Opinionated About Dining

David Chang's Challenge at Momofuku Ko

For a long time I have been trying to write about the expectations that diners have when they enter a restaurant. But each time I started a post on the subject, I ended up with a paragraph or two of intellectual gobbledy gook and I ultimately scrapped the piece. But David Chang's new restaurant, Momofuku Ko, has given me the unique opportunity to broach the subject in the context of a review of a restaurant. Well okay, it's not exactly a review, as the restaurant isn't officially open and I was invited to attend a friends and family meal. But though Chang is still fine tuning the restaurant's cuisine, there was enough meat on the plate to launch this discussion.

Chang hardly needs an introduction. First of all the guy's picture is everywhere. Even my non-foodie friends know who he is. For example, last year I took Chang to a Met game (after which we hit a few taco carts on Roosevelt Avenue checking to see which one serves the best carnitas) and a few games later the guy who has the seats in front of me at Shea turns around and says, "hey, was that your chef pal in New York Magazine this week?" And this year when he asked me if I had any extra seats for opening day, I told him "I'm bringing the chef" and he didn't even ask me who I was talking about.

New York Formal Ethnic Dining

Devi - From nowhere to the city's best Indian restaurant in leaps and bounds. Chef Hemant Mathur does a good job of pushing the Indian cuisine envelope. His Manchurian cauliflower might be the best vegetable dish in the city, and his Parsi halibut with mint-coconut chutney and lemon rice is hands down the best fish dish I've ever been served in an Indian restaurant. Excellent desserts by Suvir Saran and Hemant's wife, Surbhi. B+

Hemant Mathur’s Parsi Halibut with Mint-Coconut Chutney and Lemon Rice