Our latest Quick Bites brings us to the East Village for some small plates.
THE VIBE
Thursday Kitchen, which just opened in a sub-sidewalk space on East 9th that has seen too much turnover in recent years (King Bee and Exchange Alley were the previous two tenants), is trying for a tricky twofer.
During the week, the front room is open all day for coffee only—a cup of regular drip, hot or iced, is just a buck—and free Wi-Fi. The strategy here, I guess, is to lure in the laptopping locals, start a relationship, get everyone accustomed to dropping by. And then at night, Thursday Kitchen becomes an ambitious, self-described "New Korean" small-plates restaurant—average price per dish about eight or nine dollars—led by the clearly quite talented Chef Kay.
The staff at Thursday Kitchen is enthusiastic and helpfu, and the physical seating (mostly holdovers from the previous tenants), is spacious and comfortable. It feels a bit dim on a pleasant summer evening, as many of these downstairs East Village restaurants do, but I imagine it'll be quite cozy come fall and winter.
(Photo by Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
THE BITES
Chef Kay says that she uses traditional Korean dishes and techniques as a foundation for her cooking, adding inspiration from Japanese, Chinese, French, and New York styles. Over the course of two meals last week I tried six of her creations (you need about three dishes for a proper, filling dinner), and would not hesitate to come back for more.
One favorite was the Hwe Soba, served chilled—a tangle of firm buckwheat noodles sitting in a shallow pool of fiery "kimchi soup" and topped with about ten chunks of raw yellow fin tuna. Another was the Chicharron, with a pair of deep-fried, sliced-up slabs of pork belly that run from soft and fatty to crisp and pig-sweet. There's a cashew creme drizzled on top, but the genius of the dish is the white kimchi, adding even more creaminess and plenty of bite.
The Crispy Chicken was also very good, the bird a little dry but the sweet, spicy, sticky glaze making up for it, with black sesame "crumbles" bringing plenty to the party as well. The Eel tacos are a solid choice, mostly because the fish itself is terrific, and the innocuous-sounding Fried Rice was a surprise flavor bomb, the chewy grains mixed in with bits of egg, lots of buttered cauliflower, and more of that black sesame. The only dud was the Pollock Roe, which was really just a small serving of soggy sweet potato slices harboring very little evidence of anything fishy.
Drinks are served in plastic bags with straws sticking out of the top, but don't let that dissuade you from trying the Yuzu Tonic, which was both punchy and refreshing.
(Photo by Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
THE VERDICT
I know a couple of East Villagers who are already smitten with this spot, and the instant crush is understandable: Thursday Kitchen serves lively, well-executed dishes in a comfy room filled with friendly people. Add beer and wine to the mix if you're so inclined, and you have the makings for a first-rate neighborhood hangout.
Thursday Kitchen is located at 424 East 9th Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A, and is open nightly for dinner at 5:00, during the weekday for coffee, and on weekends at 11:30 for brunch. (646-755-8088; thursdaykiychennyc.com)
