The It gang has Bungalow 8. De Niro and Weinstein have Nobu. The media elites have Michael’s and Da Silvano (greedy buggers).
When Koi opens today, the fashion set will finally have a place to call their very own. (Oh, goody, a cafeteria for people who don’t eat.)
The first East Coast extension of the so-hyped L.A. restaurant of the same name, Koi is located on the ground floor of the Bryant Park Hotel. Which makes for optimal proximity to the tents, the Garment District, and Condé Nast. (Start sending congratulatory flowers to owner Nick Haque if you want to score the corner balcony table.)
Chef Sal Sprufero (in familiar environs, having been the chef at Ilo) is preparing the same Nobu-inspired fare that made the original Koi as famous as its regulars. Until the kitchen is up to speed (they’re a little heavy on the mayo), stick to appetizers like baked crab maki (ask for it as a hand roll), the dragon roll (which they could easily call the potato chip roll), and roasted shishito peppers (our pick for the new edamame). Of the main courses, the Chilean sea bass gets our vote — as does Joe, the cool waiter who kept bringing us things to taste.
The room is chic and moody: dark wood floors and walls to match, live bamboo shoots lining the periphery, and a striking white honeycomb ceiling.
No word yet on the dress code. But the crowd should self-edit that one nicely.
Koi, 40 West 40th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues (212-921-3330).














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