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"The recognition and understanding of the need was the primary condition of the creative act. When people feel they had to express themselves for originality for its own sake, that tends not to be creativity. Only when you get into the problem and the problem becomes clear, can creativity take over." Charles Eames (1907 - 1978)

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Usually out of towners when they think of New York dining, they think of very lavish, expensive food with interior décor designed by well known star-chitects with even more well known celebrity chef’s endorsing the restaurant name. While those restaurants (Olive, Spice Market, or all the Jean Georges for that matter) are fantastic restaurants- they should be, because outrageous sums of money are dedicated to their marketing, and management team, where the taste, quality of food is just one of the important factor in the well oiled machine that is the culinary food experience. However, I want to highlight some of my favorite restaurants that are all a bit under the radar, and should be on your list of restaurants to hit if you are visiting from out of town.

Incidentally, in case you’re wondering, I have been living in New York for 6 years, and have tried lots of local cuisine from Asia to Africa, so I do have a palette that enjoys and recognizes ethnic foods. I should also mention that I eat out pretty regularly, about 4-5 times a week, but I am not in the restaurant biz, nor endorsing any particular restaurant. Just my faves, since great food/ experiences are meant to be shared!

Below is the list of restaurants that I will actually leave my neighborhood on the UWS to dine at- and repeatedly dine at:

1. Casa Mono- Tapas-

Incredibly small space- but they do have a sister wine bar next door called Bar Jamon that allows you to sip on excellent Riojas while you wait. This is also a really smart business tactic, so they never really lose customers to long waits. The food is really based on Catalan style tapas, and not the northern Pinxchos variety, and it is more “done up” than you’re typical run of the mill tapas bar that serve tortillas (Spanish omelets loaded in butter and potatoes) and croquettes. They serve a mean razor clam dish, and braised short rib. Although I’m not a fan of sweet bread (that would be brain…) it’s pretty darn good from what I’ve heard. Décor is simple, dark woods, and ambiance is dark and cozy.

2. Sakagura- Japanese/ Sake Bar

A completely random location in the basement in midtown east, but if you’re looking for the best braised pork belly, authentic yet exquisite Japanese street food and sake served the way it should be (not in a box, but iced in a traditional hollowed out glass server) this is where you should try. It is in the basement of an office building, but if you go around late April, early May, it is filled with actual cherry blossoms attached to each column. Sensational! There is no sushi there- only prepared cooked food, and no, you won’t find any chicken teriyaki there either. The miso eggplant and green tea truffles are to die for.

3. Bon Chon Chicken- Fried Chicken/ Korean-

More of a late night spot, this K-town bar/ restaurant is located on Fifth right off 32nd, and has a seedy looking entrance with a random red velvet rope to go upstairs. Twice I have gone and it has smelled like baby powder, but if you can get past that disconcerting smell- once you taste the fried chicken, you will never have fried chicken anywhere else. Deep fried in olive oil, there are two flavors- garlic and garlic. Go with either one =) And get the spicy ones. They also have popcorn made with cayenne pepper and raisins- bizarre combination, but really tasty. Beer is served by the pitcher. Other Korean food available too- but if you’re just looking for K-food- there’s more options right around the corner. Here’s fried chicken at its best. Incidentally, lots of non-Koreans frequent this spot as well.

4. Bobo- Pan- American cuisine-

Bobo stands for bohemian bourgeoisie- it is hidden downstairs on the corner of 10th street and 7th Ave, and once you enter, you’ll feel that you’re in someone’s townhouse that you secretly wished you lived in. I really go there because the ambiance is so spectacular which almost discredits the excellent menu there, but the décor is to die for. Bookshelves lined with vintage books- crusty chandeliers, and a staircase clad in plaid and wool. Very chic yet intimate. In the summer, the outdoor garden opens up and is a real treat to out outside (sans tents). Get the Wagyu sirloin or the seared sea scallops. Good date spot.

5. Morimoto- Big Box Japanese

It’s easy to dislike this meat-packing, cavernous, overly loud Japanese restaurant filled with wait staff trained on ex-banker expense accounts. Owned by Iron Chef Morimoto- filled with beautiful people (on weekdays), it happens to be a cut above the other “Nobu knock-off’s” around the corner- Matsuri, Buddah bar, Buddahkan, Tao, or Asia de Cuba- really because Tadao Ando designed the interior. Walking through the half semi circle door with massive flapping curtains makes you feel like you’re entering into a time warp, but sensibly done. The large bi-level open space is utilized well by frosted/ dotted glass partitions set on an angle to maximize user space, yet create semi-intimate dining areas. The food is, well, spectacular. Miso glazed cod, rock shrimp tempura are the staples.

6. Fornino- Pizza

Trekking to Brooklyn for good pizza hardly seems worth it, though it seems that enough people do it for that other pizza place (Grimaldi’s)- which is highly overrated owing to good PR and press. Fornino’s is located on Bedford Ave off 7th and they make the most killer truffle oil/ mushroom pizza. For a closer slice (in Manhattan)- John’s Pizzeria is pretty good and worth the hype, though on the wet side. Another nod to good pizza is- Posto pizza in Murray Hill- though they recently kicked out Jimmy Fallon because he bad mouthed another establishment on Twitter with the same management- which is just really just bad for business. Every New Yorker loves Jimmy Fallon.

7. Peter Lugar’s Steakhouse- Steakhouse-

Anywhere where they mock you for asking for an espresso or cappuccino is legit in my book. This place actually lives up to the hype, and isn’t laden in butter like Ruth Chris or a hit/miss like Prime 112. There are certainly lots of great places for a slab of juicy meat in the city, but I’m listing this place as a steak house because you come here only for steak, and really nothing else though there is fish on the menu. In addition to their steak for share, they have the best key lime pie, and tomato salad (best when loaded with the Lugar steak sauce on top!) It used to be only construction workers, and men in blue shirts that go, but nowadays if you can get a table, its worth making the trip to BK. They only take cash, and yes, their own credit card- the Peter Lugar credit card.

8. Malatesta- Italian Trattoria

Located on the corner of Christopher and Washington, this small intimate Italian restaurant is completely no frills- and only takes cash. The cool wait staff all speak Italian, and they don’t take reservations- partially because they know they’ll fill their tables at any given night- and partially because they just really don’t care about making anyone a priority no matter who you are. (They once made Christy Turlington wait behind me- what?) Pasta is simple, home made, and the way it should be. Get the Spinach Gorgonzola Gnocchi or the rack of baby lamb.

9. Ippudo- Japanese Ramen, cooked food

In the heels of Momofuku Noodle Shop, and Sobaya, comes this new ramen hot spot, Ippudo in the East Village. As much as I love David Chang’s usage of Berkshire pork in everything- his soup bases are almost too salty, and “Anglo-saxon-afied” whereas Ippudo’s house ramen gets it just right. In addition, the pork buns are also a cut above their competitors. Get the Shisito peppers, pork buns, and try the sake unfiltered if you’ve never had it that way before. Plan in waiting about 90 minutes for a table, even on a Monday night. There’s a bar across the street to get your drink on first, but it’s worth the wait.

10. Peasant (downstairs)- Rustic Italian

If you’ve ever dined at Peasant upstairs, you’ll realize just how much Italian you really don’t know. Obscure phrases such as “Polpi in Purgatorio” (is that octopus in purgatory?) make you wonder what you’ve been eating all along in those other Italians places. Food is exquisite, but lets face it, it’s easy to find stellar food at $25 per entrée, but how about the same quality food at half price just downstairs? Peasant downstairs is literally right below the one upstairs. You walk through these large wooden doors that are unmarked which feels like you’re entering into a bomb shelter- but once you’re inside, it’s the completely unexpected warm exposed brick and beam construction, thick heavy curtains lining the walls, and flickering candle light on each long slab wooden table that makes you feel that you’ve just entered a dimly lit Michelangelo Antonioni movie in the 1970’s. Romantic, inviting, and the noise level at a good boisterous, but still low enough hear your friends talking. The food is generally meant for sharing- simple salads, rustic pizzas, and a fierce charcuterie plate make this a low key, yet supremely rich dining experience.

And onto my list of overrated restaurants that notoriously make it to the greatest hits list- for reasons… well, I wish I knew!

Top five restaurants to avoid while visiting New York:

1. Grimaldis’s pizza

These guys are really a hit or a miss- my favorite pizza is a simple basil, tomato and mozarella pizza, which on two occasions came completely soaking wet. The dough was good, but really too soft and felt like it was undercooked. I think they get such good ratings because thye are in such a great “date” location- walk over the Brooklyn bridge- have pizza at Grimaldis, and swing by the Brooklyn ice cream factory. I have to say, that is one good “traiathalon” though with the pizza taken out of that context, is not really worth the trek to BK.

2. Pastis- French

Owned by the same management team as Balthazars (Where Jerry Seinfeld proposed to Jessica), and Schillers- this place has shoddy service, perpetually packed by men wearing too much cologne, and women wearing too much clumpy mascara- this place is the antithesis of a good dining experience. Though on weekdays and weekend brunches, is a good spot for people watching- though better down the street at Merkato 55- The cuisine if French- and the best thing on the menu aside from steak frites is the Moules frites. Though there is enough garlic in there to ward off the entire cast of Twilight…

3. Bond Street- Japanese

How is it that this restaurant notoriously gets rated when there are so many other fantastic sushi restaurants that aren’t spread across three floors, and offering such obscure, bad examples of fusion sushi such as the “sun dried tomato roll.” The food follows the general model of most Japanese restaurants here in the New York- which is the Nobu model- throw in a miso glazed cod, a rock shrimp tempura, and the hamachi thins sliced with jalapeno’s- there is nothing on the menu that really stands out as being different than the rest of the other mega big box style Japanese restaurants. If you get stuck on the 3rd floor in the back- make sure that the wait staff remembers you’re hungry, or you’ll likely be forgotten.

4. Asia de Cuba- Pan-Asian

Yes, I know they have outposts in Vegas and Miami- but that doesn’t mean it should come to New York. Awkwardly laid out which lends itself to possibly the worst acoustics- it is impossible to hear the person next to you, even if he/she were sitting on top of you. I also dislike restaurants that try to train their (non- Asian) wait staff to act Asian by bowing, and superfluously assuming chopsticks are meant for only Asians. It is exactly this artificial manufactured ambiance that makes it inappropriate for NYC where the average diner has some discerning sensibility of what constitutes to honesty and authenticity. If you want a similar vibe, with stellar management, food, and service, walk west a few blocks to Nobu 57.

5. Spotted pig- British Gastro-pub

So Jay-Z runs this joint- and it’s pretty obvious. The wait staff refuses to take orders of food separately and is notoriously snobby when they have celebrity guests that show up for dinner (pretty regularly, but do they really have to make it obvious that they’re a priority over you?) I really love Spotted Pig for its décor, ambiance, and it is in a great neighborhood- the West Village, however, their claim to fame- the burger with shoestring fries has more blue cheese on it than burger, and the haddock soup has so much palatable butter in it that you wish you weren’t in a food coma afterwards so you could hit the treadmill.


The above are really just my own personal opinions, and do not reflect the aggregation of all my friends picks- though I did put a few feelers out there, and I do think this list constitutes to a relatively accurate if not un-biased view of dining in New York- since lets face it- it’s cold and rainy 7 months out of the year, and we’re not blessed with the beach and warmth, but we are blessed with the best dining spots concentrated on a little island that the world can offer! If you have your opinions that you’d like to share, and other great fantastic restaurants that I need to check out (or not)- please send me an e-mail to Kathy.kuo@me.com I’d love to share in your experiences!

If you found the above list insightful and/ or funny and would actually like to know more about me- I am a furniture and home decor boutique owner here in NYC- to learn more about my designs, and what I love when it comes to home decor and lifestyle- please visit: Kathy Kuo Designs

Details of Spring promotion can be seen at www.kathykuodesigns.com

Adorable, friendly fishes are hand made and glazed in a turquoise, olive green and brown blossoming glaze. Each fish is designed so they can face either direction and tiered in height so the three fishes can stand together. Mounted on a matte black wooden base, each base is weighted just right so they do not topple over. Please check dimensions carefully as fishes are larger than they appear in the photograph. Bonus points if you can identify correctly each fish! Email me for answers...

Have a GREAT Spring Day!

This is one of my new favorite pieces! Measuring at 70" x 70" x 2", this impressive scaled wall carving features the twelve zodiac signs around a central blooming lotus motif. The carving is split up into 6 equal width panels, so the wall decor can expand and contract depending on the space it needs to fill.

Here's what's awe inspiring- it's completely hand carved- by artisans in the northern regions of Thailand- and yes, I've seen it- to believe it. As we are surrounded with new building technologies, and ways to create products more efficiently while reducing cost- it's pieces like this that make me stop cold in my tracks and forget to breathe for a moment.

This is an incredible statement piece considering the amount of craftsmanship, and labor of love. Not to mention pieces like this almost never surface to the market place before getting snatched up by collectors or large retailers. I have only one more left after placing one in an apartment on the Upper West Side. It looks like a million above the owners bed as a headboard.

This Thai Wall Carving will be on display at the Setai in NYC! It was recently purchased for the GHM hotel, the Setai New York Setai New York luxury condo's and hotel for their lobby. I will post photos once the Setai New York opens in midtown!

This beautiful carving is available for purchase here.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions regarding this carving, or any other products!

-KKD

If you’re anything like me, you hate reading instructions on assembly, too much text in blogs offsetting the text to pretty picture ratio and the worse blog offenders- biased paid editorial. Yes, you graphics and web sophistiqué- I’m that person that opts for short lists, cliff notes, and the readers digest version to everything. 

If you can’t surmise enough visual fortitude to get through this list, just read the “greatest hits” in bold below.  I won’t take it personally, you lazy bum!

The Greatest Hits! Highlights from the Architectural Digest Home Show

Frankly, my reasons for going were two folds: one- being a real excitement to see what the newest trends were in luxury residential interior design, and… a haunting curiosity to see which vendors were still actively in business shelling out top dollar for show space in lieu of the housing crisis that hit the retail market a solid year before most people even caught whiff of it. 

Overall show attendance was down from last year, with much more spartan looking booths this year, and sadly enough, not a lot of NEW.  In fact, such uninspiring sameness from furniture makers who are all just now realizing it isn’t rocket science to take a trip to Thailand with a 40 foot container and import everything in sight.  These furniture peeps, whom will remain nameless here, will have to wait till the next show while I fiercely laud the awesomeness of the below designers that are consistently a cut above the rest.

#1. Tucker Robbins- Contemporary Rustic Lifestyle with Asian Fusion Flair

On the subject of slab furniture, one of the first designer to perfect this look was Tucker Robbins whos 16000 sq foot studio/ warehouse in Long Island City used to host many interesting soirees for friends and fans.  His artful manipulation of teak, acacia, or harvested local woods boast varied silhouettes, a real material integrity and an understanding of how to juxtapose raw unfinished wood with complex dynamic sculpting.

Bubble Dining Table
Solid Satinwood (Top)
Acacia (Base)
Natural Oil Finish
29.75”H x 32”~34”Dia 

$10,200

Zig Zag Dining Table
Kumbuk Top with Acacia Base
Walnut Crystal Finish (top)
Natural Oil Finish (base)
29.75”H x 40”Dia
$7500

#2.  City Joinery- Modern designs built in traditional furniture-making techniques

Each piece is made one at a time- and it shows. Their booth exceeded all my expectation of hand made custom furniture by adhering to some basic furniture principals: restrained combination of materials and discerning usage of solid woods. The principal and main designer Jonah Zuckerman crafts mainly contemporary, pared down forms with taut lines, unexpected and sometimes contrasting surfaces, and often combine other materials such as metal, glass, upholstery, and acrylic as a subtle embellishment to wood surfaces.

Clad Media Cabinet

Shown in Rare Ambrosia Maple and brushed aluminum
32”h x 88” Wide x 20” Deep
Starting at $8500

My favorite piece was the “Clad Media Cabinet/ Buffet” which is essentially a box trimmed in rare ambrosia maple trimmed with brushed aluminum details.  The floral warmth of the wood layered with the brushed aluminum trim made this piece uniquely “soft” and touchable.

#3. BDDW- Brooklyn Based Hand Made American Furniture

Possibly the most justifiably overrated furniture maker in Brooklyn creating custom American made furniture/ home decor.   Tyler Hays is the founder and designer of his woody contemporary styles- mixing urban loft sophistication with a chunky rustic flair.  Seemingly he still manages to stay on the cutting edge, and act as a leader in the over saturated “slab furniture” scene.   Extra points for photographing your furniture with your dog!

Slab Dining Table
Shown in Single Slab Claro walnut with Hand Rubbed Dark Oil Finish, Cast Bronze Wishbone Base

14.5'L x 37"W x 29"H

Lake Dresser

Shown in White Lacquer Exterior / Claro Front
61L x 22D x 44H

Hand carved ebony handles. American black walnut interior
Blackened steel base with adjustable bronze feet

#4.  Boca de Lobo- Modern limited edition furniture combining art and design

This furniture/ décor company based out of Portugal is clearly targeting the New York market with product names such as “Moma,” “Hudson,” and “Tribeca.”

Judging from their 100 coats of piano finish lacquer, mishmash of different stylistic periods into one piece and seeing furniture as conversational art- I can’t detect any New York-ism or even “American Made” classicism in them…. yet, my pulse quickened, my eyes widened, and an uncontrollable goofy grin appeared, precisely because of their complete lack of restraint in combining materials, colors, and scale.  Carved elements were over the top ornate and gilded, scale was teetering on top heavyon most pieces, yet luxuriously so, and EVERY finish was so glossy it looked wet- all the makings of pure visual candy, yet refreshingly cliché free!

Boca de Lobo takes furniture as art to a collectible status, packing enough visual mojo into each piece that you wonder exactly how you’re going to furnish the rest of your interior AROUND their piece.  Bravo. 

Were you at the show?  Share with me your thoughts!  Check out my Facebook Fan Page and share with me your thoughts on furniture, design, interiors, and fashion!

I love putting a smile on your face, my reasons for designing are simple- to intuit your needs, and to take your vision of what it is that you want and desire, and infuse it with more character, richness and complexity.  It brings me immense joy when I can place the objects in your home that define a certain lifestyle, moment, or nostalgic memory of a place, a feeling, or an ambiance that you want to capture, which is not to say that I don’t have my own personal style- its just that my personal style simply isn’t as important as helping you find what makes your style sing to you.

Though I do want to say something about nostalgia, having been schooled in the virtues of contemporary architecture and modern style, I relate to architecture and interiors that reflect an acknowledgment of site specific cultural and social context, appropriate application of building technologies and am fairly skeptical and cautious of “contrived” architecture that places irrelevant importance on stylistic themes such as "Art Deco,” or “French Country.”  In New York City, where there seems to be a never ending crop of new star-chitects vying for projects, Richard Meier’s Perry Street Building is one of the first new crop of luxury glass condos being sold as works of art.  Completed in 2002, it spawned a legion of see-through towers- fast forward to 2009, architects are now realizing that the general public is far more sensitive to new materials and building technologies, utilizing old and new school materials, such as black brick, stainless steel, and terra cotta all together on the surfaces of buildings.  They’re also utilizing novel shapes that make the structures models of modern engineering.

One of my favorite buildings designed by SHoP architects called the Porter House  on 9th Avenue in lower NYC is a transformed run-down warehouse space that has been redesigned into an apartment house that is a black and white addition literally cleaving straight down into the original structure, seemingly like it landed on the building below or gave birth to another building below.  The visual effect is at first jarring, then humorous, but ultimately indicates a restrained humbleness on the architects part to resist the urge to tear down the old in favor of new; because the two really relate to each other only in adjacent proximity while still maintaining unique identity.  The symbiotic relationship is a visual but also functional relationship representing to me what modern architecture is about- the co-existence of old meeting new, neither one taking the center stage, yet as a whole becoming that much more provacative than the individual.  It really takes into account a contextual understanding of the industrial character of the neighborhood, which is what I love about New York City.

In lieu of that, I am a huge proponent of creating multi-faceted culturally complex interiors where placement of a certain

“time or place” is not of essence, as much as a “timeless” classisim is.   I admire the Berber influence over Islamic architecture while maintaining the beauty of the written word on their building facades, I like it even more when there is a noticeable French influence in their inner courtyards, and can appreciate the tiered heights in their caravansaries to accommodate for camels to enter in and out- all of this is what makes interiors relatable and that much more interesting to understand. 

In the next few blogs, I will attempt to visually demonstrate with product, images, and words my favorite interior lifestyles- of which I will point out ways to easily own those “looks” in your own home by simply starting with a key statement piece and working outwards to build a rich, layered looking interior environment.  Please share with me yours!

I want to express MUCH deserved gratitude to my programmer who has been working day and night revamping KKD and getting it to where it is now!!   As you can see, this is my very first, "test" blog entry, and I'm very much looking forward to sharing my thoughts with all of you regarding design, culture, and anything that I deem "worthy" of your limited cyberspace attention.  Please check back often and feel free to share with me any or all of your thoughts regarding... oh, I don't know, design, architecture, your favorite color, perhaps the economic landslide that we're in.... anything!  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Oh, in case you were wondering... anyone can contribute to this blog. Simply sign in as your user, and you can have full access to the blogging function as your voice is infinitely more important than mine!  I just design the product- I want to hear how you're using it!

Thanks for reading,

Kathy Kuo