Illustration: Maanvi Kapur
Since opening Cote Korean Steakhouse in Flatiron in 2017, restaurateur Simon Kim has expanded to Miami, Singapore, Las Vegas — and again to New York. Subsequent yr, he’ll launch a three-level midtown surf-and-turf extravaganza, 550 Madison, with a bar he compares to Grand Central Terminal on the bottom flooring, together with one other Cote downstairs and a sushi restaurant upstairs. Just lately, nonetheless, the buzziest venue in his Gracious Hospitality Administration group — because of viral hen nuggets topped with caviar — is his Flatiron “altar of Korean fried hen,” Coqodaq. “Koreans by no means actually ate fried hen till American GIs came to visit throughout the Korean Battle within the Nineteen Fifties,” says Kim, who was born in Seoul and moved to Lengthy Island when he was 13. South Koreans have been tweaking the quintessentially Southern dish since American GIs launched it to the nation within the Nineteen Fifties. Have they now shipped again a greater model of the Yankee authentic? “I imply, that’s the intent,” says Kim.
Wednesday, October 8
I get up round 6 a.m. in my Tribeca loft. That’s normally across the time Teddy, my 11-month-old bernedoodle, will get up from the place she sleeps by the dresser and comes over to my mattress.
I simply bought again from Las Vegas final evening, so I’m easing again into my regular routine. I begin the day like I at all times do, with a playlist of Japanese and Gregorian chants from an app. I used to be born in a Catholic household, however I additionally love Buddhist traditions — it’s a very cool, meditative option to begin the morning.
Then I drink a glass of lukewarm lemon water, which is one thing I do each morning and evening. I really feel very blessed that I get to eat so many attention-grabbing issues, however that may also be difficult. As a restaurateur, I’m at all times tasting issues and going to restaurant openings, so a variety of stimulation comes my manner. As soon as the solar units, I really feel like I’ve to go the place the evening takes me. However early within the day — that’s after I’m in management. So I like to start out with one thing very delicate. It is advisable hydrate, and lukewarm lemon water could be very straightforward in your physique. I smoke cigarettes right here and there, I drink right here and there, and lemon has a variety of detoxifying qualities.
I take Teddy out for a stroll, and after we get again, I feed her and make myself a cup of inexperienced tea. If I actually wish to get up, typically I am going a bit of loopy and have jasmine tea, which has extra caffeine in it. Making tea feels ceremonial; it forces me to decelerate.
I’m not a giant breakfast individual, so I normally simply have a smoothie. My assistant, Izzy, prepares completely different packages of fruit and veggies relying on how I’m feeling — if I wish to hydrate, I’d begin with a watermelon or coconut-water base and add cool greens like kale. At present, I begin with a base of recent orange juice and add blueberry, pineapple, mango, apple, strawberry, a bit of ginger for a kick, and turmeric.
Subsequent I’ve a coaching session at Jtrain, which is eight blocks away on Greenwich Road. Ten minutes on a bicycle, adopted by calisthenics and all types of various types of private coaching. I take a Citi Bike or a cab to my workplace on East nineteenth Road.
At present is thrilling; we’re testing Coqodaq supply. I’m normally the primary guinea pig every time we launch one thing new, and that is no exception. We’ve examined so many alternative sorts of packaging and that is most likely the fifth iteration — we let the hen sit in a supply field for round 25 minutes in order that we will perceive the way it holds collectively. I’m happy with the way it seems.
From the supply container, I pattern a bit of of all the things from the Bucket Listing, certainly one of our signature menu objects: a bit of the O.G. fried hen, a soy-garlic glazed piece, a number of bites of the Caesar salad, some hen curry. Plus a chilly Food plan Coke.
The afternoon is back-to-back conferences — with the advertising staff, the operations staff, monetary conferences. We’ve conferences with our head bartender in addition to our beverage director, speaking about completely different pairings. And we talk about the menu we’re constructing for the LACMA Artwork+Movie gala in Los Angeles.
After work I head to Teruko at Lodge Chelsea for dinner with two pals. We order a number of rolls, kamameshi, wagyu sukiyaki, and some glasses of sake. I like dryer sake with a bit of little bit of character — my favourite sake brewery is Daishichi, which interprets to “huge seven.” They’ve a sake known as Minowamon, which implies “heaven’s gate.” Every time I see that on the checklist, it’s one hundred pc assured I’ll get it.
After I get house, I take the canine out and finish my day the identical manner I began it: with a glass of lukewarm lemon water.
Thursday, October 9
My morning begins very similar to yesterday, with lemon water and tea. My days can get loopy, so I actually attempt to stick with my routine.
At present is a giant day — we host Style of Asia in Madison Sq. Park, an occasion I co-founded in 2021 to have a good time the range and vibrancy of Asian delicacies in New York Metropolis. Round 40 eating places are represented, and I spend the morning on calls with the groups to ensure all the things is prepared. I’ve one other smoothie, this time with coconut water, watermelon, pineapple, blueberries, ginger, and turmeric.
I don’t wish to go to Style of Asia famished, so for lunch, I seize beef, hen, and pork tacos with chips, guacamole, and salsa from Los Tacos No. 1 close to my condominium. It’s harmful having this place so shut — the meals is quick, scrumptious, and addictive.
After lunch, I head to the workplace to attach with my staff earlier than making our option to Madison Sq. Park. I make the rounds at Sushi Noz, Atoboy, Jungsik, Bangkok Supper Membership, Icca, Lysee, and 12 Matcha. I’m so busy mingling that I can’t actually eat a lot, however I take bites of uni sea urchin tartlette and salmon and tuna nigiri. The evening is unimaginable, and we increase over $1.7 million to help Apex for Youth and the Madison Sq. Park Conservancy. I depart full, glad, and grateful.
After, chef Hoyoung Kim of Moono is gracious sufficient to host an after-party. I drink some Champagne and eat some naengmyeon: Korean chilly buckwheat noodles with a chilly beef broth and a few pickled radish. And a slice of brisket. My ancestors come from North Korea, and naengmyeon is a North Korean heritage dish, so for me, it’s simply so soothing.
Friday, October 10
My morning begins with my normal lemon water and inexperienced tea. I don’t have time for my smoothie due to early calls, so I seize an egg and bacon pastry from Frenchette on my option to the workplace round 9 a.m. I really like the flaky, crispy edge, however the center is oozing with the melted cheese and ham. It’s haute consolation meals.
After a number of hours of conferences and a walk-through of our 550 Madison venture, I cease by ABC Kitchen on 18th Road to select up the roast-carrot-and-avocado salad with a aspect of Faroe Island salmon.
I spend the afternoon in additional conferences earlier than heading to The Musket Room for a celebration to have a good time Apple TV’s Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, by which I seem alongside its chef Mary Attea. Within the backyard, I’ve a number of glasses of Champagne and revel in oysters from Chef Mary. And Coqodaq’s chef, SK, contributes golden nuggets topped with caviar and black truffle.
Afterward, we head to Go Go Sing, Coqodaq’s karaoke room, for the after-party. I kick issues off singing “Can’t Assist Falling in Love” and sip extra Champagne. We additionally serve espresso-martini towers, bluefin-tuna toro tartelettes, soy-garlic-and-gochujang wings, and extra hen nuggets,.
I slip out round 8 p.m. to satisfy my older sister, Sue, and my youngsters. I’ve a daughter, Dani, who’s 7, and my son, Eunu, is 6. They stay with their mom, however I’ve them a few days per week.
We’re at Wild Cherry to have a good time Sue’s birthday. It’s a super-sexy area, and I shock her with an icebox cake, which is a household favourite. It’s a chocolate wafer with whipped cream — a quite simple cake. It’s bought a bit of little bit of saltiness from the chocolate, and I like how the moisture from the whipped cream seeps into the crispy wafer. Actually, it’s extra my favourite; I like to purchase it for different folks’s birthdays so I get to eat it. Magnolia makes an excellent one.
Saturday, October 11
I get up to a full home with the children round 7 a.m. and spend a bit of time stress-free with my canine in mattress earlier than beginning our sluggish Saturday.
I begin with my basic lemon-water-and-green-tea ritual, adopted by my morning smoothie — watermelon, mango, ginger, turmeric, and coconut water. My daughter at all times needs a style, so I gave her a number of sips earlier than we take Teddy out for a stroll and seize bagels for her and my son.
On the best way, certainly one of our favourite traditions on Saturday mornings goes to the greenmarket in Tribeca. I give my youngsters $20 and allow them to work out what they wish to purchase. Some greens, baked items. It’s essential to me that they perceive the worth of a greenback.
Because the rain begins to roll in, we spend a quiet afternoon at house earlier than heading to Shabu Home in Fort Lee for dinner. It’s a gap within the wall and my youngsters’ favourite spot. All of us order the dinner buffet, which comes with limitless meat and ends with home made mango sorbet. We pile our plates with beef rib eye, brisket, pork stomach, and napa cabbage earlier than ending with further scoops of sorbet. The youngsters get to make their very own sauces, they usually like it.
Again house, my sister watches the children, and I head to Casa Cipriani with some pals. As a restaurateur, I actually respect what Casa Cipriani has accomplished. It’s a good looking area with nice meals and presents an actual escape in Manhattan. We share the tuna carpaccio with lemon French dressing and a few vitello tonnato, then finish with the soft-serve ice cream, which is so scrumptious I’ve to get it each time I am going.
Sunday, October 12
I get up round 7 a.m. and begin the day with my normal inexperienced tea and a smoothie with recent orange juice, mango, ginger, and pineapple. Sundays are for extra household time, so I take it sluggish.
For lunch, we resolve to cook dinner at house, which they at all times love. I make a easy pasta: spaghetti with bacon and a basic tomato sauce utilizing Buitoni recent egg pasta. It comes collectively shortly and seems so good that I find yourself consuming greater than I deliberate.
I’m nonetheless full by dinner, so I skip it, however the youngsters are craving sushi. We order from Takahachi, certainly one of our neighborhood favorites. They every have the Sushi Deluxe with eight items of nigiri and a roll. Takahashi isn’t any frills, however they’re genuine in what they do and all the things is ’90s costs — the udon noodles are, like, $18. I don’t perceive how they do it, nevertheless it’s prime quality.
My youngsters are very skilled eaters. They’re most likely the youngest folks ever to eat at Le Bernardin and Per Se, they usually like getting dressed up and going to essentially fancy locations. They’re not these snobby little brats, but when I overcook their pasta, they’re like, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not so good as final time.”
EAT LIKE THE EXPERTS.
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