Trip Report

[Swicks]

Hello all, thanks to everyone who offered advice and help. My trip was phenomenal and my dining experiences were all absolutely superb. I'll just offer some highlights of the best meals.

Jean Georges - Lunch - Surely this restaurant has been lavished with praise here and elsewhere and suffice to say it lived up to all the hype. Two words define this experience, flawless and balanced. The dining room is beautiful and serene, service was friendly and very polished. As stated many times the food was superb. The flavors aren't in your face but the precision, balance and subtlety of the food was unparalleled. Foie brulee, no doubt this is a classic and I can see why, the lemon jam really pulled the whole thing together offering just the right amount of sweetness and acid. Halibut with hoshimenji mushrooms and lemongrass broth, easily the most perfectly cooked piece of fish I have ever eaten, subtle and beautiful, every flavor worked perfectly. Orchard desert...just downright delicious, sweetness, tartness, and whimsy were all in perfect harmony.

Momo Ssam Bar - Lunch - I ate here last time around and my memories were eclipsed. So creative and delicious. I had the apple kimchi, buns, and fried brussel sprouts. The apple kimchi is easily one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten in my life, so simple and wonderful. Buns were as good as usual. The fried brussel sprouts were great as well, the sauce works in perfect contrast.

Ippudo - Dinner - I can see why this place has gotten so hyped, and deservedly so, absolutely tremendous. I have had some good ramen at my local place in a japaneese market but this is on a whole different level. The broth...just wow...like liquid pork. I want to bathe in it. The noodles were incredible, the perfect texture.

Momo Noodle - Dinner - Like the new digs. My second visit. Had the Momofuku ramen. While delicious, it doesn't compare to Ippudo, though to compare the two would be unfair because they are two different things, apples and oranges.

Katz's Deli - touristy yes, but definitely worth the experience. Best pastrami I have ever had.

WD 50 - Desert - 3 Course desert tasting. Just mind blowing. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, I must get back here for a full meal next time around. First course, jasmine custard, black tea, banana... weird but so delicious, the custard was amazing and the banana added a great fruit note. Second course....cornbread pudding, prune, lemongrass. Just ok, flavors were good but merely pedestrian. The lemongrass was interesting. Third course...Soft chocolate, peppermint ice cream, cardamom, chocolate. Just delicious, classic pairing of chocolate and peppermint but also completely interesting with the other added flavors and presentation.

Tailor - Dinner and deserts. Very cool place, good drinks, friendly bartenders. If I lived in that neighborhood I would be a regular. On my first visit I had drinks and the three course desert tasting. Amuse was an incredibly clever play on the childhood favorite ants on a log, celery sorbet, peanut butter powder, and braised rasins. So clever and so delicious. 1st, cocoa banana ravioli with mustard ice cream, weird but so delicious. The mustard ice cream was confusingly delicious, spicy and sweet at the same time. 2nd course, chocolate cake, peanut, malt ice cream, mushrooms, good but not amazing. Can't for the life of me remember the third course. Overall if comparing the two I give the edge to the deserts at WD 50 in terms of flavors, though both were incredibly creative and interesting.

My second visit I had dinner and desert. 1st course...maple poached snails, bacon, parsley, toast. WOW, ungodly delicious. The sauce was extraordinary. The sweetness from the maple was perfect. Second course...Pork Belly with Miso Butterscotch, apples, whiskey braised artichokes. Another rich dish but just incredible. The balanced of all the flavors was perfect. Probably the best pork belly I have ever had, and I have had a lot of pork belly, the preparation was perfect, succulent and crispy. Desert, Grapefruit tart w/ white bean ice cream and Brown butter cake with squash ice cream and maple caviar. Both were good but i wasn't blown away.

Pegu club - cocktails - I had a pegu club and a old fashioned (my regular). Both were great with the old fashioned in particularly being excellent. The bartender was very serious and pleasant not super friendly but I suppose that is par for the course.

Corner Bistro - Lunch - A good burger with flavorful meat but mine was overcooked. Not sure if this place lived up to the hype. I wanted to go to shake shack but the line was outrageous and I was starving so I fled the scene.

Bars - Blind Tiger, Spotted Pig, DBA - all great beer places and lovely in the afternoon.

[sickchangeup]

Wow, great trip. Sorry you had to experience Corner Bistro, it definitely stands out by far as the worst place on that list!

Would you ensure a dinner visit to Tailor if you were to repeat the visit? That's pretty elevated company with the Momo's, JG, Ippudo, Katz & WD-50's of the world, curious if you felt it managed to hang, and if you'd repeat it over again if given the choice to switch it out.

[Swicks]

Wow, great trip.  Sorry you had to experience Corner Bistro, it definitely stands out by far as the worst place on that list! 

Would you ensure a dinner visit to Tailor if you were to repeat the visit?  That's pretty elevated company with the Momo's, JG, Ippudo, Katz & WD-50's of the world, curious if you felt it managed to hang, and if you'd repeat it over again if given the choice to switch it out.

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Regarding Corner Bistro, I had read it was a highly regarded burger so it was a definite disappointment.

Regarding Tailor, I loved it overall and would definitely return. I kept thinking to myself "How has this place fallen off the radar so much?" given how good it was and the high level I felt it was executing at. Though given the insane pre-opening hype part of that is probably natural. I think certainly it is on a very high level within its niche and also deserves a place among the best restaurants in the city. Take into account though that this was only my second trip to the city and my experience with the restaurant scene is pretty limited.