THE KONGQUEST

Cucina Di Pesce
- 3 stars -

Oh Cucina di Pesce,
you had me at hello…
Your reviews were glowing,
nice bottles of wine were flowing,

the service was excellent,
the decor was pleasant;
but when the food arrived…
I was awfully surprised!

I guess I got what I paid for.
Cuz you kept me asking for more…
I guess this must have been fate!
Cuz I found the best place for my cheap dates…

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I tried to exercise my poetic skills on this one. Hopefully I didn’t fail you. Cucina Di Pesce really wowed me with their atmosphere, service, and ability to seat our 20+ party with less than 24 hour notice. Things started great there, we ordered wine at the bar while we waited for the majority of the people to arrive. The house appetizer and bread that came while we were deciding on what to order were tasty. But I knew something was wrong when we were exclaiming how cheap the prices were for these yummy sounding dishes. Great food for great prices? That’s a diamond in the ruff or fool’s gold. Turns out that no one was fooled by pasta from the box and frozen seafood. I’ve got to admit that it wasn’t terrible but don’t expect the stars from great reviews online, exceptional atmosphere and service. In the end, we had a great time here with our party but the food definitely was not something to go back for. I’d say this is the best “Plan B” restaurant for a large group.

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.