Savory Tidbits: Restaurant News and Views for NYC, San Francisco, Chicago and LA

Ko

So much has been written about Momofuku Ko that it's difficult to offer much that hasn't been said already. In the mere six weeks since it opened to the public, the Ko dining experience has been documented in dozens of amateur blog posts, hundreds of photos, a growing number of professional reviews and a near constant flurry of posts on Eater and Grub Street (see below for the blow by blow).

With any luck you'll find this brief outline of my meal from two weeks ago only minimally snore-inducing. For what its worth, here's how it all went down...

* Celine, our host/server, welcomed us warmly and seemed genuinely pleased to have us as guests. Much to our surprise a special dietary request was accommodated with zero fuss.

* A quick scan around the room revealed that little of the decor had changed since Noodle Bar moved down the street. 

On to the food...1) Chicharron sprinkled with togarashi, aka pork rind and Japanese spice mix = love. House made English muffin with pork fat = shrug (the only one of the night). 

* Notes on my menu, with highlights in bold: 2) a raw scallop with poppy seeds, chives & creamy / spicy sauce; 3) pork belly and oyster over kimchee consommé, had a smoky, beef jerky-like aroma; 4) the much discussed soft-cooked egg with caviar, sweet onion, vinegar and potato chips; 5) the even more widely discussed shaved foie gras with lichee gelee; 6) soft shell crab with ramps (from Virginia, this was 2 weeks ago after all) and Old Bay; 7) Deep fried beef short ribs with turnip and pickled carrots; 8) kiwi sorbet; 9) deep fried apple pie with sour cream ice cream; 10) espresso.

* Notes on my companion's menu: 2) blackfish instead of scallop, same treatment as above; 2) Georgia pea soup with morels and crawfish; 3) Scrambled egg with snails (this was surprisingly good!) and land caviar; 4) house-made pasta with feta and rabbit fennel sausage; 5) a roasted scallop with pork, lemon and vinegar; 6) soft shell crab (see above); 7) short ribs (see above); 8) pineapple sorbet; 9) panna cotta praline with avocado puree.

* David, who we know from covering Noodle Bar and Ssam Bar, was there and looking the most relaxed we've seen him in a long time. Chances are he'll be there every night until Bruni's review comes out so if you want to see the man in action now's your time.

* The real stars of the show, as acknowledged more than once by David, is the team of cooks led by Peter Serpico.

* The decor, a sort of low budget Sushi Yasuda, works well because it places the focus squarely on the food. This is clean, honest food that reflects the creativity and ingenuity of the cooks behind the counter and it rightfully deserves the spotlight. I typically favor bar dining so the counter seating was cool with me and the stools proved surprisingly comfortable.

* The tunes are great. Maybe it's because I'm in my mid-30's, but I felt like someone asked a bunch of my former roomates to get together and record a mixed tape for my listening pleasure. Sabbath, Modest Mouse, Pavement and The Flaming Lips were just a few of the highlights.

* Spend a few minutes checking out the bathroom. If you know of this place called Tsukiji, you'll leave with a smirk. Inspiration is evident from the fine selection of books: Michel Bras and Roger Vergé among others.

* Not only is the $85 cost of the tasting menu an unparalleled bargain in NYC, but the $50 (the less expensive of two options) wine paring is an equal score. I was served a number of enjoyable and interesting selections, including a lovely Rosé Prosecco to start, a tasty Scholum Project and a vintage Champagne of Beers with the soft shell crab course. Only one pairing, a sake, disappointed for lack of character. 

* Sure the online reservation system is a total hassle for diners, but it was a marketing coup for Chang and Company. By the way, it's not going to get any easier to score a reservation. Ever. Best to try on a weekend when  the Ko media storm is likely experiencing a momentary lull and the cubicled masses are sleeping off hangovers.

* Did Ko blow my mind? As much as any place in NYC has done in the past year. Was it worth the money? Absolutely. Am I going back? As soon as I can. Will it be as good as the first time? Probably not, but it never really is, is it?

* As for my dining companion, she had this to say: "Not since TFL."

For the uninitiated, a brief history of Ko:

5/9/07: Chang reveals plans for Ko to Eater. " At Momofuku Ko, we’ll showcase everybody’s cooking, to make it work as a collaborative kitchen."
3/4/08: Ko opens for previews and Gourmet's Ruth Reich's offers up a First Taste. "And now there is the richest, silkiest short rib you have ever tasted. The meat has been braised for 48 hours and then briefly deep-fried. Served with a Rioja, this is one of the most intense pieces of meat you’ve ever put in your mouth."
3/5: A "shocked" Ed Levine declares, "He may not want to admit it, but Ko is haute Chang without the normal haute trappings. Fine dining, whatever that is, will never be the same again."
3/12: Ko opens to the public.
3/17: Gothamist ends a post about a stressed out Chang with: "plans for a Vegas restaurant are reportedly in the works."
3/25: Blogger reviews start to roll in.
3/27: Early photos from The Wandering Eater.
4/8: NY Mag's Adam Platt awards Four to Ko after just one visit. "Should we subtract a star for the absurd reservation system? But then we’d have to add it right back because the price is so good. And then there’s the food, which Chang, already a multi-star chef, takes to another level."
4/11: Bruni files his first report leading up to his impending review. "In the context of ambitious restaurants around town and on the scale of restaurant affectedness, Ko didn’t strike me as especially precious or self-satisfied, in terms of the flavor of the experience once you’re through the door."
4/25: Blogger Food in Mouth reveals new dishes.
4/30: Cheryl Tan of the Wall Street Journal files the 2nd professional review to be based on a single visit. She dedicates a mere single paragraph to the food, describing her "carefully thought-out, eight-course meal" as a relative bargain and instead focuses the bulk of her review on the frustrating reservation process, the fixed format of the menu ("the roster of its few regular dishes has largely remained the same."), the widespread online cataloging of Ko's dishes ("Getting through the meal can feel a little like dating the guy who's already gone out with the entire cheerleading squad." Hmm.), sex-specific dish presentation ("it was peculiar to note that the woman, almost always, seemed to be given the lighter dish.") and the dour manner of the chefs ("they exhibited little of the friendliness that many sushi chefs in similar arrangements have."). In the end, it's her expectations that cause her the most disappointment: "the root of what's lacking in the Ko dining experience: By making the reservation such a prize to get, you want to feel, at the end of the evening, that you've truly won something". I know that restaurant reviewing is relatively new for the Journal, but surely they can do better than this. The only real gem in the article is the footnote description of how resy scalpers can beat the reservation system.

Some quick Momofuku Ko stats:

• Days Momofuku Ko has been open: 49
• Number of blog posts found via technorati that include the words "momofuku ko": 224 or 4.6 per day
• Google results for "momofuku ko": 40,090
• Photos posted on Flickr with the tag 'momofukuko': 235
• Most popular "Want to Try" restaurant on Savory New York? Momofuku Ko

Parting thought:

Ko officially has 12 seats but Ruth Reichl pointed out that there were 14 seats during previews. When we were there we noticed enough space at the end of the bar to easily accommodate two additional seats. Perhaps this is where Joel Robuchon will sit in September.
 

Savory New York One Sheet: April 18th - April 24th

This week on Savory New York wine writer Elliot Ryan shares his thoughts on why the infrequently seen Viognier makes a great alternative Spring beverage choice.

Recently Opened

• Benoit - Alain Ducasse follows up Adour with a more easygoing French bistro in the old Le Cote Basque space in Midtown.
  
• Wildwood BBQ - B.R. Guest (Dos Caminos, Blue Water Grill) teamed up with Big Lou Elrose, the former pitmaster at Hill Country, to open us this Gramercy contender.
  
• Savorona - Gordon Ramsay-influenced Turkish cuisine is now available in Midtown East.
• Elizabeth - A makeover of Nolita's Rialto featuring small plates created by consulting chefs Doug Psaltis and John Iconomou, formerly of Country.

This Week's Restaurant Reviews

• NY Times: Frank Bruni reviews Merkato 55 and gives it 1 of 4 stars. "The menu mingles inspiration with too many hedges: the tuna tartar that astonishingly exists in every cuisine’s canon, at least once that canon has been translated for modern-day New York; a lobster salad with ambiguous sub- or supra-Saharan bearings; a thinly veiled steak frites; a rack of lamb — supposedly graced with an Ethiopian berbere spice mixture, including garlic, red pepper, cardamom and fenugreek — that could be any restaurant’s rack of lamb."
• New York Magazine: Adam Platt is back this week with two reviews: Persephone (2 of 5 stars) and Elettaria (1 of 5 stars). On Persephone, "The grilled dishes are also uniformly excellent, particularly the bone-in veal chop over a mound of pleasingly oily crushed potatoes, the earthy, crunchy-skinned rack of lamb, and the quail, which is set over a tangle of sautéed escarole and dandelion greens and scattered with crumblings of fresh feta." About Elettaria, Platt says, "The name makes Elettaria sound like a restaurant of the most ambitious, high-minded kind. But the small, truncated menu makes it feel more like a high-minded bar, albeit one serving studied interpretations of expertly pan-roasted sweetbreads (scattered with pink peppercorns), deep-fried quail (sprinkled with pomegranate seeds in a light beer batter), and tasty crépinettes of pig’s trotter prepared in the classic French style."
• The New York Sun: Paul Adams also visits Elettaria, "Despite its carefully constructed look, the restaurant is anything but high-concept; its fixed menu seems to consist of whatever Mr. Nawab decided he would like to cook" and Adams thinks that Nawab does a good job. Aside from lackluster desserts, Adams cites a notable cocktail menu and a bartender with serious skills.
• The New York Daily News: RG completes the trifecta of critics dining at Elettaria this week, giving the restaurant 3 of 5 stars (which in the old 4 star system might have been 2.5 out of 4?). "There are inventive riffs on traditional Indian dishes. Instead of a kebab, lamb takes the shape of a cumin-spiced sausage on a stick. It's partnered with an addictive raita made with mint and shredded cucumber." More on the changes to the RG star system here.
• The Village Voice: Robert Sietsema strolls Flushing's Golden Shopping Mall.

What Our Users Are Saying

Jessica A. on Merkato 55:

Food Rating Service Rating

Review: Food was unique with unusual flavor combinations that were unexpectedly delicious.

In Other News

We're sad to share that Peter Meehan is leaving The New York Times. His $25 and Under column is a Savory favorite and we're going to miss it. The news was first brought to our attention by Grub Street but Eater snagged an "exit interview" with Meehan shortly after.

The Little Owl is now serving lunch (via Grub Street).

Ramps, aparagus and other Spring treats are now available at the Greenmarket, but you'll want to get there early to make sure you get your hands on some.

Savory Seattle Preview: Rover's

This coming week brings the release of Savory Seattle, our guide to the best dining options in the Emerald City. In the mean check out this preview segment featuring the original Chef in the Hat, Rover's chef and owner Thierry Rautureau.

Asparagus and Ramps

Asparagus and ramps have hit the market but unless you get to Union Square before 11am, you'll be disappointed to find supplies depleted. On my way through the market today, I stopped to chat with the lovely Susie Dare of Cherry Lane Farm. She was standing behind her table with only a few heads of spinach as well as some bins of tubers. Apologetically, Susie said, "this is all I have left. The chefs cleaned me out this morning."

Arguably, Susie grows the best asparagus around and the chefs know it. She told me that she'd be back next week with more. As I walked through the market heading over to Mountain Sweet Berry, I noticed that another stall had a table of asparagus; $3.50 for a small bunch and $7.00 for a large one. I thought about the purchase for a moment but decided that I would just have to wait for Susie's crop to come in. 

Over at Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, Rick had crates of beautiful ramps.  I bought two bunches for $5 and before leaving asked what was coming up next. I was told, that fiddle-head ferns would be here soon but of course, it all depends on the weather. I guess it also depends on whether I can beat the chefs to the market in the morning too.

Savory New York One Sheet: April 11th - April 17th

Recently Opened

• The Habitat - Casual fare served up in a rustic atmosphere in Greenpoint.
• Panificio - A new Italian opens up in the old Uovo space in the East Village.
  
• Brasserie Cognac - A Balthazar-inspired brasserie from the team behind Geisha and the Serafina restaurants.

This Weeks Restaurant Reviews

• NY Times: Frank Bruni reviews Alain Ducasse's Adour giving it 3 of 4 stars. "I consider Adour a qualified victory. It’s not through-and-through rapturous, but it’s first-rate: polished service, a knockout wine list, beautiful oil-poached cod, gorgeous roasted lamb and exquisite desserts, courtesy of Sandro Micheli, the pastry chef."
• Peter Meehan travels to Williamsburg for arepas at Shachis. In related news, Eater posted a rumor that Meehan has turned in his resignation.
• The New York Sun: Paul Adams visits Olana. Adams hates the interior design, comparing it to a "suburban Radisson" but loves the Italian-influenced menu. 
• The Village Voice: Robert Sietsema eats cock, lives to tell about it. We're talking about a male chicken here, of course. Sietsema visits Agnanti in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. There are some misses on the menu but many hits including the Dolmades Yianiantzi (stuffed grape leaves) and "King of the menu is a rooster stewed in tomato sauce ($16) and smothered in tiny serrated squares of pasta. Who'd believe that a tough old cock would cook up so juicy and flavorful?"

Blogs and Newsletters

• Grub Street reports that Boqueria will open a second 90-seat location in SoHo this fall.
• Gotham Gal dines at Ago.
• Gothamist checks on Kyotofu's spring menu.

In Other News

Ruhlman posted about a story that we heard Dan Barber tell the other day at a luncheon to promote the launch of the Cool Foods Campaign. It was story of a foie gras producer in Spain who is raising geese with fattened livers without using gavage, or a force fed diet of corn. Dan was hugely impressed with the quality of the end product, but he was even more impressed that the animals ate at at their own leisure and that they were protected by a one-way fence, which was designed only to keep predators out. The proud farmer told Dan that as long as he provides the geese with everything they need, they will have no reason to leave. This has been so successful in practice that the farmer has even had wild geese join his flock on the farm.

This story provides just one example of how an individual is having a big impact on the environment. The Cool Foods campaign was created to spread this message and to encourage people to make sustainable food choices at the market and in restaurants. Here are 5 food-related suggestions that will help reduce global warming:

1) Eat organic
2) Buy  locally grown foods
3) Reduce meat and dairy consumption
4) Avoid processed foods
5) Reduce the use of excess packaging, e.g., use canvas bags over plastic at the grocery store.

To learn more about the Cool Food Campaign and to sign the Cool Foods pledge visit http://coolfoodscampaign.org.

Reservation Line Open for Laurent Gras' L.20

We've been following the entertaining and informative blog written by Laurent Gras and crew as they prepare to open Gras' new Chicago restaurant, L.20.

Today we were excited to see that the restaurant is now accepting reservations. You can call the restaurant to see if they have a table or check out Open Table.

A Gift from England: Plymouth Sloe Gin

A little over a year ago our British friend, Veronica, brought us back a very special gift from her hometown of Plymouth, England. It was a petite bottle of Plymouth Sloe Gin, a ruby colored liqueur made from Plymouth Gin and sloe berries grown wild on Dartmoor.

We received the gift at Little Branch and our gratitude was punctuated by a question from our server, "Are you celebrating tonight?" She had spied the bottle sitting on the table. We replied that our friend was just handing it off to us. She said that the few times she'd seen a bottle in the bar it meant that someone had good news to share.

Last night Plymouth Gin had its own good news to share and it did so by hosting a party at The Back Room in the Lower East Side. The party was thrown to celebrate the U.S. release of Plymouth Sloe Gin. Needless to say, we're relieved that we'll now be able to enjoy cocktails like the Wibble, Sloe 75 and the classic Sloe Gin Fizz at select bars around NYC starting next month.

Visit www.plymouthgin.com for more info or stop into Little Branch, Pegu Club or Flatiron Lounge in a few weeks for a taste.

Is Jody Williams the David Chang of the Italian Wine Bar?

The recent spate of good press directed toward Jody Williams and her new "gastroteca," Gottino, in the West Village has us wondering if she's on her way to becoming the David Chang of Italian wine bar owners.

Here's a sample of some of the recent media praise:

• Time Out New York awarded Gottino with a Critic's Choice Award for Best Reason to Abandon the Tapas Bar
• New York Times' Dining section front page article, "Wine Bars Grow Up and Squeeze In" featured Gottino prominently.
• New York Magazine lavished early praise on Williams' pig’s-feet meat and chestnut bread stuffing, gave her 3+ stars and in March named Gottino the Best Wine Bar of 2008 in its Best of New York Awards.

Zagat Restaurant Videos

It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case then we are extremely flattered to help introduce zagat.com's new video feature. The videos, available for the "hottest restaurants and chefs" in NYC and LA, are produced by LX.TV which was recently sold to NBC for a reported $10 million after being incubated at Apax Partners for nearly two years. Most of the Zagat videos are recycled LX content hosted by LX standbys like the pulchritudinous Sara Gore and the ebullient Cecile Raubenheimer, but the new videos (notably Bobo) pay a striking resemblance to the Savory style, with the focus set squarely on the chef or restaurateur rather than on a host or guest expert.

LX.TV host Sara Gore and a pre-NYDN Restaurant Girl get down to business with Picholine's Terrance Brennan.

The LX deal doesn't come as a surprise, especially given that former Zagat president, Ted Zagat, is pals with with fellow Harvard alum and LX co-founder Joe Varet, who presumably approached the family about a tie up some time ago. More recently, LX.TV featured a Five Minutes with Mo Rocca segment starring Tim and Nina and using a handful of their favorite hangouts around the city as the backdrop (watch the original here or more revealing and humorous uncut version here). Also of note is Zagat's partnership with NBC's The Today Show on its recent Fast Food Chains Survey.

The addition of video is the latest in a flurry of new features added to the site to compel more people to become loyal users of zagat.com. Around two years ago the company started directing significant resources toward the development of its web site. Notable additions include maps, menus, photos, supplemental yellow page listings and "virtual tours."

An apparent lack of growth and mounting pressure on Zagat's subscription-based business model from the myriad of web sites offering free restaurant information, ranging from Google Maps to the thousands of restaurant-oriented blogs and everything in between (like Yelp, Citysearch, Metromix, Boorah, Urbanspoon, little old us, etc.), must have made the Zagats more than a little nervous about the prospects for successfully transitioning their business from print to digital. In that regard the news of the Zagats putting the company up for sale didn't come as much of a surprise either.

Given the success of its founders up to this point in turning their last name into a household word, enjoying A-list celebrity treatment in top restaurants around the world and building a modestly profitable enterprise (the company reportedly generates $8-$10 million in EBITDA on revenues estimated at $25-$50 million) in the world's greatest city it only makes sense to hear that Tim and Nina want to cash out for a well earned retirement after 28 years of hard work.

It remains to be seen whether they'll be able to get their lofty asking price of $200 million. Recent reports indicate that might end up being tricky. In the mean time we'll keep our eyes out for more entertaining restaurant videos featuring lively hosts and charming guest experts.

Scoring a Momofuku Ko Reservation

Despite a late martini and mutton chop dinner last night at Keens Steakhouse I was able to rouse myself out of bed before 10am this morning to take another shot at scoring a reservation at Momofuku Ko.

Acting on a theory that it would be easier to get 2 seats on a weekend I fired up my laptop and logged on to reservations.momofuku.com to give it a shot.

This may have been there before and I may have missed it but now there's a handy notation of the system time on the start page that lets you know exactly when 10:00:00 strikes. Right at 10am and 1 second I hit refresh, selected a reservation for 2 from the pull down menu, held my breath, and a few seconds later was presented with a number of green checks in the 6 o'clock and 10 o'clock hours. The prized 7 to 9 p.m. spots were gone already. Amazing.

In the blink of an eye I picked 6:15 and clicked the submit button. The following screen was presented, giving me a moment to exhale.

I clicked on 'Accept' and was presented with my reward:

A couple clicks of the back button and a refresh revealed a screen full of red X's. The time? 10:00:34.

Stay tuned next week for a report back on the Momofuku Ko experience.