Chang and Change

A different sort of restaurant in New York City

(Aug. 21, 2008) In a faraway city, a Korean-American chef is changing the way restaurants work. David Chang is a top young restaurateur in New York, and the darling of the Eastern culinary sophisticates; in fact, he just won the James Beard Award for Best New York Chef. Of course, right there, that’s enough to damn him as elitist in some circles. Let me tell you why he matters to Humboldt County.

Chang is one of the “Young Turk” chefs who are playing with the entire concept of dining. All three of his Manhattan restaurants include the name “Momofuku,” which, no, is not a Japanese profanity, but a tribute to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the Cup Noodle, less formally known as “ramen.” Momofuku Noodle Bar, Chang’s first restaurant, in Greenwich Village, became a favorite of younger diners because of its fresh flavors, low prices and air of culinary insouciance.

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New York Magazine described it as “Japanese ramen by way of a Carolina whole-hog barbecue, with more than a soupçon of French technique, deriving its super-porky flavor as much from hot, fatty slabs of succulent Berkshire pork belly and deep-pink shredded shoulder as from the long-simmered stock (made from 70 pounds of chicken legs, roasted pork bones, ham hocks, and bacon).”

As a balance for the sumptuous noodle dishes, toppings are conspicuously fresh — slivered snow peas and scallions, briefly sautéed al dente fresh corn, preserved bamboo shoots, delicate sheets of nori, with the theatrical addition of a slow-poached egg as the dish is presented. There are other specials, notably a tiny barbecued pork bun some writers have found reminiscent of White Castle hamburgers, arguably the best fast food since they were invented in the Great Depression.

Chang followed the noodle restaurant with a nearby location he called Momofuku Ssäm Bar, which at first sold only ssäm, a small “Korean burrito” consisting of a vegetable leaf filled with savory ingredients. Gradually, he used the venue as a way to expand his repertoire of earthy, Asian-accented dishes, including fried Brussels sprouts, three-terrine sandwich, spicy tripe, warm veal-head sausage. In an era that seemed to proliferate young vegans, his menu warned, “We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items.”

Why am I telling you this?

The first reason is that this year, his long-awaited third restaurant, Momofuku Ko, opened in lower Manhattan. It instantly replaced Thomas Keller’s Per Se as the hottest ticket in the U.S. In the course of all this, Chang has revolutionized the dining experience in a way not even the “food chemistry” chefs have done, both elevating the level of imagination, and making it less, rather than more, expensive.

The second reason is a follow-up to my column, “Why I Don’t Eat Sushi in Humboldt County.” I was surprised by the powerful reactions the piece evoked — along with predictable letters of outrage, a number of chefs, cooks and sushi-enthusiasts took time to personally thank me.

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