For over eighty years French cuisine held court over new York fine dining. Now it's being challenged by a different kind of haute cuisine Korean. It combines the best of traditional Asian and European cooking and serving techniques
Regular contributor and famed restaurant critic Pete Wells explored this in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Fine dining may be dying down in other big Americna cities however it's doing quite well in Manhattan. It's coming from a new breed of Korean restuarants where Korean -American chefs are cominging the best of their heritage with Gallic trchniques and practices. It is topping a tradition that started with the famed Le Pavilion being transferred from the Queens 1939 world'd Fair to Manhattan.it lasted so long as to inspire other La and Le restuarantst to dot the city landscape. They brought Limoeges china, silver domes and white linen to the tables. These eateries are few and far between these days.It may give ideas of a higly contolled enviroment super attentive waitstaff and detail oriiented cooking. Mr. Wells suggests looking at it in a fresher way - as in a price bracket. The prices are high, beteeen 100 and 150 a person. These new Koren influenced ones appeal to a wide range of people, much like French cuisine. They also go beyond the restaurants seenn in middle class Korean enclaves like fort Lee New Jersey and Queens.
Of course there is also the halyu, the influx of Koren culture into America life . Arts, music and film can make a culture wanted accorodng to Jenny Kwak, chef and owner of Haenyeo ,a causal Koren restaurant with dishes starting at fortty two dollars." They demystify it," She can remember American chefs acknowledging Psy the singer behind 20212's popular song "Gangham style." The pioneer to all of them ,Jungsik opened a year before his success.It features expensive seafood dishes paired with top quality wines. Younger Korean chefs like Junghyun Park have opened up not one but two restaurants. He has the vastly popular Atomix whuch strives for a modern vison of Korean cuisine and Naro, a more tradtional Korean menu. Another double restuarant owner, Hoyoung Kim has the popular Jua has a seven course tasting menu and Moono where a pot fo rice can cost as much as eigty-eight dollars. The most popular is Bom, where chef Brian Kim gives diner a totally immersive experience.It is expensive with meals starting at a whopping three hundred dollars.These restaurants do have French flourishes with caviar tarts and finishiung the meal with satiny chococlatr bonbons.
Fine dining is alive and well in New York City.I'ts not what most think.It has a decidedly Korean flavor to it.
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