CITY Issue 56

///// ACTION TABLE FOR TWO? Erin Bremer tries to snag a reservation at David Chang’s newest Momofuku outpost. Tries. Though Momofuku Ko eludes me, there are several about-to-open restaurants whose menus (and reservation policies) I’m looking forward to: Katsuya Chef Katsuya Uechi and Philippe Starck usher in their Southern California collaboration this spring in Glendale, where Katsuya Glendale is expected to boast the duo’s beautiful blend of food and aesthetic. Larger than its Brentwood and Hollywood predecessors, the restaurant will feature two ﬂoors overlooking the promenade and dancing fountain at The Americana at Brand shopping and residence center. It will also be the ﬁrst restaurant in the Los Angeles area with heated ﬂoors and cool misters to allow for outdoor dining year-round. The Americana at Brand, Glendale, Calif. Go to www.katsuya.com L.2O Sometimes the best career move for a top chef is the biggest move of all: relocating to a new city. Chef Laurent Gras of Alain Ducasse and Peacock Alley fame is taking his cuisine from New York to Chicago, where he’s opening L.2O, a high-end seafood restaurant. Gras is overseeing everything from menu development to actual construction, documenting it all on a running blog, l2o. typepad.com. The menu is still under wraps, but expect all the accoutrements to be made in-house, including the bread, butter, crème fraîche, and yogurt, while the exotic frutti del mare (Spanish octopus, anyone?) will be flown in from around the world. Momofuku Ko For most people in New York, myself now humbly included, the photo above is as close as we’ll ever get to seeing the inside of Momofuku Ko, the latest venture from ramen king David Chang. Though the restaurant boasts a “democratic” online reservation system for its 12 bar seats, snagging one is impossible nonetheless. Like other pork-hungry New Yorkers across the city, I begin at 9:55 a.m. each day, comparing my time, down to the second, against the website’s clock, ready to pounce when they simultaneously strike 10. On my very ﬁrst attempt, I made it to the rarely seen reservation times page. Unfortunately, I hesitated and ended up with the message I have seen ever since: “There are currently no open seatings — check again for cancellations or tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. for new seats.” (Most reservations are in fact usually gone by about 10:02.) I never saw the reservation page again, and am beginning to wonder if I ever did. 163 First Ave., New York. Go to www.momofuku.com John Dory If Momofuku is still booked this summer, visit John Dory, a British-style seafood spot coming soon from April Bloomfield, Ken Friedman, and friends. The team from The Spotted Pig and, more recently, the Rusty Knot, introduce a new concept to the 10th Avenue building that also houses Del Posto and Craftsteak: white tablecloth dining on one side of the restaurant and a 60-foot-long liquor bar, raw bar, and open kitchen on the other. “Instead of doing the full-on fine dining thing, we’re casually stepping into it,” says Friedman. “Half oyster bar, half restaurant.” As for the décor, “Think fishmonger meets Victorian pub. The kind of place you want to hose down at the end of the night.” 85 Tenth Ave., New York 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, Chicago. Go to www.l2orestaurant.com //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Clear and Compact EYEWEAR: JOHN VARVATOS Leave it to John Varvatos, the purveyor of all things cool, to turn even a pair of reading glasses into a must have for men. These specs fold up to about the size of a Zippo, so are pocket-ready for the smart and sultry. They’re also small enough to keep on hand for moments when you actually need to read something. —JR $275. Go to www.johnvarvatos.com 24 CITY TY http://www.katsuya.com http://l2o.typepad.com http://l2o.typepad.com http://www.l2orestaurant.com http://www.momofuku.com http://www.johnvarvatos.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CITY Issue 56

City Issue 56 Contents Letter from City: Re: Design Our Friends: The Faces Behind the Stories Action: What's New, What's Hot, What's Now Wanted: Olympic Bound? Button Up City Moment: The Writing’s on the Wall How We Live: Concrete Jungle Fast Food: Bites of Spring The Amused Bouche: Blueprint Special In Rouge: Hero Worship Fashion: Welcome to the Boys’ Club Travel: My Pod Architecture: Out of the Blue Design: Home Remedies Tokyo Rising Zen and the Art of Catholicism Think Big Face Value Runaways Intimate Relations Where to Buy It: Store Locations Icon: The Infinity Pool

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.