definitely lots of fun for visitors. Just stay away from the Chipotle. Are you talking about Guss' Pickles? 85 Orchard St. And if you're in the neighborhood, consider stopping by Sugar Sweet Sunshine for cupcakes, Il Laboratorio for Gelato for gelato, Essex Street Market for gourmet groceries, The Donut Plant for their Valronha chocolate donut, Kossar's for bialys, Yonah Schimmel for a knish, Clinton St Baking Company for a muffin to go, Dash Dogs for a slider or two, pearl milk tea at Quickly, Egg Custard King Cafe for egg tarts... MOMOFUKU SSAM BAR! Casual but boisterous atmosphere, friendly service, delicious food. You eat pork, don't you? There's the famous banh mi, thinly sliced country hams, grilled sweetbreads, apple salad (with bacon), fatty and decadent pork buns, oysters with kimchee, etc. Although it can run up to $40-50 a person dependent on what you order. Don't forget street food! The halal cart at 53rd and 6th for example. And Gray's Papaya is open 24/7. There's tons of options that are a little more upscale, too: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/dini...&pagewanted=all

Whoops, I read too quickly. It is indeed horizontal. Apologies if I gave the wrong impression! Photos on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/kathryn/sets/7215...46452811/detail

Your description has made the engineer in me smile ← Did it look like a vertical version of this? ← Yes! Perfect. Is it still plagiarism if you plagiarize yourself?!

Dropped in on WD-50 this past Sunday at around 9pm to taste some desserts. We asked to sample some desserts at the bar, since we were walk-ins, but they asked if preferred a table, which was fine. I hadn't been back for about 12 months and they have spruced up the place in the intervening time -- it felt much more warm and welcoming than my previous visit. The dining room was nearly full when we arrived although the crowd soon thinned out as others finished up their meals. It was my first time tasting what Stupak is capable of, having never been to Alinea, and I was excited having read the reviews on eGullet. We ordered five desserts between the two of us. Yogurt parfait, pine, apple, pineapple (get it?) -- Absolutely delicious. The flavor of apples permeated the dish, and it tasted very fresh and clean. The pine accent was neither overpowering or odd, and worked very well with the parfait and apple ice cream. I also really enjoyed the playfulness and texture of strips of "apple leather" strewn about the plate. Refreshing and tasteful; it really woke up my tastebuds. Creamsicle, rooibos, squash, orange blossom -- Probably my favorite of the five. The combination of flavors was fantastic and I was delighted by the "creamsicle." Particularly when the vanilla ice cream center spurted out of the tube when I took a corner off with my fork. This was perfect: whimsical, delicious, nostalgic, artfully presented, and highly addictive; again, I felt like my eyes were wide open, enjoying the flavors. We were fighting over the scraps by the end. White chocolate cream, black sesame, argan oil, carrot -- Although carrot is listed last in the ingredients list, I found that it really dominated the dessert with carrot ice cream and thin "chips" of carrot flavor decorating half spheres of white chocolate cream. I found the carrot accents to be unobjectionable when combined with white chocolate, but the carrot ice cream was not a winner in my book. The white chocolate was beautiful and tasty, though. I found this dish to be very interesting but the meh-ness of the carrot ice cream was a misstep. Coffee cake, ricotta, maraschino, chicory ice cream -- I really loved the chicory ice cream, which was on a bed of soil (chocolate perhaps), and dried cherries. The cherries were a little hard to eat, especially because I wanted a little bit of cherry with every bit of ice cream and soil. I do love that soil, though. The coffee cake portion of the dish was three cubes of soft, fluffy cake, coated in what I believe is some sort of chicory sauce concoction. I found that the sauce overpowered the delicate flavor of the cake, and found it to be a bit bitter for my palette. The "ricotta" was dollops of white sauce, and I didn't find it really added anything to the taste. It was just...there. The ice cream/soil/cherries combination was the winner here and I could take or leave the cake cubes. Soft chocolate, avocado, licorice, lime -- How do you improve upon chocolate? I'm not sure I'm the right person to ask here, but for me, this dish was asking how to really bring out the flavors and richness of chocolate, without covering up it's, um, chocolate-y-ness. The soft chocolate was just that -- a gorgeous twisted ribbon of soft chocolate. It looked solid, like some sort of chocolate I-beam, that had been carefully twirled between two fingers, but was the perfect texture and softness when it met my fork. The wonderful high quality chocolate, balanced by the smallest bit of avocado or lime sauce was melt-in-your-mouth heaven. Petit fours were juniper and lime marshmallows. They were small, circular, and fragrant. I loved the sugary texture on the outside and the flavor; my boyfriend was not as impressed but he doesn't love marshmallows like I love them. My only regret is not having room for a 6th dessert (would have gone for the yuzu). Photos forthcoming.

So how did it go? Looking forward to your report...

Bravo, u.e. I always love your reports, written with such thoughtfulness and grace!

The Recommended Dishes made me laugh out loud: Recommend half the menu, now, will you? I'm a little iffy at the jab at the mochi dessert sampler (a "throwaway dessert") and I also found it odd that he didn't really call out the Benton's country ham. But, hey, more for me.

I think it's gonna become a Monday or Tuesday night place to not have to deal with the crowds...like Noodle Bar around 2 - 3 on a weekday afternoon. ← Anybody up for a Bo Ssam?

I went around midnight on Sunday and the place was 80% full. The previous Sunday around 8pm it was packed, with a few parties waiting for tables. I hope I can still get a seat after the review!

I had the apple salad last night and thought it was great -- bacon, spicy and crunchy peanuts, sweet and luscious pieces of lychee, all topped with scallions and some sort of clear jelly. It worked so well with the apples that I was immediately dismayed that I hadn't ordered it before.

I was in there a few nights ago and noticed a bunch of the cooks in the back excitedly tasting something and it made me jealous! My boyfriend and I were commenting that the sausage accompaniment to the rice cakes could probably be served on its own as a David Chang version of Chili.

"Early March" last I heard. Keep an eye out here: http://nymag.com/daily/food/the_launch/ As you can see, they are still hammering out details like soundproofing and purveyors, so I wouldn't count on them being open when you are in NYC.

My mother was just in the main dining room with a client last night and said it was very enjoyable, though not as good as EMP. She also said it was very, very busy due to the RW activities in the Bar Room. I suppose, however, that that doesn't really apply to you because you're going on a Saturday, but I'm guessing the Bruni trey is helping business. She had the prix fixe and said it was enough food, though anytime I've looked at the menus--frequently--I'm always much more intrigued by the seasonal (most expensive) tasting menu. ← I went on Thursday night and did the Winter Tasting menu. It is very heavy on the black truffles as they have a quite generous hand with them. None of this "4 shavings of black truffle" business. Now, I'm a fan of black truffles but even I started to wear on the taste of them by the 3rd time around. However, I really enjoyed the poached foie gras (perfectly cooked and with a great garnish) and venison with the absolutely fantastic, soft, tender butternut squash "crepes." Those, IMHO, were the two knock-out dishes, everything else was "merely" good to very good. I haven't had the Chef's tasting so I can't compare. Also, I would note that you don't get the cheese cart like you do in the regular Chef's tasting. The only misfire was the Grand Marnier Baba, but I didn't like it because I don't like my desserts to taste (excessively) of alcohol. The thing was basically like a donut sponge of Grand Marnier! Unpleasant to my tastebuds and perhaps the most strongly flavored dish of the evening. Kind of a let down because everything else had been very good up to that point. Also, a different server than the one we'd had all evening came with the dessert, placed it on the table, and walked away without any explanation. This was the only dish where that happened. My favorite parts were actually the fried fava beans that you get as a "pre-amuse" and the 1-2-3 post-dessert punch of sorbet in a cone, petit fours (wonderful macarons!), and chocolate (European style with subtle herb flavorings, kind of close to La Maison). I wish we'd had the foresight to try to substitute the Grand Marnier Baba with the Chocolate Tart. Also, the room is visually stunning (as has been mentioned all over the press), the booths are very cozy and comfortable. Service isn't as fawning as some other Danny Meyer places but it may have been due to the extreme business of the place. Also, there's a film installation in the MOMA Garden, which you may be able to see a bit of dependent on where you are sitting. I found that the art installation enhanced the view of the garden. Additionally, the couple seated next to me did one of the Chef's Tasting and one of the Winter Tasting and shared both, and added on extra cheeses when the cart came around. I'm jealous I didn't think of doing that first!

Went here last night with my boyfriend around 10pm -- it was charming and fantastic. Seated immediately (snow may have had something to do with it), very cozy atmosphere, friendly service, although I sometimes had trouble understanding everything our server said since her Japanese accent got in the way and the room was 75% full. Other than that, it was great. All white walls and seats might seem too cold and modern, but the up-lighting was very warm. There were only one or two empty tables when we sat down in the back room, although there were a handful of people up front at the bar. I ordered the prix fixe, my boyfriend ordered the chocolate cake and a cocktail, their signature drink, which was white sesame shochu, cranberry, and mint. Very tasty, though it seemed like a summer drink. We were so enamoured, we thought about seeking out white sesame shochu on its own. I think the prix fixe is the way to go here. You get an appetizer (sweet tofu), a sampler of four desserts (rice pudding, fig jelly, chocolate cake, walnut ice cream), and petit fours (two wonderfully soft cookies), and then they bring you some sweets with the check (pear jelly cubes). I enjoyed the sweet tofu (seemed like something I might have eaten in my youth as a Chinese-American) and it seemed kind of like an Asian flan due to the black sugar sauce on top. My boyfriend only thought it was OK. The dried apricot was an unexpected surprise and contrasted nicely with the subtle taste of the tofu. Like Brian Z, I greatly enjoyed the rice pudding dish because of the cherry and candied ginger garnishes. I'm not usually a big rice pudding fan, and the Kyotofu rendition seemed as far as possible from the gooey glop you sometimes find passed off as rice pudding. I actually mistook the cherries for raisins at first. The spiced tuile was a good foil for the rice pudding -- it was a combination of many difference spices and I could have swore I tasted cumin in there, which was also an unexpected note. It's always nice to get a mix of different textures in a dessert as well: the crispy tuile, al dente rice, soft cream, and chewy ginger and cherries. My toasted walnut tahitian vanilla parfait was tasty but too hard to eat. The density of the walnuts in the ice cream made it awkward to break apart the cylinder and I ended up clanking my utensils a fair bit in trying to eat this dish, especially because of the cookie that was hidden underneath. I enjoyed the obvious freshness of the walnuts, but overall I did not enjoy this as much as other people since to me it was tasty but ordinary: just walnut ice cream and some sauce. Perhaps the full on dish is better, as I couldn't really taste the caramel apricot sauce. As a big chocolate fan, the mini miso chocolate cake was amazing. Moist, rich, dense bordering on fudge, but not cloyingly sweet, and the slight miso hint gradually revealed itself after a few bites. There was a tiny dusting of green tea powder on the plate that didn't really add much to the cake. Personally, I would come back solely for this cake. If you like chocolate cake, Kyotofu is the place to go. Lastly, the fig yokan was like a thick fruity jelly. Reminded me of the jelly candies you can get at Asian supermarkets. Simple, elegant, and another item that reminded me of my childhood. Not so much a 4th dish as much as a precursor to the "real" petit fours. The "real" petit fours were two soft, perfect cookies. One, a sugar cookie dipped in green tea chocolate, and two, a black sesame white chocolate cookie. The cookies were, simply put, perfect. Soft, a little crumbly, not dry, not hard, almost melt in your mouth delicious. I am seriously contemplating buying an entire box for myself next time I am in the neighborhood. I haven't had cookies this good (E.A.T? Black Hound?) in a long time. And to top it all off, we had some pear jelly with the cube. They were small, dice-sized cubes of pear puree. Also very simple and elegant, and basically like someone had pulverized pear and shrunk it down to a single bite size. I live within walking distance of Chikalicious, and to tell you the truth, Kyotofu impresses me much more. Ended up being about $45 including tax and tip (1 prix fixe, 1 entree, 1 cocktail). As far as upscale dessert destinations go, the price is on par with Room 4 Dessert and Chikalicious, although the atmosphere seems to be more comfortable and less crowded.

Went on Sunday night around 10:30pm. The were 5-6 other people in the restaurant, most of whom left as my boyfriend and I ate a late dinner. Here's the updated menu. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathryn/366619454/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathryn/366621669/ Unfortunately, it looks like a few things I wanted to try (crab claws with yuzu mayo, the cauliflower, etc.) are off for now, as well as that 4th ham. We had: The famous (and rightly so) Banh Mi. I dream about this sandwich. Benton's Country Ham. Itcame with a spicy gravy this time, I didn't like the gravy at all, so it struck me as useless, but the bread was nicely toasted and of a very high quality Cured hamachi - good and nice temperature and textural counter point to all of the ham Mochi sampler - Blueberry cheesecake, passionfruit, chocolate espresso, pistachio. All excellent, but I liked the bright and fresh passionfruit best, while my boy enjoyed the decadent, creamy blueberry cheesecake. I'm glad they mix up the flavors so often. It was a struggle NOT to order the pork buns but well worth it. I look forward to trying the spicy seafood clay pot (our server said it was her favorite) and the sweetbreads. Edit: check out his short essay in Eater today: http://eater.com/archives/2007/01/on_the_house_th_2.php

What about street food? There's "The Cart" at 53rd and 6th Avenue for halal food after sundown. Make sure you get the night crew. http://www.53rdand6th.com/ And the Burger Joint at Parker Meridien Hotel, located 119 W. 56 St between 6th & 7th Ave. Walk inside the lobby, turn to your left, go behind the curtain.

New York Magazine article on David Chang and Ssam Bar: http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/26568/ Things aren't looking so good with the restaurant not doing a lot of business during the day, having $1 million in loans to pay off, and Momofuku Noodle Bar's profits subsidizing Ssam Bar. Chang even hints at possibly leaving NYC for Vegas (Nooooooo!).