Can we lay foie gras to rest. Enough animals have been tortured already through history, lets stop it.
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@ Zappo NyC
I am all for humane treatment of animals, but pâté de foie gras de canard is the first product I seek to buy on every touristic pilgrimage to Paris.
Ugh. Was about to make reservations then saw the foie gras dish.
15
Applause to the Food Stylist for the thoughtful placing of the chopsticks-rest.
The article is a well-written description of a restaurant or eatery surving Westernized Korean food. For example, I find shocking the fois grass in sushi.
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@Tuvw Xyz its not sushi, its kimbap which usally includes ham. Foie gras is a perfect replacement.
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@Tuvw Xyz (and @Pete_Wells)
Kimbab is not sushi! Sushi explicitly refers to the vinegared rice used. Kimbab does not have vinegar.
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@Steven M.
Sushi refers to a food tradition from Japan which occupied Korea in the first half of the 20th century, prohibiting Koreans from using their own language in public.
Despite what some websites say, I know Koreans who use vinegar in their traditional kimbab.
3
Mr. Wells continues to produce outstanding writing. His description of his feelings on entering Hudson Yards captured my reaction perfectly.
I will have to try Kawi, it seems that there are interesting things happening there. But I wonder whether David Chang is expanding too far and too fast in his ventures.
I’ve had good meals in Vegas, so perhaps a Vegas restaurant transplanted to NYC will pass muster.
3
Should the dessert featured in the last photo of the slide show be referred to as kakigori? Considering the Korean version of the shaved ice dessert is called patbingsu? It seems important to note considering the author made the distinction of using the word kimbap instead of sushi to refer to a rolled rice dish.
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"With her tidy, refined, French-influenced neo-traditionalism, Ms. Park could become something like the Alain Ducasse of Korean cooking."
Pete, do you really expect the average reader to be able to unpack this sentence readily?
Some of your observations have a certain flair, but others reflect the sensibility of a bad literary critic.
I would be game to try Ms. Park's fare, but the foie gras kimbap threw me for a loop. Gavage-fed duck or goose liver? Not my cup of tea, especially the pasty texture. The best kimbap synthesizes antithetical flavors and the piquant crunch of seasoned vegetables against the backdrop of rice.
Perhaps Kawi would be more successful if were rebranded as Kawhi.
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@ Andrew Mississauga, Canada
I "unpack", as you write, the sentence easily. But I think that such metaphoric term as "Alain Ducasse of Korean cooking" is a bad misnomer.
1
@Andrew The sentence was not hard to understand.
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It’s a tad awkward, but I also had no pause with the sentence. I agree whole-heartedly with the grotesque abuse that gives us foie gras however.
2
I continue to be grateful that David Chang, through his Momofuku restaurants, helps Asian food get the long overdue respect it deserves. And I am thankful that I can afford to try Kawi as a splurge.
Recognizing excellence should not be blinkered by preconceptions and biases. To be great, any cuisine must adapt to the local availability of ingredients. At the same time, ingredients have traveled the world to grace many cuisines.
Let us remember the shared heritage on our plates. Tomatoes, beans, corn, and potatoes traveled from indigenous Americans to grace plates in China and Italy. Ancient Romans first dropped dumplings into broth, but Chinese filled those dumplings with meat which enhanced their acclaim.
True, many cannot afford restaurants like Kawi, but there are many more New York restaurants that cater to even more rarefied elites. Should the New York Times stop reporting on the refuges of billionaires? What foodie didn't delight to see Per Se get called out?
We can still enjoy reading restaurant reviews across the class spectrum -- just as many enjoy watching cooking shows that demonstrate recipes they will never attempt at home.
There is a place for the inexpensive Asian restaurants that feed multitudes of Americans, but our expectations of Asian cuisine should not be limited to those staples any more than European descended cuisine should be reduced to hamburger au frommage avec frites.
20
@NYC Nomad A lovely message. I kept waiting for the 'But ...', which never arrived! Couldn't agree more.
2
I haven’t been to Hudson Yards yet, because I still don’t know if it’s a neighborhood or a tourist trap. I wouldn’t mind seeing the famous outdoor sculpture, but would that make me, a born in the borough Manhattanite, a tourist?
I get a reader’s sense from Mr. Wells that this restaurant is good, but my own common sense tells me that it seems like it’s serving Frenchified Korean food. It seems as if we have yet another fusion restaurant.
I’m glad that something like this exists for folks who live in that neighborhood, but I can get Korean and French dishes closer to my apartment at restaurants that specialize in that kind of food.
I’m pleased to see that foie gras is being served because I am completely and irrevocably tired of food fascists, especially the sanctimonious anti-foie gras brigade who eat other kinds of meat.
As for the $64 steamed chicken, well, that’s a sign of the twisted times in which we live. It’s an absurd price by any stretch of the imagination, and it’s more offensive to me than the foie gras.
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@Jason Bennett
The steamed chicken serves 4 so just iver $15 per serving. That is a fair price when you factor the ridiculous rent they must be paying for the location.
3
@World foodie Better than Poulet de Bresse?
@World foodie
There is absolutely no indication in the review that the steamed chicken serves four people. None. Truth be told, that would depend on who’s eating and what their appetite is.
Additionally, I alone could eat a whole chicken breast at one sitting. A split breast (with bones or boneless) is merely a breast cut in half. Many, many people eat 2 split breasts when prepared as fried chicken.
To reiterate, $64 for a steamed chicken is absurd. If the rent requires $64 chickens, then the owners made a mistake in leasing this specific space.
Furthermore, Mr. Wells states that the dish is not a success.
2
What if - like most people - you can't afford to eat there?
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@Craig A refreshing dose of reality!
Maybe there should be a new rating, from 5 down to 1, on likelihood of attendance by the 99%.
6
“Kawi is a minivan with sliding doors, armrests, cupholders and Don Henley on the stereo.” I may not always agree with Mr. Wells’ reviews, but I appreciate his oh so clever writing.
28
The highlight of the review, for certain!
1
@Molly Bloom d henley crooning over dinner will always keep me out!
1
As always, a perceptive Wells review. Much appreciated.
As an aside: I have the perhaps antiquated notion that the number of stars awarded a restaurant should be in direct proportion to the number of dollar signs one needs to spend on a meal. Two dollar signs ought to get me a great meal at a two-star restaurant.
I wince when the balance is out of whack.
10
I was underwhelmed when I went there. I'm surprised Pete didn't mention the sweet and sour ribs. Those were my favorite part. I also had a raw beef kimbab, which no longer seems to be on the menu. I suppose that's for the best, and I had wished I had gotten the foie gras one instead.
6