I recently went for dinner to Kingside with Kenta Hirai, the CEO of Tabélog US, a restaurant review site I have been using to find places to go to whenever needed. The restaurant was in its 8th day of existence, so I was excited to see how it would be, especially considering the fact that the team is the same who made Landmarc a success. I even got the privilege to meet with Executive Chef Marc Murphy who, in impeccable French (he is half French, half American), talked about the menu.
This is an incredible place that, even from outside, looks stunning. Located inside the Viceroy hotel, you can even see the swimming pool if you go downstairs.
When you enter, you have, on the right side, the bar:
Then, you arrive in the large dining room that is dominated by the kitchen in the back:
And a large plaque with the name of the restaurant for those who forgot where they were...
It is definitely a modern and elegant design with a sense of space accentuated by the very high ceilings.
To start our dinner, Kenta and I ordered a Kingside beer, brewed in Elmsford, NY.
We then discovered the New American menu crafted by Chef Murphy, with its French and Italian influence.
It had small and large plates, making us think that it would be perfect to share some dishes instead of eating our own, allowing us to discover more specialties.
We started of with the appetizers. First came the Foie gras:
It had herb breadcrumbs on top that replaced the traditional toast and came with some figs and a fig caramel. Marrying foie gras and fig is pretty common, so I was not surprised by the combination, the figs adding a bit of texture. But replacing the bread with the breadcrumbs was genius as it gave that nice crunch to a perfect foie gras.
Then, we shared the roasted snails:
That was a nice take on escargots de Bourgogne.
For sure, the best was not the snails, but the butter sauce: I could not resist dipping the bread in it! Interestingly, there was bone marrow in it, but I guess that sauce overpowered it...
The last appetizer was the grilled octopus:
It was served with a potato salad and some chorizo. The octopus was definitely the star of the dish: tender, it had a wonderful char.
For entrees, we started of with the butternut squash nudi:
I expected them smaller to be honest. They were served with hazelnut (nice crunch and nuttiness), shaved parmesan cheese and in a very smooth mascarpone sauce. I loved the combination sweet and savory, the sweetness coming from the squash.
We also ordered the pork belly:
It was served with roasted shallots (nice sweetness) and some escarole. The meat was tender, juicy, the fat having a little crunch because slightly charred.
With it, we got some Mac & Cheese made with fregula pasta, that are pasta from Sardinia with a shape similar to Israeli couscous.
It was delicious, although I would have liked it a bit creamier as I mentioned to Chef Murphy. It was the perfect side with the pork and was very comforting.
Then of course was dessert...We ordered the warm chocolate cake:
It was served with a toasted coconut ice cream. I admit that, after we cracked the top if the cake, I forgot the ice cream to focus on the deliciousness that was under the surface.
It was like eating melted chocolate! Fortunately for us it was not too sweet, so we could concentrate on the second dessert we ordered: the caramel pudding.
We then discovered the New American menu crafted by Chef Murphy, with its French and Italian influence.
It had small and large plates, making us think that it would be perfect to share some dishes instead of eating our own, allowing us to discover more specialties.
We started of with the appetizers. First came the Foie gras:
It had herb breadcrumbs on top that replaced the traditional toast and came with some figs and a fig caramel. Marrying foie gras and fig is pretty common, so I was not surprised by the combination, the figs adding a bit of texture. But replacing the bread with the breadcrumbs was genius as it gave that nice crunch to a perfect foie gras.
Then, we shared the roasted snails:
That was a nice take on escargots de Bourgogne.
For sure, the best was not the snails, but the butter sauce: I could not resist dipping the bread in it! Interestingly, there was bone marrow in it, but I guess that sauce overpowered it...
The last appetizer was the grilled octopus:
It was served with a potato salad and some chorizo. The octopus was definitely the star of the dish: tender, it had a wonderful char.
For entrees, we started of with the butternut squash nudi:
I expected them smaller to be honest. They were served with hazelnut (nice crunch and nuttiness), shaved parmesan cheese and in a very smooth mascarpone sauce. I loved the combination sweet and savory, the sweetness coming from the squash.
We also ordered the pork belly:
It was served with roasted shallots (nice sweetness) and some escarole. The meat was tender, juicy, the fat having a little crunch because slightly charred.
With it, we got some Mac & Cheese made with fregula pasta, that are pasta from Sardinia with a shape similar to Israeli couscous.
It was delicious, although I would have liked it a bit creamier as I mentioned to Chef Murphy. It was the perfect side with the pork and was very comforting.
Then of course was dessert...We ordered the warm chocolate cake:
It was served with a toasted coconut ice cream. I admit that, after we cracked the top if the cake, I forgot the ice cream to focus on the deliciousness that was under the surface.
It was like eating melted chocolate! Fortunately for us it was not too sweet, so we could concentrate on the second dessert we ordered: the caramel pudding.
That was the best and I could not stop eating it. It was made of caramel cream and pretzel crumbles that made it a sweet and savory dessert to die for! If you go to Kingside, do not miss it!!!
And by the way, they added some Bourbon whipped cream on top...
These desserts were perfect with a decaf espresso.
Needless to say that the little walk I had after this dinner was more than necessary. This was fantastic and surprising, because often, restaurants that just opened have few things to fine tune, but not Kingside. With a start like this, I am sure they will have lots of success.
Enjoy (I did)!
And by the way, they added some Bourbon whipped cream on top...
These desserts were perfect with a decaf espresso.
Needless to say that the little walk I had after this dinner was more than necessary. This was fantastic and surprising, because often, restaurants that just opened have few things to fine tune, but not Kingside. With a start like this, I am sure they will have lots of success.
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
| | * Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Kingside | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| Midtown West / American New | |
| * Street Address | |
| Viceroy Hotel New York, 124 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019 | |
| * Phone | |
| (212) 707-8000 |
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