Well there’s a new entry in the “Best Meals of Our Life Category.” Actually there are a couple of new entries in the past month if you include our indulgent dinner at Vetri in Philadelphia back in May. But for now we’re talking about our culinary adventure this past Friday night at Momofuku Ko. Thankfully the Ko reservation gods were smiling upon Jill the Saturday before as she began clicking away at 9:58am on Ko’s reservation website. The coaching from friend and guest writer Kristi must have paid off, as Jill was able to snag the last available reservation on the system, which just happened to be a 4-spot for 9:30pm. We were pretty excited for the rare opportunity to share a Ko experience with others, and our friends Winnie and MJ joined us for the occasion. The anticipation grew as we made our way into Ko’s minimalist, contemporary digs. Everything from the decor and chefs to the sommelier and the music ideally fit with David Chang’s eclectic, edgy and laid back vibe. We all opted for the $95 per person beverage pairings (half a glass per course) which was definitely the way to go. We had no idea at the time that Ko’s sommelier is Christina Turley, whose father is the eponymous “Zin Master” Larry Turley of Turley Wine Cellars in California (her aunt is legendary Zinfandel consultant Helen Turley). At 24, Christina is already demonstrating a knack for creatively pairing fun and different wines and sakes to match Ko’s unconventional and ever-changing menu. She was also nice enough to write down the names of the 10 beverages that she poured for us. So, without further ado, here is our menu and beverage pairings from Friday night…

AMUSE BOUCHE AND ASSORTED APPETIZERS:
Biscuit with black pepper butter with a hint of crunchy sugar topping  / Fried fresh pork skin w/ spicy salt (Chicharrones) / Crayfish in a bright pea sprout soup

WINE PAIRING: Christian Etienne, NV Brut Champagne

FIRST COURSE: Fresh Long Island fluke sashimi style in sweetened buttermilk yuzu sauce with poppy and chives

WINE PAIRING: Trait d’Union 2007, Chenin Blanc, Montlouis sur Loire

SECOND COURSE:  Fresh Santa Barbara uni in chilled dashi vegetable broth with assortment of greens and English peas

SAKE PAIRING: Masumi “Okuden” Junmai Sake

THIRD COURSE: Lightly smoked soft yoked egg with caviar, fried fingerling potato chips, and white onions with sweet potato vinegar — this was one of my favorites — egg was split to let some yolk pour out, there was a generous amount of caviar on top, onion coated the bottom of the dish, and housemade potato chips on the side for a nice crunch. Check out a pic here

WINE PAIRING: Bonard 2005, “Les Chassagnes” Savagnin, Cotes du Jura

FOURTH COURSE:  Diver scallops served w/ asparagus, porcinis, broccoli rabe, yuba, and toasted rice
 – this was Jill’s favorite course — scallops were perfectly tender w/ a crisp and delicious savory sear

WINE PAIRING: Scholium Project 2007, “Prince in his Caves” Sauvignon Blanc — this was the most unique and intuitive pairing of the evening. Christina explained that this is an unfiltered sauvignon blanc which gave it an exotic fruit on the nose w/ a delicious citrusy, minerally flavor. Would have never guessed it was a sauvignon blanc.

FIFTH COURSE:  Soft shell crab over celery noodles and hearts of palm in an old bay butter sauce

SAKE PAIRING: Masumi “Arabashiri” Nama Junmai Ginjo Sake

SIXTH COURSE:  Shaved frozen Husdon Valley Foie Gras over lychee, peanut brittle, and Riesling gelée — this is an “are you kidding me” course and should be on the list of 100 things to try before you die — check out a pic here

WINE PAIRING: Schloss Muhlenhof 1999, Beerenauslese Siegerrebe & Ortega, Rheinheggen (sweet dessert wine)

SEVENTH COURSE:  Deep fried short rib with onion medley (sous vided for 2 days and then frozen before deep frying)

WINE PAIRING: Turley 2007 “Juvenile” Zinfandel, California — I wonder what Christina was thinking when she came by to pour the namesake wine and Jill and I were saying how much we love Turley Zins — Zinfandel lots from the youngest vines (around 25 years) are put into the Juvenile blend.

EIGHTH COURSE:  Cantaloupe sorbet served over savory and salty green, crystallized “stuff”

WINE PAIRING: Reymos, NV, Moscatel, Valencia (sweet dessert wine)

NINTH COURSE:  Black sesame seed ice cream, coconut cream sauce and lemon custard served with a slice of funnel cake

WINE PAIRING: Alvear “Asuncion” Oloroso (sherry)

Trackback URI | Comments RSS