KITCHEN GALERIE BIS – WORTH THE HYPE, WE SAY
It’s really lame that I didn’t take photos, I know. But I was distracted by the buzz and I hadn’t slept for 40 hours.
Because we decided to check it out only a few days before, the earliest reservation available for a Friday evening was at 10:00 p.m. We arrived around 15 minutes late with no good excuse. Seeing the place (once described as a “loft new-yorkais”) full of trendy left bankers and frenzied waiters at that hour, we assumed we would be ignored. However, whether it is a credit to the attentiveness and professionalism of the host or our own striking good looks, we were promptly acknowledged and seated.
KGB’s “deal,” if you like, is chef William Ledeuil’s knack for French-Asian fusion (and of course the Art+Food concept). Here you will find French dishes and techniques, embelllished with the pronounced use of kaffir lime, tumeric, galangal, ginger, thai basil, coriander, garlic root, chinese shallots, kra-chai, ngo’om, coconut milk, wasabi and tamarind, among other delicious Asian ingredients. I was esssscited, to say the least, and the yumminess that ensued supplied my third wind for the evening.
Not to buck KGB tradition, if you can call it that in late November after an early September opening, we started with zors d’oeuvres – small plates that showcase WL’s flair for the dramatic, and play on his apparent (if silly) predilection for “ze”: 1) beetroot/ turnip / carrot soup; 2) artichoke in a chestnut emulsion; 3) udon noodles with calamari and sesame sauce ; 4) smoked eel in a wasabi – parsley emulsion ; 5) cod croquette ; 6) shellfish noisette. A light champagne accompanied zors d’oeuvres (I have to call them that, right?). Though each tiny, fragrant and impeccably presented plate vied for my attention, the artichoke/chestnut combo won. Two bites left me obsessed (the first startled me), even while my companion raved over the smoked eel/wasabi. Those who use emulsions generally have to work harder to impress me, precisely because I suspect that they aim to impress. However, this emulsion, definitely of the rare, unpretensious variety, came from the pure motivation to delight. I could just tell. I rated the dishes on the following scale of amazingness: artichoke (crazy amazing), shellfish (incredibly amazing), cod (reminded me of Luby’s cafeteria in TX in the old days, which were so amazing), eel (really amazing) , calamari (still quite amazing). My companion rated them in this order: eel, calamari, artichoke, cod, shellfish. You can say there’s no accounting for taste, and then note that when compiling our ratings, we both considered the soup concoction entirely forgettable.
On to the main event: perfectly al dente pasta, intensely fuschia from the brilliant use of beets for my companion, pork and veggie pot for me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the pulse of that pasta, but it was a tad spicy, phenomenally tasty. As for my dish, well let’s just say KGB has a way with pork. This tender, sweet, tangy pork, with its good clean fat really thrilled me. Again, this is not Qatar-induced pork deprivation talking. This is a genuine, honest and now sober assessment of a wonderful pork dish, surpassing excellence and bringing about a paradisiacal happiness.
The fall: Once presented with the dessert menu, plump and full of glee, we said, let’s just go with it. Anyway, my companion had shared an enticing, even legendary, tale of a chocolate cappucino and hazelnut ice cream with pepper (!) at the sister restaurant, Ze Kitchen Galerie. So we took the plunge, ordering the pomme confite, with ginger and grape sorbet (or something to that effect). It was a mistake. The miscalculation, the assumption on my companion’s part that the desserts here would be as good as at Ze Kitchen, the greed on both our parts. Nothing horrible happened. It was just a non-event.
But overall, we deem this place worth the hype. Put it on your list. It’s still too early to tell, but this experience may be working to redefine my standard of an interesting dinner out.
