Sam Mason's Tailor has Arrived

[Nathan]

I've been turned away from the bar there at 1 in the morning.

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where?

[Sneakeater]

Tailor.

And believe me, they don't turn me away lightly (if I can say that without sounding like an asshole).

[raji]

d'oh!

eater.com

Board Wrap: Art Imitating Crazy Message Boards

· One Thing You Can't Say Without Sounding Like an Asshole [eGullet] (links back to Sneak's post)

[Sneakeater]

At least I have the comfort of knowing they probably agree with me about the "preferential treatment" issue.

[nikkib]

is the menu at the bar the same as teh restaurant? Am planning on coming with some friends but tehy are not the most adventurous eaters and am not keen that keen on the menu ( i had to do WD50 on my own last time) am desperate to come so was thinking of maybe combining it with somewhere else fairly nearby - even if we eat elsewhere and then move on for dessert tasting at tailor (am sure i could sneak a couple more dishes in too!) thoughts?

[bobg01]

no, it's not; the only item the same on both is pork belly / butterscotch, which is a bit smaller at the bar.

it's a 'sweet' place, but i've thought the courses which aren't dessert are much better as a whole than the dessert ones.

[BryanZ]

Fiamma is like a minute or two away, and that might placate your friends. I liked Tailor more, but Fiamma is a solid spot. I've done both back to back.

[docsconz]

Fiamma is like a minute or two away, and that might placate your friends.  I liked Tailor more, but Fiamma is a solid spot.  I've done both back to back.

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Good suggestion, though Fiamma is not a standard Italian restaurant either.

[ulterior epicure]

Fiamma is like a minute or two away, and that might placate your friends.  I liked Tailor more, but Fiamma is a solid spot.  I've done both back to back.

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Good suggestion, though Fiamma is not a standard Italian restaurant either.

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Right. It's a "poodle in Prada."

[adey73]

anyone know what's happened to Sam Mason's website, has it gone for good?

[tan319]

anyone know what's happened to Sam Mason's website, has it gone for good?

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I was wondering that too.

Philippe Conticini's site is down too, seems to be a domain thing or blowing it out, hope Sam isn't going to take it down!

[tan319]

Sam Mason & Tailor are in the newest Arts Culinaire, along with Iacopo Falai of Falai & Pichet Ong of P*ONG!

Just got it but as usual, great pix, etc.

Good Job, people!!!

PS: Any news on the S.M. Website?

Edited May 24, 2008 by tan319 (log)

[The Flame]

Here are some of the dishes presently in the menu at Tailor:

Apple and bonito sorbet

Scallops, red papaya, celery, spice bread, tarragon emulsion

Maple poached snails, bacon, parsley foam

Corned veal, shiso puree, bone marrow beads, parmesan pebbles, pickeld huckleberry, toast oil

Red mullet, cumin caramel, pickled ramps, golden beets

Duck sous vide, raisin-dashi broth, spaghetti squash, hon shimeji mushrooms

Beer & Pretzels - pretzel ice cream inside beer foam

Beet-chocolate parfait, beet caramel, tangerine puree, chocolate cream, beet paper

Coriander cotton candy with cilantro

Sambuca gummi bears

[Sethro]

Wow, awesome looking/sounding stuff. I'm still not into backlashing against everything new and cool. I'm actually going again tonight for (amazing) drinks and some bar snacks. I might see if I can't snag an order of corned veal or beer and pretzels.

[The Flame]

Starting tonight Tailor is offering a new late night menu from 11pm-2am. It will go every Friday and Saturday.

[docsconz]

My son and I popped into tailor on Saturday night to see some friends who were dining there and to have a light bite after that afternoons BBQ fest in Madison Square Park. I started with one of the most delicious cocktails I have ever had the pleasure of imbibing - the Mushroom Margarita with huitlacoche mezcal, triple sec, lime juice and lava salt. It was smoky, savory, meaty and only slightly sweet with great huitlacoche flavor. This is a dangerous cocktail, especially when hungry! The Kumquat Caipirinha was also quite tasty. For food we had the veal seen above, grilled squid, the snails and the sweetbreads. In addition we received the green apple/bonito sorbet as an amuse. For dessert we had an amuse of pineapple on pineapple followed by the mango ravioli with black rice ice cream for me and the red bell pepper cake for my son. All were superb. A dish like the red bell pepper cake provides an excellent illustration of Sam Mason's creative genius. Red bell pepper and cake together is basically an oxymoron - that is, at least, what I had thought until I tried my son's on Saturday. It was simply brilliant! It is something I never would have ordered from reading a menu, but it worked in every way.

The place was humming with a number of high profile guests in the main dining room. The bar was packed by the time we left and busy from the time we arrived.

[docsconz]

Francis Derby, Sam Mason's sous chef at Tailor had left shortly before I last dined there. for those who don't read the NY Times or Eater, he is now the chef at a wine bar called Solex.

[Nathan]

the menu has greatly expanded (and not just in terms of food and cocktails)...all sorts of interesting stuff...a tea menu, house made sodas, bar snacks.

they also have a $45 Sunday night prix fixe.

[Nathan]

had a great meal here on Saturday night.

sampled the "crudo fish stix" from the bar menu. neat.

fried sweetbreads with turnips and beer foam were simply terrific. nice balance of salty and bitter flavors.

fluke was good...though I think I'm becoming a little bored of the fish/fruit thing.

fried skirt steak was just nuts. I simply can't believe people aren't eating here more.

they sent out a (comped) black garlic chicken. interesting. sort of a high-brow take on (Hunan?) Chinese. quite tasty. served with the dark meat, however, were a couple big pieces of white meat absolutely bursting with flavor. either souse-vide or poached.

palate cleanser of Angostura ice cream was nifty.

finished with mango ravioli served with black rice ice cream and cilantro. pretty good as desserts go.

[docsconz]

had a great meal here on Saturday night.

sampled the "crudo fish stix" from the bar menu.  neat.

fried sweetbreads with turnips and beer foam were simply terrific.  nice balance of salty and bitter flavors.

fluke was good...though I think I'm becoming a little bored of the fish/fruit thing.

fried skirt steak was just nuts.  I simply can't believe people aren't eating here more.

they sent out a (comped) black garlic chicken.  interesting.  sort of a high-brow take on (Hunan?) Chinese.  quite tasty.  served with the dark meat, however, were a couple big pieces of white meat absolutely bursting with flavor.  either souse-vide or poached.

palate cleanser of Angostura ice cream was nifty.

finished with mango ravioli served with black rice ice cream and cilantro.  pretty good as desserts go.

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I agree. I love this place as well. If I lived in NYC, I would frequent it. Unfortunately for that reason I don't and have to balance eating there along with the other old and new places I want to get to on my too infrequent visits to the city. Still it remains on a very short list of restaurants to return to periodically along with the as yet un-tried ones on my list.

[Sneakeater]

What I think has to be made clear is that, at least to my mind, Tailor is now materially better than it was when it opened.

[Nathan]

I thought it was pretty good then. but it's definitely grown up.

[Sneakeater]

I'm not saying it was bad then. Not at all.

Only that it's much better now.

As you said, it's grown up.

[avant-garde]

Just read this article from NYMag: Grubstreet

Sam Mason Plans Soda Fountain for Grown-ups

"Before he tried his hand at Tailor, Sam Mason was a pastry chef at Atlas with a penchant for floats made from wasabi-green-tea ice cream and ginger beer. Mason’s enthusiasm for the treats is strong, we learned last night at the Autism Speaks benefit at Cipriani Wall Street. "We're actually working on a new bar," Mason told us. "I'm going to work on a kind of fifties soda fountain with booze." The new space will be adjacent to Tailor and will share the same name, though it will be “totally different” from Eben Freeman’s downstairs bar. "I gotta get Eben out of my hair," Mason joked, and described his imagined space as one with "swiveling bar stools, homemade soda and … did I say booze already?" There'll be "soda infused with spirits and stuff. And desserts and small diner food. It's kind of like a soda fountain for adults.”"

Sounds like a great little concept.

[whiskey]

Has anyone done the wine pairing with the chef's tasting menu at Tailor? If so what were your thoughts? We will be there for dinner next Saturday - we stayed primarily with cocktails when there for dinner last month but thought we might give the pairings a try - but appreciate that the focus on the beverage side are their cocktails, or so it seems. I just don't want to drink Blood and Sand all night

cheers and thanks

whiskey