August 2017 Summary

Posted on September 1, 2017

Last updated on September 12, 2017

Table of Contents

The update for August 2017

Front row seat to 1984 Broadway show. I highly recommend this

Front row seat to ‘1984’ Broadway show. I highly recommend this

Restaurants

Michelin restaurants for August 2017

An additional 5 Michelin stars, all of them in the 1 star range. I would rate them in the following order from ones I liked the most. Kyo Ya, Musket Room, Contra and Cafe Bouloud (which I didn’t like at all). ZZs Clam Bar I’m not considering in the ranking as it’s a mostly a cocktail bar with some raw fish dishes - nevertheless I really enjoyed my time there and will definitely try to come back.

Kyo Ya

Really good kaiseki meal. Make sure to get counter seating and let Chef Sono Chikara cook something up for you. After having a truffled rice bowl here, it will be hard to go to normal rice now! The chef was very fun to talk to; we added each other on FB and now I’ll have quicker way to get a reservation in case I need one!

ZZs Clam Bar

It surprised that this has a Michelin star as it’s actually a cocktail bar (with really good cocktails) and a minimal raw bar (fish, oysters, the titular clams, etc) offering. It’s probably related to the fact that it’s owned by the same people who own the nearby Carbone restaurant which also has a Michelin star. Considering that I’ve never seen mostly a cocktail bar get a Michelin star, I might venture to say that the owner’s have good connection with Michelin and got them to give this place a rating too.

Cocktails were really good though. Place is also very cozy, you definitely need a reservation. There were three tables inside. One for me and my friend, on my right the owners of the bar and restaurant enjoying a drink, and on my left a table with Olivia Wilde and five of her friends. Coincidentally, just two days before I was in the front row of ‘1984’ Broadway show where she played one of the main roles.

Musket Room

Owned by a couple - the wife is the business person and the husband, a guy from New Zealand, is the chef. They met at a restaurant when she went to work in New Zealand as a waitress, fell in love, got married, and decided to up a restaurant in Manhattan. They got their star within 3 months of opening, very impressive. If it’s a smaller restaurant, I always like to talk to the owners and figure out what put them into the business. Food and wine pairing were both great. The desserts were a bit too sweet for me, but the vast majority of restaurants tend to overdo desserts for me in terms of sweetness. The owner said she definitely appreciated the comments.

Contra

Quick tasting menu - only five courses, but also very affordable at $70 with just a $60 wine pairing. It didn’t really feel like many Michelin restaurants - very casual, many tables, loud. Food was tasty and I had good experience though - for $70 I recommend it.

Cafe Bouloud

Went here for weekend brunch. Extremely disappointing. I don’t really want to go to any other Daniel Bouloud establishment. Restaurant Daniel was tasty enough but rather disappointing for its price to quality ratio. The gazpacho I had here was bland and looked more brown than red. The ‘Croque Madame’ was a disappointing croissant. I have a way better croissant in the East Village restaurant “David’s Cafe” every couple weeks for $15 and it’s much better. The capuccino was something ridiculous like $8. Don’t bother.

Events

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