THE KONGQUEST

Image by Mark Sardella via Flickr

It pays to be smooth. I only know a small handful of people who have even dared to master the art of tipping to get better service, let alone enjoy paying for great service regularly. Well I’d like to educate and spread the wealth in the power of tipping. The following article by Bruce Feiler hits the nail on the head on the beauty of tipping to get only the best!

Here is an excerpt of the tips he offers:

Tips on Tipping

1. Go. You’d be surprised what you can get just by showing up.
2. Dress appropriately. Your chances improve considerably if you look like you belong.
3. Don’t feel ashamed. They don’t. You shouldn’t.
4. Have the money ready. Prefolded, in thirds or fourths, with the amount showing.
5. Identify the person who’s in charge, even if you have to ask.
6. Isolate the person in charge. Ask to speak with that person, if necessary.
7. Look the person in the eye when you slip him the money. Don’t look at the money.
8. Be specific about what you want. “Do you have a better table?” “Can you speed up my wait?” A good fallback: “This is a really important night for me.”
9. Tip the maître d’ on the way out if he turned down the money but still gave you a table.
10. Ask for the maître d’s card as you’re leaving. You are now one of his best customers.

Link: Pocketful of Dough

This is first post in the series for NYC Restaurant Reviews. I like to explore a wide range of restaurants in the city and Ko was the first to inspire me to write and express my feelings on delicious restaurants. I started writing on yelp but as like most of the things I say or do, there may need more explanation. This series will take my Yelp reviews and put a little more commentary and details to it.

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Momofuku Ko
- 5 Stars -

They say the harder you work, the luckier you get. Furiously clicking the refresh button at 10 AM and arduously searching 1st Avenue for a sign or awning, signifying that I have found the holy grail, may have actually got me thinking that I am lucky indeed.

For a hole in the wall kind of place, I was thoroughly impressed by the way Ko was thought out: the meal was ready to be made for you when you walk through the door, modest atmosphere, first class service staff, unique several course adventure with perfect enhancements through paired libations, and enjoyment for 3 hours, unrushed. What more can you ask for?

Maybe a discount… but such is life.

Every course was amazing with my favorite being the duck dish with the pairing of Ramirez de la Piscina, Reserva Rioja 2001. Your results will vary due to the ever changing menu.

At the end of the night, I felt comfortably satisfied and nicely inebriated. I was ready to go home, lay down, and dream about future meals at this amazing restaurant. Or was this all a dream in the first place?

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We went as a group of 4 and one person in our party was about 30 minutes late. Even though they claim to not allow tardiness, they were pretty laid back because we were the first table of the night. We opted to go for the $85 drink tasting and had the following dishes in our omakase style meal:

Appetizers
1. English muffin cooked with pork fat and sea salt, topped with chives
and Pork rind sprinkled with togarashi
2. Fluke sashimi in a spicy buttermilk sauce and poppy seeds
3. Bacon dashi soup with oyster mushrooms, chanterelles, fava beans, and turnip
4. Poached egg topped with hackleback caviar on top of a onion soubise, and potato chips on side
5. Sweet corn ravioli topped with cochita cheese, chorizo pieces, and pickled onions
6. Shaved frozen foie gras on top of lychee, riesling jelly and pinenut brittle

Entrees
7. Halibut drizzled with a pepperoncini puree
8. Sliced duck in a reduced red wine and cherry sauce with green beans, bean sprouts, and crushed water chestnuts

Desserts
9. Pineapple sorbet with candied pineapples
10. Yellowcake ice cream over peanut butter and strawberries over peanut butter crumbs

Overall, I have to say it was one of the best experiences in my life even though we had a $240 price tag to it.

No more excuses.
No more procrastination.
It’s time to be daring.
It’s time to make mistakes.
This is where the fun starts…