Posted by Zach Brooks, May 8, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Earlier today, three of New York's finest chefs gathered at a New Yorker Conference panel moderated by Bill Buford, where Momofuku chef David Chang confessed that even he's surprised how popular his pork buns have become. He admitted that they were "an eleventh-hour addition to the menu." He went on to add, "who knew steamed bread and pork fat would be so popular." At which point thousands of pork-obsessed New Yorkers came to realize that their reason for being almost never existed. I shudder to even think about it.
Posted by Robyn Lee, May 1, 2008 at 2:30 PM
David Chang (left) and David Chan (right) have a little more in common than their professions. Photograph of David Chang from Desperate ChefsWives of NYC | Photograph of David Chan from Grand Street News
This morning a friend tipped me off to the existence of David Chan, a restaurateur in New York City who runs LES Sushi and Wa Lung Kitchen and happens to bear a striking resemblance to another New York City restaurateur, Momofuku kingpin David Chang. It's not uncommon for Asians to have the same or similar names (I used to receive messages on Facebook meant for another NYU student named Robyn Lee; how confusing), but as my friend pointed out, "These two look alike and are both restaurateurs; thats creepy." I can't wait for them to meet so that the universe can explode. [Thanks to Mitch Weinstein, LES food czar, for the link.]
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Posted by Ed Levine, March 18, 2008 at 4:00 PM
I know many of you are probably sick of reading about Momofuku chef David Chang (as he himself probably is), but his quote in The New Yorker about his current relationship cracked me up:
"I’m finally dating somebody that I don’t hate her guts,” he says. “We had dinner yesterday and I was like, I don’t hate you at all! You know?” His girlfriend is also Korean-American, and was also raised to be brilliant at something—where he played golf, she played the violin. She now works in the advertising department of Microsoft. She seems to tolerate him amazingly well. “I am the worst boyfriend ever,” he says. “I’m high maintenance. I mean, you have no idea how high maintenance."
The truth is that most talented chefs are high maintenance. Do you think Thomas Keller wouldn't be a high maintenance significant other? Let's face it: We're all high maintenance in one way or another.
One other question: What do you think Chang's girlfriend said in response to "I don't hate you at all. You know?"
Posted by Ed Levine, May 15, 2006 at 10:22 PM
THE WEEK IN FOOD IN NEW YORK MAGAZINE AND THE NEW YORKER
- I've already posted about Cafe D'Alsace (_1695 Second Ave., 88th St., 212-722-5133_), which Adam Platt gave one star in this week's New York Magazine. Using his rating system (1-5 Stars, with five being the impossibly perfect restaurant) I would have given CD two stars. Stick to the rib-sticking fare like the housemade sausages, choucroute garni, and the killer hangar steak served with great, just salty enough, french fries, and you'll eat very well indeed.
- Friends' early reports on Sascha have not been positive, so Platt's no star rating is no surprise. The double cheeseburger does sound promising, and I will have one and a couple of the baked goods from the Sascha Bakery in the near future. Based on Gael Greene's typically evocative description the cheeseburger is the only thing I would order at Barmarche (_14 Spring St., nr. Elizabeth, 212-219-2399_).
- Finally, how can you not want to love any restaurant called Pies-N-Thighs (_351 Kent Ave., entrance on S. 5th Street, 347-282-6005_). The savory dishes include all my favorites: pit-smoked pulled pork, fried chicken, mac and cheese and biscuits. For dessert, why pie of course. Double-crusted pie to be exact, something many NY pastry chefs shy away from. Of course the picture of the strawberry rhubarb pie looked pretty soupy. I don't think I'm going to get to Pies-N-Thighs for a couple of weeks, so I need a Serious Eats food explorer to check it out and post about it.
- The New Yorker restaurant reviews have been getting better and better, but this week's review of Momofuku (Momofuku photo courtesy of amateurgourmet), by Lauren Collins, is particularly wonderful. She not only nails the food (she describes it as carbs and animal fat), she describes the energy of the place perfectly. I love Momofuku, and so does Lauren Collins. Go for lunch, when it is a far more relaxed experience than dinner.
Do have the pork buns, a noodle soup, and any vegetable they cook up, because they always seem to put bacon in their vegetables. Here's the Times' review of Momofuku, and New York Magazine's as well. All three are raves, but Lauren Collins seems to articulate the charms of Momofuku most succinctly.
Posted by Ed Levine, February 24, 2006 at 1:01 PM
Three months in the slurping, my chicken soup piece came out Wednesday in the NYTimes. For those of you who don't read the Times, I am going to list my ten favorite chicken soups (I sampled a hundred) here, along with a few others I really liked that just failed to crack the top ten:
- Blue Ribbon Bakery 33 Downing Street (Bedford Street), (212) 337-0404. Matzo ball soup, $7.75.
- Cubana Café 110 Thompson Street (Prince Street), (212) 966-5366. Chicken soup with avocado, tomato, cilantro and yuca (cassava), $5.
- Fred's at Barneys New York 660 Madison Avenue (60th Street), ninth floor, (212) 833-2200.
- Estelle's chicken soup $8.
- Grand Sichuan International 229 Ninth Avenue (24th Street), (212) 620-5200. Chicken and pea shoots, $8.95; chicken with pickled cabbage, $7.95.
- Hearth 403 East 12th Street (First Avenue), (646) 602-1300. Chicken soup with escarole, chicken dumplings and pastina, $12.
- Momofuku Noodle Bar 163 First Avenue (10th Street), (212) 475-7899. Chicken noodle soup with Shanghai thick noodles, onions and scallions, $11.
- New Chao Chow Restaurant 111 Mott Street (between Canal and Hester Streets), (212) 226-2590. Chao Chow wonton soup, $3.50.
- Perry St. 176 Perry Street (West Street), (212) 352-1900. Chicken soup with vegetables, avocado and dill, $13.50.
- Pio Maya 40 West Eighth Street (Avenue of the Americas), (212) 254-2277. Chicken soup, $3.25.
- Sripraphai 64-13 39th Avenue, Woodside, Queens, (718) 899-9599. Chicken soup with mushrooms, coconut milk and galangal; Cornish hen in hot and sour soup (tom-zap), both $7.
A few others I really enjoyed:
- Akdeniz 19 W. 46th Street (bet. Fifth and Sixth Aves.) 212-575-2307; Slightly creamy chicken soup that comes to life with a squeeze of the lemon they serve it with.
- Al Bustan 827 Third Avenue (bet. 50th and 51st Sts.) 212-759-5933 Lebanese Chicken soup enlivened with the same lemon squeeze and, surprisingly, a touch of cinnamon.
- Azuri Cafe 465 W.51st (between 9th and 10th Aves.) 212-265-2920; I was lovin' the chicken soup here until I put the first piece of matzo ball in my mouth. It was ice cold. So I cut up the matzo balls into little pieces and let them sit in the soup for a minute or two to heat them up. Brilliant!
- Brooklyn Diner USA: 212 W. 57th Street (between Broadway and Seventh Ave.) 212-977-2280; Fine classic chicken soup with moist chicken and a toothsome broth.
- Teresa's 103 First Avenue (between 6th and 7th Sts.) 212-228-0604; If the noodles were al dente at this Polish coffee shop, this bargain chicken soup ($2.75) would have cracked the top ten.
