PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of luck[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
What was your first impression?
Huh. Well, style-wise, it’s no Kyochon…
Please rate the Bar:
Eh. A little disappointing, coming from the Koreans— cuz everybody knows Koreans loooves them some restaurant architecture. And drinking.
It’s actually not even a bar as much as a walk-up to-go counter with liquor stashed behind it.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Eh, again. For all those dozen or so selections of beer, how come only one of them is light (Amstel)? As for the liquor— bleah. Eight kinds of Absolut and three kinds of Patron. No other brands of vodka or tequila at all. I mean, need I say more? Technically, it is a "full bar" though (without any wine. But considering the potential inventory, maybe that’s a good thing).
Please rate the Dining Room:
It’s… pragmatic? Yeah, let’s say that.
Please rate the BOH:
Well, they make some damned good chicken! And that’s pretty much all that matters, really.
How was the staff?
One guy was very nice and super-conscientious. Everyone else was okay.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Wings. Spicy. : Dude, at this point, I’m already a BonChon expert, I don’t mess around. And yup, they were delicious!
Zucchini fries : Good! And the serving size is enormous. Great horseradish sauce.
What did you like?
It’s BonChon. What’s not to like?
What did you dislike?
I was really kinda psyched for some crazy Asian space design. If the Koreans can’t bring you some far-out Disco Chicken, then absolutely nobody else can. Siiigh.
What was your last impression?
Wings, spicy, LARGE— to go, please!
Would you come back?
Boka is much closer…
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thanks. Rock on, Bon Chon.
PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
What was your first impression?
wow holy cow. if it weren’t for the bar being in the same place (and holy shit, look— it’s maurice-bitton!) i would never have recognized the former Smith.
Please rate the Bar:
ha ha ha ha ha aha haa. nah. let’s just say: i’d do it differently.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
oh shit— i was so busy reminiscing, i totally forgot to look at a wine list. the cocktails list looks okay though. kinda funky. fine for this location, i’m sure. oh but $14 for this tiny little Belvedere? that’s seems pretty steep, especially for this location.
as for the bartender, i mean— don’t get me wrong, she seems sweet enough. but i would bet she’s never worked behind a bar in her life before this.
Please rate the Dining Room:
cute. cuter than Smith anyways. [ha ha aha haa "is this place finished yet?" --- eric-goode, 2002]
personally i think it’s a wee bit dark, but it’s likely better for them— evidently, this is a "late night" joint.
Please rate the BOH:
i didn’t eat much, but what i did try was impressive. really! the menu is solid, creative, and likeable. better than i expected. it’s too bad i already had dinner this evening; i’d gladly have ordered more.
How was the staff?
pretty good. very casual, but friendly. they "fit" the place, i guess.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
chicken wings (bar menu) : very good— and i’m a wing fanatic. unique, delicious, and perfectly cooked. loved the honey-something dipping sauce. see? that’s what i mean— impressive.
sliders (bar menu) : also very good. fresh, tasty. simple but great presentation. the BOH really knows what they’re doing, and it shows.
What did you like?
the food was great.
What did you dislike?
the bar could be… umm "tighter."
What was your last impression?
sigh. fuckin brian-mcnally. what a shame. what a waste.
Would you come back?
it’s a bit out of the way for me, so it’s hard to promise. but i’d really like to.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thank you— and i hope so, too.
PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
What was your first impression?
oh wow look at this place… ha haa ehee heee fuckin koreans.
Please rate the Bar:
n/a. no bar. but they do serve beer/wine in the dining room though.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
the wines by the glass are bleah kinda a joke (albeit inexpensive), maybe skip em. decent beer selection though, at good prices too— a giant pitcher of draught (stella artois, e.g.) is twenty bucks. if you’re feeling adventurous, they have shochu. and they even have prosecco and sparkling rosé.
Please rate the Dining Room:
funky! the seats at the communal counters are hydraulic so that’s pretty neat. there are flat screens showing music videos. and framed shape-shifting photographs on the walls. i mean— yah maaan: fuckin koreans.
Please rate the BOH:
not bad, especially for their first week. a little slow on the timing, but they made up for it by offering a round of drinks even before we started to get impatient. i’m sure they’ll settle in eventually.
How was the staff?
good. friendly, accommodating. perhaps just a tad discomboobled, but again, it is their first week, and from what i gather, the volume they’re doing must be overwhelming. no major missteps, but they do need to work some kinks out of their delivery/runner system. overall, i’d say they’re fine.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
drumsticks with hot&sweet sauce : my favorite. reeeally spicy though. if you like kimchee, this is the one for you.
drumsticks with soy&garlic sauce : milder, but garlicky. the crispiness of the coating and all that jazz does live up to their reputation. koreans loooves them some fried chicken all right, so they are not messin around here.
wings with both aforementioned sauces, plus the honey glaze sauce : normally i’m a wing fanatic, but this time i’d have to say the drumsticks are better. the wings are very small— on the one hand that’s sorta disappointing, but on the other hand, if they’re this small because they’re organic and not pumped all up with steroids and hormones and whatnot, then how can one complain? so yah, just a warning: they’re small (so maybe the breading/sauce does somewhat overpower the chicken).
grilled chicken sandwich : good. fresh ingredients, tasty. interesting bread even (why’s it green, i have no idea— but i’m sure there’s a valid reason).
sal sal chicken strips : eh. not so great. the drumsticks and wings are better. and all the dipping sauces kinda taste the same (they’re all rather cloyingly sweet).
croquettes : they’re supposed to be "chicken and bell peppers wrapped in mashed potatoes" but all you really taste are mashed potatoes. so if you like mashed potatoes, i guess they’re okay. otherwise, not so much.
coleslaw : pretty good. the sprinkle of bell peppers is a cute touch.
What did you like?
umm… i guess i’d say the drumsticks in the very spicy sauce.
What did you dislike?
the chicken strips could have been much better. too much coating for a such a narrow strip, and the chicken was too dry.
What was your last impression?
for most people, a platter of drumsticks and a pitcher of beer is probably the way to go. (relatively) fast, easy, inexpensive, and good. congratulations: now you’re a Kyochon expert.
Would you come back?
somehow i have a feeling my korean best buddy and my chinese chicken wing loving homegirl are gonna make me come back here, even if i didn’t want to.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thanks, it was dope.
Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"
So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m a Floor Manager and Beverage Director for a [very popular] 160-seater in SoHo.
And you have how many days off a week, generally?
Two. I’m off today as well [as yesterday], but I’ll still have to go in for a meeting…
What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
I don’t do breakfast. Just coffee, at home.
Lunch?
A friend invited me to a menu tasting for the new chef at Mangia on 48th St. I must have tried over a dozen dishes and they were very good (my favorites being the fried baby whitefish, the “croquettes varie,” the langoustine, the bacon-wrapped dates, and the tuna slider). I’m not in midtown very often, but I’m glad I went. I was a lot more impressed with the food than I thought I would be. Saw a few friends from the industry that work/ed for The Standard, Indochine, La Esquina, Jean Georges and The Breslin. It was fun, but I probably drank a little too much for so early in the afternoon.
And afterward?
Went with a few friends from the tasting for a drink at Rouge Tomate. I know a manager there, but unfortunately she wasn’t around. The space is very nice, and the bartender was really great. They have an unusual beer list, so even though I don’t drink beer often, I gave one a try. I had something called a "Double White" that my friend recommended, which was pretty good… and I liked the olive oil with sea salt popcorn.
Took a look at the menu for the first time, and it looks interesting and appealing. I may have to try and make it back up there for dinner sometime. I heard they had a few problems in the beginning, but that the food has improved and gotten better.
Then dropped off one friend at The Armory for the Arts/Design preview show (at $150 a ticket, it was too steep for me).
Dinner?
Cercle Rouge. I have friends in from out of town, so I wanted to take them someplace simple and effortless and not in the MPD, since it was a Thursday night ("amateur night"). Cercle Rouge has a great GM/Maitre d’ that I’ve known for years. It was the perfect choice, because my friends loved it. I did steer them toward more of the classics, though (escargot, moules frites, onion soup, etc). Sometimes some of the fussier creations at Cercle Rouge can be a little too much for me, but I find the classics are consistently good.
And afterward?
Thought about meeting up with friends at The Box, but never actually made it there. Walked with my friends from out of town all the way from Tribeca to Union Square, and after popping into the apartment where they’re staying for a nightcap, I decided to just go home. The weather got cold, and I was pooped.
How much did you blow today?
Myself, about $70. [Lunch: $0, Drinks: $20, Dinner $50, all including gratuity, but did split the total tabs with friends (Cab fare to/from midtown was paid by my friend).]
= "personne extraordinaire"