Bar Chimera: My Favorite New Steak Frites!
Plus: Thoughts on Cote 2.0, Donohue's closure, Tejal Rao's wagyu column, and the launch of Ravenous
Steak April Comes to an End, Probably!
This afternoon’s column concludes our unofficial “Steak April” coverage!
If you’re new to the dance floor — and indeed a few of you are — here’s what you might’ve missed these past few weeks:
And today, I write about an early visit to Bar Chimera, the posh new restaurant by Simon Kim’s Gracious Hospitality — better known as the team behind Cote.
You know what there’s a lot of at Bar Chimera? Martinis.
Really. I’ve never seen so many bartenders pouring so many martinis into so many chilled stems. It’s like being at some sort of futuristic cocktail factory where all the patrons have livers made out of titanium.
Anyway! I left Chimera feeling energized about the steak frites, one of the best I’ve tried recently.
So enjoy today’s read, and remember to support independent food media! Our friends at Ravenous — an ambitious startup run by five ex-Eater folks — are continuing their pre-launch campaign. Check out these interviews with co-founders Jaya Saxena, Ashok Selvam, Frances Dumlao, and Amy McCarthy. Courtney E. Smith is also a co-founder!
Do we need another Cote? Maybe we do!
We don’t usually need fine dining sequels, at least not in the same town.
Like, must there be three Avras in Manhattan?
But things are a little different with fancy steak clubstaurants. Given how hard it is to snag a table at Simon Kim’s Cote before, like, 11:45 p.m. on a Thursday, one could make a good case that we actually could actually use a second location of the Korean American hotspot.
Well, now we have one!
The new Cote is at 550 Madison, that famed postmodern Philip Johnson building with an ACME-style cannonball hole running through the length of the roof. Gracious Hospitality now occupies 15,000 square feet of space at the storied address.
For reference: The stadium-sized Buddakan has 16,000 square feet.
Just the other week, Resy and American Express threw a splashy grand opening fete, the type of event that could’ve doubled as an Oscars after-party. There were, according to Instagram, DJs, giant tins of caviar, a brass band, cellos, Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, and Nas. (remember that Busta Rhymes and Mayor Eric Adams showed up to the Coqodaq opening).
Behind the paywall: An early visit to Bar Chimera
What you’ll pay for a meal at the new Cote (and how to get in)
Why the $55 steak frites at Bar Chimera is so darn good
Another steak tasting menu goes up in price…
Thoughts on wagyu and the closure of Donohue’s