Hudson Yards

Not often a restaurant opens by a celebrated chef or group flies under the radar in NYC. Seeing a mostly empty room on a Sunday night was very strange considering this is the latest from Juan Correa and chef Erik Ramirez off the Llama Inn and Llama San fame (granted closed and closing). And especially considering how strong this meal was.

The location has much to do with it. Many see Hudson Yards as up and coming but to me its up and going, especially when it comes to unfamiliar flavors. Momofuku’s Kawi was the most interesting place to ever open in HY, only to close two years later. David Chang revamping his empire had something to do with it, but still. Business lunches and tourists in the area generally opt for something simple like Zou Zou’s (Mediterranean) or Ci Siamo (Italian). Most visitors probably never even heard of Nikkei (Japanese Peruvian).

With that said, Papa San might be the best offering by the Llama Group, and has the potential to become a destination place. A Hannukah miracle if you will, or a destination place is the only hope because “how about Hudson Yards” literally said no one when it comes to choosing a night out in NYC. Its usually the villages and surrounding areas, if not Hell’s Kitchen. Although technically, according to Google Maps at least, Papa San is just inside Hell’s Kitchen.

The food rundown. We mostly ordered from the “Small Plates” section of the menu as that looks like their strength.

Mussels – Almost didn’t order this because it was, well, mussels. Some of the best in years if not decades. Plump, gorgeous mussels in one of those addictive curry sauces with sweet heat from the Aji Amarillo (Peruvian yellow peppers). And comes with a surprise, perfect McDonald’s fries to dip in that sick sauce.

Miso Black Cod – The weakest link is more of a testament to the other dishes. Expertly cooked, delicate Cod on Nori flavored Polenta. Subtle flavors, and while satisfying, forgettable compared to the explosive flavors of the rest. Still I’d order this again.

Eel Pizza – Salty, sweet, nicely balanced with the eel, shitake, pecorino, dancing bonito flakes and tangy sauce. Probably the most hyped dish here, and rightfully so, except that other dishes were equally as good if not better.

Wagyu Tri Tip – Exactly what you expect from a place like this. Perfectly cooked, thinly sliced with a very complimentary Yuzu Bearnaise.

Udon Noodles – Another signature, marketed as a play on Cacio e Pepe. This was just sensational. Complex, deep flavors with sautéed squid adding nice texture. If you like the chew on sautéed squid from say Blue Ribbon Sushi, you’d like this.

Tsukemodo Cucumbers side – refreshing bites to cut all that richness.

Creative drinks, friendly staff, nothing but smiles from the open kitchen (not sure if thats still the case when they are busy). The space is attractive, and the menu fairly priced for Manhattan. Good option this month to pair with the holiday lights at Hudson Yards.

501 W 34th St.

Kawi Tuna

July 20, 2019 Update:

Its a new record me thinks. The quickest update in the history of Eating With me. While the EWZ statisticians check the validity of these claims, let me tell you how awesome Kawi is. Kawi is awesome! Its scary how easy it is to get a table for 4 on a Saturday night. They keep a big chunk of the space for walk-ins it seems, and its just a little unnerving to get in so easily when you account the quality here. Lets call it mild Ma Peche Syndrome. The location in Hudson Yards may have something to do with it.

But in three months, Kawi got even better. Shortly after the first report, they started to offer dinner, and essentially unleashing phase two. Stews, specifically Yesterday’s Stinky Soybean Stew that is generating a lot of attention but absent on our last visit. Instead we settled for the Oxtail & Brisket Jjim, a fiery meat stew with sweet potatoes that were no match to the Habanero. If you like spicy meat stews you will enjoy this even in the summer.

Kawi - Oxtail & Brisket Jjim

You can have an enjoyable meal here just by ordering from the Hot Anju column. You will be hard pressed to find better wings than the white pepper wings, flakier fried fish than the cod, and more flavorful ribs. All already mentioned below. But the dish to get these days may very well be related to my least favorite dish from the previous post, rice cakes. The Wagyu Ragu with table side scissored rice cakes has the type of Umaminess not experienced since I tried the Ssam Bar spicy rice cakes.

But I’m yet to have a flawless meal here. While we enjoyed the rice that came with the Grilled NY Strip, the beef wasnt particularly beefy or inspiring last time. And note to self: Skip Trading Card drink, stick to BTS

Kawi - Wagyu Ragu Rice Cakes

April 16, 2019 Post:

I will start this one the same way I started the previous post. It took me some time to warm up to Hudson Yards. After all, it represents everything that is wrong with NYC dining today. Higher rents and a surging mouth shift from the mom and pop to the corporate. One doesnt need to walk too far to find available space, and the rate of closures seems to be accelerating. There’s a street on 3rd Ave between St Marks and Stuyvesant where every single retails space is available. They were all taken not too long ago. With Hudson Yards we got a little closer to Vegas.

With that said, its hard to curb the Hudson Yards enthusiasm. A mega public art piece dedicated to the Shawarma (aka Vessel). Little Spain with its big names, and little balls. Jose Andres is from Asturias, so why not serve Asturian dishes that are hard to impossible to get here like Fabada and Arroz con Pitu instead of more Paella which is really just a Valencian specialty. And then there are the new Momofukus to save the day. Peach Mart, a new Fuku branch, and Kāwi – perhaps the #1 reason to go to Hudson Yards today.

Eater NY

This is another Momofuku outpost where the cuisine is hard to describe to out of towners. Executive Chef Eunjo Park describes it as “playful” and thats pretty much how you can describe the rest of the Momofukus. Inventive, Asian (mostly Korean) influenced lab recipes. I call it Momofunk. While this one feels more Korean than the others, the Kitchen, for the time being at least, consists of Fuku All Star Avengers, like Josh Pinsky, bringing in some of their own influences. The sweet and sour ribs, the clams – I’ve seen clips of this movie before. But while Park is getting some temporary help, this is entirely her baby.

As of this writing, Kawi is open for lunch only. I cant think of any such place that started as such, but considering the location it makes sense in this case. Rumors are that dinner will include more stews and much of the same. The space is spacious and quite striking. Some of it overlooking the very open, action packed kitchen. On my fist visit, while sitting facing that kitchen, I witnessed a team of five chefs and managers closely, and somewhat nervously following a health inspector. At some point me and the inspector briefly exchanged smiles and nods, so I would like to believe I had something to do with the earned “A”. This place is cleaner than my house after cleaning.

Here’s the food rundown at Kawi which means scissors in Korean, hence the brilliant cutting edge title…

White Pepper Wings – The prototypical wings at a higher dining establishment. There’s a curious Yelp review out there urging to skip this item – “The wings are not crispy and the chicken meat is not juicy”. That could be so at that time, but what I got was pretty much the opposite. Crispy, peppery, and juicy alright. These are three whole wings, and a must get for the wing lovers of the world.

Kawi Wings

Fried Cod – In a strange way, this glorified mini fish and chips without the chips might be the most memorable dish here for me. You will be hard pressed to find a flakier, more fresh-tasting, lightly battered fish. But its the gentle Yuzu spray that elevates it to the point of thinking about it many days later.

Kawi Fried Cod

Sweet & Sour Ribs – No surprise here as I’ve had and touted similar ribs at Nishi before. While its a slightly different flavor profile, this is the same fall of the bone, succulent goodness.

Kawi Ribs

Madai Tartare – One can live here a lifetime and not realize the importance of raw seafood (Hwe or Hoe) in Korean cuisine. Kawi has a column devoted to it. Called a Snapper but technically a prized Sea Bream, this is a firm, delicious fish treated properly at Kawi. I would opt for at least one “HWE” here.

Kawi Madai

Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Kimbap (top)- If you like spicy tuna rolls, you may want to avoid this at all costs as you may not be able to enjoy them the same way again. Love that crunch from the fried Myoga (ginger) bits especially.

Spicy Roasted Rice Cakes – Just like at Ssam Bar, this is yet another brilliant use of rice cakes, that come with scissors. Its topped with a good amount of crispy puffed rice, chili jam and ham that blends in nicely. While interesting, this is more of a large side dish, suited for larger groups as its big and can be a bit heavy.

Kawi Rice Cake

Dry-Aged Striploin Set – Just what dry-aged beef should taste like. Served with a Miso-like soup, an assortment of fried veggies, and delicious rice with more beef fat.

BTS – One of the cocktails we tried. I wouldnt list a cocktail unless its good. Its good! Soju, honey, strega, lemon. On the sweeter side, but nicely balanced.

Kakigōri – This is their version of the Japanese ice dessert. Ultra light, not too frozen shaved ice with whipped cream, ginger syrup, and pear. Like a perfected Halo-Halo.

Kāwi
20 Hudson Yards
Rating: 3 Z’s (out of 4)
Stars range from Good to Exceptional. Simple as that
Recommended Dishes: Cod, Wings, Ribs, Tuna Kimbap, Madai Tartare, Oxtail & Brisket Jjim, Wagyu Ragu Rice Cakes, Kakigōri, BTS (drink)

Papa San – Severely Underrated Nikkei

Kāwi – At the Cutting Edge of NYC Dining

The places