The new East Village brainchild of Sasha Petraske, the ideaman behind undercover cocktail haunts Milk and Honey and Little Branch, is one of the most exciting ideas in dining in New York right now. The kitchy, neon modern vibe isn’t exactly romantic or intimate, but the exceptionally diligent service shows they’re serious about the important stuff.
The menu is split into traditional (and fairly cheap) Thai cuisine where you’ll find the old standbys like pad thai and green curry alongside a bunch of other stuff you usually order from takeout. The other half of the menu is comprised of inventive takes on Thai flavors using nontraditional ingredients like the BBQ quail with a lemongrass marinade and the basil-rubbed Wagyu beef burger.
The steamed pork buns were average compared to the glut of offerings in the neighborhood, my biggest complaint being that they were understuffed and skimpy on the cilantro, which really packed a boatload of flavor.
The glazed black cod was cooked PERFECTLY with impeccably tender and sweet fish underneath a nice crusty char on the outside. I know a lot of haute cuisine restaurants are doing a black cod these days, but few are doing it as well as the folks at Kurve.
The tuna tartlets weren’t really delivered as expected, being more like a passed hors d’ouvre at a wedding reception than something you’d expect to see at a fine dining establishment, but I’ll give it a pass since the flavor and texture were there and the dish actually worked.
The piece de resistance at Kurve, though, is the beverage offering. The seriously smooth selections use a whole forest of fresh ingredients with interesting twists on the classics as well as new concoctions display a certain grown up refinement without letting go of the fun. My blackberry smash was served under a mountain of crushed ice that looked so pretty I barely wanted to drink it (until I tried it, anyway.) Another note on the drinks is that they’re fantastically expensive compared to the relatively cheap menu. My bill was comprised of 75% drink cost and 25% food cost, but if you think of it as going out for really nice cocktails with the bonus feature of also having pretty good (and pretty cheap) food, it’s a little easier to stomach
Get in while you can still get a reservation. This place is about to really blow up.
COST: ~$50 food + $15 per cocktail
LOCATION: 87 2nd Ave at 5th St. East Village
The menu is split into traditional (and fairly cheap) Thai cuisine where you’ll find the old standbys like pad thai and green curry alongside a bunch of other stuff you usually order from takeout. The other half of the menu is comprised of inventive takes on Thai flavors using nontraditional ingredients like the BBQ quail with a lemongrass marinade and the basil-rubbed Wagyu beef burger.
The steamed pork buns were average compared to the glut of offerings in the neighborhood, my biggest complaint being that they were understuffed and skimpy on the cilantro, which really packed a boatload of flavor.
The glazed black cod was cooked PERFECTLY with impeccably tender and sweet fish underneath a nice crusty char on the outside. I know a lot of haute cuisine restaurants are doing a black cod these days, but few are doing it as well as the folks at Kurve.
The tuna tartlets weren’t really delivered as expected, being more like a passed hors d’ouvre at a wedding reception than something you’d expect to see at a fine dining establishment, but I’ll give it a pass since the flavor and texture were there and the dish actually worked.
The piece de resistance at Kurve, though, is the beverage offering. The seriously smooth selections use a whole forest of fresh ingredients with interesting twists on the classics as well as new concoctions display a certain grown up refinement without letting go of the fun. My blackberry smash was served under a mountain of crushed ice that looked so pretty I barely wanted to drink it (until I tried it, anyway.) Another note on the drinks is that they’re fantastically expensive compared to the relatively cheap menu. My bill was comprised of 75% drink cost and 25% food cost, but if you think of it as going out for really nice cocktails with the bonus feature of also having pretty good (and pretty cheap) food, it’s a little easier to stomach
Get in while you can still get a reservation. This place is about to really blow up.
COST: ~$50 food + $15 per cocktail
LOCATION: 87 2nd Ave at 5th St. East Village
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