Results tagged “uminom”

In his farewell from restaurant critic duties, the New York Times' Frank Bruni offers answers to reader question questions: For instance, in answering, "What's the best sushi place? Masa is the "absolute best" but acknowledging the $400/person price is steep, he offers Sushi Yasuda where you can have "a wonderfully intimate, pampering omakase experience...for under $100 a person... Still a major treat, but much, much more manageable." Steakhouses: For "a certain corny, musky ambience," go with Sparks for its strip; for a contemporary ambience, go with Porter House New York or BLT Prime; Keens has a great mutton chop; and while Peter Luger's has an "outstanding porterhouse, but the lights are always too bright and the service usually too gruff."

    

Umi Nom, the Brooklyn outpost of the Lower East Side's popular Kuma Inn (one of Tyra Banks' favorite spots, incidentally), opens tonight on DeKalb Avenue, along the border of Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant. The pile of bricks, broken concrete and odd bits of old electrical conduit have now become an open kitchen. Chef/owner King Phojanakong and co-chef Soulayphet “Phet” Schwader have gotten rid of the washing machines in the former laundromat, but managed to salvage many of old building's interior details, including its exposed brick and an old skylight that was uncovered during the renovations.

    

It’s beginning to look a lot like Umi Nom: moving along, right on schedule, is the Pratt-area Brooklyn outpost of the popular LES restaurant Kuma Inn, at 433 DeKalb Avenue. Chef/owner King Phojanakong gave us another tour of the space last week; the rubble has gone and the drywall is up. Phojanakong also recently received some special sake pouring equipment to install at what will become a wood paneled bar where twenty sakes by the glass will be available. The chef is in process of refining the new restaurant’s menu, which will follow Kuma Inn’s small-plate format, including the ever popular Chinese sausage and sticky rice dish.