Buddakan NY
The first formal event for my weekend at Gourmet Institute was the opening cocktail party at the relatively new Buddakan New York. Originally scheduled to open in Fall of 2005 Buddakan finally opened its doors in Spring 2006. The original Buddakan has been open in Philadelphia for several years so although the New York location is new the concept has been well tested.
The first thing you notice as you walk in is the immensity of the place. After many years of smaller restaurants squeezing into whatever space they can carve out, this seems to be the trend in the new places opening in the Chelsea/Meatpacking District, as evidenced not only by Buddakan but Mario Batali’s Del Posto and Morimoto’s Morimoto New York, all located within a couple blocks of each other.
There is a check-in desk just inside the doors, then you climb a few steps to the upper bar on the left. Also on this floor are several smaller rooms with small tables and banquette seating and an area with booths that can easily seat 8 or 10. From the upstairs you can look down into the lower level. The main room in the lower level is anchored by long tables running down the center of the room. The night I was there they were all pushed together and I’d guess could seat forty or more. These tables are flanked by cozy booths. Each room has its own personality and color scheme.
There is another room that runs parallel to the main room with smaller tables and at one end, the room opens to a casual bar and from that bar you can enter the “library”. This room is both bizarre and fascinating! At first glance the room is lined with shelves of books. Upon closer inspection you realize the “books” are projected images on the glass walls!
The night we were there they were passing trays of appetizers, the Veuve Clicquot was flowing and Grey Goose was pouring whatever your heart desired, as well as the trays of Cosmopolitans that were being passed. These two companies were both Gourmet Institute sponsors.
While the cocktails may or may not have been representative the food was all from the regular menu. We sampled Taro Puff Lollipops, Edamame Dumplings, Shrimp Dumplings, Chili Rock Shrimp, Boneless Spareribs and more. The food was perfectly prepared and seasoned. Each bite held some sort of little surprise - an ingredient with a twist.
Although my experience on this night was not “normal” I saw enough to want to come back for more! This place is amazingly popular - they seat around 300 per seating and you have to call way in advance to get a reservation. In fact, after our party they had a full house of “regular customers” scheduled to arrive around 11:00 pm.
Buddakan NY
75 Ninth Ave (in the Chelsea Market)
New York
212.989.6699
