How was it?
It’s always enjoyable. The Chrysanthemum Salad and Stuffed Garlic Flatbread are always must orders to start. Two new tries last night were the Tonnato Vitello and the BBQ Calamari. Interesting take on the Calamari with pepperoni fried rice and herbed labneh. Very good dish and we liked it better than the Tonnato.
The pastas are the showstoppers. Pinwheel Lasagna is always a must. The Gnocchi and Sourdough Pasta Caciattore were equally good.
We also had the steak last night for the first time paired with the charred Broccolini and enjoyed both even though the steak came out more medium than medium-rare.
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Recent meal at Huso. Sorry for the deluge of pictures — there were a few courses!
Both my partner and I have long been TV fans of Buddha’s cooking, having watched him over a couple seasons of Top Chef. We were very excited to dine here, and quite enjoyed our meal. The strengths of the meal were the sauce work and the plating. There wasn’t one bad dish, and they ranged from incredible to good/very good. I know this is a tasting menu and all, but I did feel the courses were, for the most part, too small — it would have been nice if they had been 50% larger. Getting to meet Chef Buddha and talk with him for a few minutes in the kitchen was an especially nice touch — I think the woman who ushered us down to meet him was getting annoyed with me because I was not making our conversation snappy — but, hey, I wasn’t going to be the one to cut that conversation short! He came across as a genuinely nice and personable guy. For wine, we ordered off their list – a bottle of Do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas Albarino, and we each had a glass of LdH Tondonia reserva. The wines worked wonderfully, but were not cheap considering their retail prices (and they were a fair amount more expensive than the prices advertised on their website, which was annoying). In the end, we were very happy to have gone, we had a great meal, but would not likely return even if we lived in NYC, instead favoring visits to a whole slew of other places we’d be interested in trying.
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The Menu
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Scallop
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Steelhead trout (this was amazing; sad it was only one big bite or two small bites, though)
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This was a caramelized onion course, which was subbed-in for me on account of my artichoke allergy. I was a big winner with this sub-in because it was fan-tas-tic!
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Smoked sturgeon, with potatoes and caviar (first of a few sauces which were incredible)
Fois Gras, Duck Rillette (I don’t like foie, but managed to remove that layer and thoroughly enjoyed the duck)
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Bluefin tin (another amazing sauce on this one)
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Lobster (amazing sabayon, and another great sauce)
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Kitchen visit and chat with Chef
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Chicken with Morel mushroom (amazing sauce; would have loved for this to have been two to three times bigger)
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Lamb with asparagus (this was “good”, but I’m not a big fan of lamb, so grains of salt and all …)
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Berries and Burrata
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Chocolate, Cherries, Kirsch (amazing)
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Dark chocolate and caviar
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Satsuma, Orange blossom gummies
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Honey Madeleines with cinnamon (could have housed twenty of these)
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Chocolate
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Mandarinquat, Elderflower (fantastic)
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We are also big fans of Buddha (watching America’s Culinary Cup right now as I type this!)
But believe it or not, last time we were in NYC we ended up at Huso almost totally on accident. My wife really wanted to stop at a place she could try a few caviars, and we were already at the Met. So we swung in for lunch, were happily eating our mean (very good lunch!) and we overheard the table next to us saying something about it being more popular since Top Chef. Then a few minutes later my wife kicked me under the table and said OMG ITS BUDDHAS RESTAURANT! Because he had just walked in carrying a bunch of produce from the farmers market! Haha one of the best surprises of our trip.
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I need a couple of suggestions on where to bring a large group (12) that is moderately priced, for non-foodies/non wine people( although corkage would be a small plus as 4 are wine drinkers).
There will be picky children among them. Pasquale Jones was perfect for them when I went with a smaller group but 12 doesn’t work well there.
An Italian option, a Chinese option (because of ease), and other ethnic options welcomed Most of the family likes Indian food, so we went to different places on Curry Hill, but unsure if the picky kids will be ok.
LOL!! That’s crazy! So you literally managed to get in there, get seated, and started to eat without first knowing he’s Exec. Chef there?!? That’s bonkers!
p.s.: we’re watching Culinary Cup, too, and I was wondering if it got more popular since he’s been on that! (No spoilers, please, as I’m pretty sure we’re a couple weeks behind right now ---- last episode we watched was the molecular gastronomy challenge, where each dish was worth 10 points per technique).
Qq for everyone
If I did a write up on Staten Island restaurants should I post it here or would it make more sense to start a new thread?
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And Brian, you were in NYC and didn’t ask for a Sherry dinner?
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Personally I’d enjoy seeing it here on principle’s sake.
It’s been two years since my last trip. Some tasty bites.
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I think that the majority of people looking at this thread are looking for Manhattan or Brooklyn so it might be better served in its own thread. Having said that I could not be more excited for your reports. I have been tracking a couple of places in Staten Island that I want to visit.
Was a very quick In and Out situation, otherwise you know I wouldn’t have asked — I would have insisted!
Brian,
I had zero idea that Buddha was cooking in NYC. I thought he was great on Top Chef. The meal looks amazing. I’m glad you guys had a great time.
I took a look at the wine/cocktail list and had a chuckle. I’ve seen some overpriced lists before, but this is pretty out there. Much of it is 4x retail and there’s a bunch at close to 5x retail. Very curious to see how much wine they sell. The LdH that you had by the glass is on the list for $48/glass. That’s about what a bottle should cost at retail.
Yep. Painful wine pricing. That is the price we paid for our LdH glasses. The Do Ferreiro was $275, iirc, and that was one of the best/most affordable deals on the list (when I looked online, previously, I think it was priced at $200, or maybe a shade cheaper, which would be reasonable restaurant pricing). Given that we were travelling, and given that I was able to spot at least a few grimacingly-reasonably-priced wines on the list ahead of time, we decided to not do our usual corkage thing and just order off the menu; I wish we would have done the corkage, simply from an economics standpoint. Both the Albarino and Rioja did pair well with the intended dishes, so at least there was that. 
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Looking for a suggestion for pre-theater (casual) dining tonight. Would be looking to eat around 5:30ish. Theater is on 52nd btw Bway and 8th. It doesn’t have to be right there, but closer is better.
Had pizza at L’Industrie in the West Village last night. It was my first experience with them. Huge line but it moved quickly and I think I only waited about 20 minutes or so. I thought it was very good. I like that thin crust, crisp style as a counterpoint to the neapolitan style. In hindsight, I would have gotten one slice at LI and then gone around the corner for a slice at Mama’s Too for comparison but I didn’t want to wait on two lines…of course when we were done at LI and walked around the corner there was no line at MT.
Drinks at Kee’s afterward. My first time there and I was impressed. I would say that our rez at Kee’s was too early (8pm) because the vibe got better and better as the night went on. Drinks were excellent and the service was great. If you’re looking for a top notch cocktail lounge in NYC, this fits the bill.
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Estatorios Milos is very close (55th between 6th and 7th) and has a pre theater menu (3 courses $75).
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The Bar Room at the Modern is a 10 minute walk.
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Naro at Rockefeller Center.
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