Back to Ssam

With a friend visiting to New York for the first time since January, all the talk I heard about Ssam Bar at the Bruni event on Friday, and my general longing to have a delicious meal close to my apartment, I ventured back to Ssam Bar for the third time on Sunday night.

Ssam Bar is the second David Chang restaurant in Manhattan, after the Noodle Bar. Ssam Bar started off having these odd korean burritos, which I cannot say I ever managed to try. It morphed over the years and became a famous swine peddler after putting the pork bun on the map sometime in 2007. It has since lost the korean burritos and has ascended the ranks to join an elite grouping of restaurants that has earned 3-stars from the New York Times. The food is always compelling and interesting when I go, and as Frank Bruni aptly said, it is a great restaurant to go to understand what is going on in the New York dining scene right now.

I do have my quips about Ssam Bar. First off, my friend and I got sat at the bar. The tables are not that much more appealing since the chairs are basically tiny stools, so comfort is not a priority here. Momofuku Ko was actually more offensive on this point truth be told. Second, paper napkins, and lots of them. This was actually useful because the food gets messy, but it creates additional clutter on an already crowded surface.

The service at Ssam Bar is delightfully casual. They are not stuffy nor pretentious and when you ask for recommendations, they do so with a fervor that assures you that they actually like the food they are telling you to order. I went with the server's thoughts for both my dishes and have to say, was pleased with her thoughts.

The star of my evening was a rib sandwich that I would say was one of best starters I've had at a restaurant in the past 12 months. The sandwich is Chang's take on a McRib. It has comes topped with slaw and is really messy and tender. The bread is lightly grilled so it comes across as panini-esque. I dabble sriracha gently on the dish to add a little spice. My friend ordered the classic pork buns, which did not seem to disappoint either.

My entree was a monkfish with ham broth and barley. The fish was really gently prepared and tasted great against the ham broth. It was a lot of pork flavor, but the fish held up well against it and the barley added another level of texture to the dish. It was a great autumn dish but was still light and did not leave me feeling immobile afterward. My friend ordered the pork shoulder, which she noted was good, but seemed a tad rare.

We opted to head elsewhere for dessert, though I can recommend the pb&j dessert ssam offers based on a previous visit. As I thought about the meal, I definitely can say I loved my food. I've been thinking about the rib sandwich hourly since then. However, benchmarking the meal against other recent 3-star meals I've been lucky enough to eat over the past year (e.g. Corton, Scarpetta, Alto, The Modern, even Momofuku Ko) I just cannot compare it as favorably. I guess I still think of the star system as requiring elements beyond food--chairs, for example. That being said, I still am a huge lover of the Ssam Bar and will continue to patronize the place...but I better not see any 4-star reviews anytime soon.

Sunday Fun Day

Sunday's always bring an interesting variety of food options. The meals are least structured and they are great days to try various bites of food from around town.

My Sunday started at Hundred Acres. Brunch and I have an ambivalent relationship. However, Hundred Acres is one of the few restaurants I enjoy eating brunch. I had poached eggs with homemade sausage, gravy, and jalapeno grits. This was my second time ordering this and neither time disappointed. The sausage is a nice, spicy patty that is vaguely reminiscent of chorizo. The grits are smooth and act as the "english muffin" in this eggs benedict reinvention. The gravy is hearty and plentiful. Finally, heaps of fried onions top the dish. My brother had the chilaquiles, which I have sampled before and which are also delicious.

After Hundred Acres, I watched the 1st set of NFL games at The Blue Seats. It was a pretty sweet setup as each booth had a set of 6 TVs where you could watch simultaneous games. The sliders earned raves, though my self-restraint inhibits me from personally opining on them.

After seeing the Pats falter, I headed back to my apartment to wrap up some errands. I stopped at Veloce along the way. Veloce is known for its Sicilian style pizza and has received strong praise. It definitely is a different taste than conventional Neapolitan slices but I really enjoyed it. The pizza crust is very soft and chewy but the cheese and sauce are perfect. It was a nice little snack between lunch and dinner. I don't know if everyone will love it, but it is a nice change from the ubiquitous Neapolitan options out there. Plus, they may even deliver to me.

The capstone to this wonderful day of eating was Ippudo. Ippudo is the acclaimed ramen restaurant steps from my apartment. After eating at Ippudo weekly last autumn, we parted ways for a few months. Tonight marked the return to Ippudo!

I went with a group of food lovers. We ordered a round of apps including peppers, potatoes with a miso anchovy sauce, and of course, pork buns. The apps were all homeruns. The peppers were nicely cooked and came with a citrus sauce that helped make them pop. The roasted potatoes were awesome, mostly because of the miso anchovy sauce that accompanied them. And the pork buns were delicious. I had realized it had been months since I last had a pork bun, and despite how oversaturated they have become in New York, I still adore them. These are great and by adding a little mayo they are more creamy than the usual iterations.

As for the ramen, I can't really claim to know much about ramen but dish itself is simply awesome. I've had the ramen at least 6 times which speaks volumes to its quality (and I hate ordering the same thing at restaurants). The dish is completely nostalgic for me. I don't think about the flavors, but rather the memories of returning to New York last fall with a new job and apartment, facing a new economic reality. Anyway, needless to say, when foods take on this status, it is implicitly understood they are delicious.

Dessert was to be had at the Milk Bar, another vice of mine. I sampled the watermelon ice cream which was good but a little to sweet for me. I wanted something that more subtly watermelon. The horchata was quite good but not too imaginative. I opted for the strawberry cake which was awesome. It had the classic "sweet-salty" duality which is why I keep coming back to the Milk Bar.

Mondays are usually filled wtih cereal, salads, and grilled chicken, so I'm glad I got to make the best of my Sunday.