[NYC] M o m o f u k u

note: I had to space out the characters... darn censorship!

A very good friend of mine is the chef at one of M o m o f u k u's newest restaurants, Ma Peche located at 15 west 56th street in NYC. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you've eaten there? Maybe you've read the book? At the end of 2009, Tien Ho, Ma Peche chef, was named GQ's top chef of 2010, just as the restaurant was opening. At the end of 2010, Tien was of the top five NYC's newest chefs.

http://bit.ly/goSPdj

The reason I'm posting this, there's a Food & Wine poll. I don't suggest you just click on the link and vote for Tien Ho, but if you've been there or if you do go there and enjoy the food, then vote.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/02/15/food-wines-the-peoples-best-new-chef-2011-new-york-area/

 

I've only eaten at the noodle bar but I'd love to eat at Ko or get the Bo Ssam at Ssam Bar.

 

We've eaten several times at Ko. I love that place. The problem is getting reservations. I can never plan that far ahead.

Have not been yet to the 56th street restaurant, even though it is close to where we live.

 

You have had luck logging on the website and making reservations several times now? I've never tried but I heard it was always impossible.

 

Reminds me of L.A. Story, where Steve Martin is interviewed by Patrick Stewart to get a reservation at the restaurant.

Didn't realize it was that difficult. I have a feeling, if I visited NYC, Tien wouldn't want me to eat there, it would feel like work and we'd venture somewhere else.

 

Ko just has 12 seats at the bar only. No tables. They only take reservations for 2 people at a time, and sometimes one group of four (the corner of the bar). That is it. No singles, no threes.


We had two assistants logging in at the same time, over and over, right at 10AM, when they open the next day of reservations two weeks out. Apparently, hundreds of people are doing that, and sometimes, people loose their connection while securing the reservation with their credit card, opening a slot for a few seconds. If you log in at that time, you will get whatever time they tell you. We are pre-approved, so we can take that slot quickly.

Their lunch reservations are a little easier, but there is usually a lot of alcohol involved (great "wine" pairing), so I would have to take the afternoon off.....

 

Sounds like fun. Guess I'll hold off on the ecstasy of Ko noodles until the crowd has moved on to the next hot restaurant. I hope that I can survive that long.

 

Seems like too much work to me, I'll be going to Blue Hill at Stone Barns tomorrow, just need to log on opentable.com about a month in advance and find a time you want, and the food is just amazing as well as the setting.

 

Well, there is my other favorite restaurant. I found the downtown restaurant too crowded, but the Rockefeller estate is beyond anything you could wish....

Having said that, Ko, with all it's draw-backs, should still rate higher, because of it's unusual experience. At Blue Hill you can dine very well (with wine pairing) for $400. At Ko, we were closer to $600, for the two of us.