Profile

Bland white-and-gray wallpaper notwithstanding, chef Daniel Yi’s (Sapa, Monkey Bar) first restaurant tries incredibly hard to be quirky. Amid unadorned wooden tables in the low-lit, open room, Yi dishes out bacon popcorn in lieu of bread and ends every meal with small bottles of a tangy Korean yogurt drink. These tasters are the perfect bookends to a sixteen-item menu that attempts to balance Asian-fusion dishes with reinvented American classics. Bready short-rib buns, a trendy dish perfected at Momofuku, fall flat in comparison to the indulgent pork-belly tacos, encased in crispy shells and brightened with kimchi salsa for an extra crunch. Meanwhile, the supremely textured, much-hyped “crack” and cheese (made with fried potato gnocchi instead of macaroni) turns out to be too rich to handle. Instead, opt for the meaty oxtail terrine, crusty and flavorful when paired with caramelized-onion purée. If the tapas-size portions leave you wanting more, the sharp yuzu sorbet is a refreshing way to end the night. For something sweeter, warm Rice Krispies treats complement a perplexing side of marshmallow ice cream, all the satisfying stickiness toned down with the smoothness of frozen custard. — Jessica Chou