Momofuku Ssäm Bar

Occasion: Casual dinner with Abby
Location: Momofuku Ssäm Bar on 2nd Ave at 13th (momofuku.com)
Edibles: steamed buns with pork belly, cucumber, hoisin sauce; fried chicken with corn pudding and pickled chanterelles; Abby had the spicy pork and rice cake dish with Chinese broccoli and crispy shallots

Musings: It was great to get seated right away! (It's not unusual to pass this restaurant and see twenty people crammed in the bar area and another twenty waiting outside.) Be forewarned that you have to deal with close quarters when seated at the communal table - the other diners are sitting right at your elbows. Also, I noted that the music got progressively louder during the course of our meal and we were yelling just to be heard by the end.

Momofuku's pork buns are among the best I've ever had. The bread is pillowy-soft and the pork is super tender. (Today's was on the fatty side, but then again I think pork fat is one of the most magnificent substances on earth.)

When I cut into it, the chicken had a bit of blush to it. I ate it, and didn't have a problem with it, but it's the kind of thing I think the waiter should mention. Something along the lines of, "We source our chicken very carefully and chef therefore feels comfortable cooking it to medium doneness. Is this okay, or would you prefer it be cooked longer?" Or perhaps I'm being generous in assuming it was intentional.

Abby's rice cake stir-fry dish was good, too. Aggressively seasoned, but still complicated and layered. It was a good meal, all in all. If you happen to be passing by and there's no wait, you might consider trying it out.