Gui Steakhouse Is a Great Korean Restaurant in Times Square | Eater NY
"Opened quietly by Sungchul Shim in the Biltmore at 776 Eighth Avenue (at 47th Street), this Times Square outpost is a stylistic pivot for a chef best known for modern Korean tasting-menu work—Shim opened Kochi in Hell’s Kitchen in 2019 and the hand-roll spot Mari two years later (both Michelin-starred), followed by the more casual Mari.Nein in 2023 and the buzzy Korean barbecue DonDon. The kitchen weaves an American steakhouse tradition with Korean accents and precise, technique-driven cooking honed at Per Se under Thomas Keller, at Le Bernardin with Eric Ripert, and later at Neta. On the raw bar the mignonette is made with makgeolli, the brioche arrives with ajocheong-seasoned butter, and there’s both galbi and a porterhouse among the cuts; meat from Creekstone Farm sits in a dry-age case behind the host stand. Steakhouse highlights include a nicely charred, deeply savory bone-in rib-eye sliced tableside ($89) and a prime rib marinated in shio kombu with a koji crust, while sides range from mashed potatoes with Comté or a rosti with yuzu crème fraîche ($12) to an eggplant katsu with celery root and tomato ragout ($12), a mac-and-cheese-like creamed corn with a cheddar-miso mornay ($12), and pea leaves ($18) the server recommends as a frequently ordered favorite. There are also distinctly Korean comfort dishes elevated for a fine-dining crowd: a crispy-edged dolsot bibim bap with extra umami of seaweed ($21) with an optional creamy uni add-on ($25); thin-sliced chadol wagyu brisket ($23) praised as great leftover fare; an elegant doenjang jjigae with clams and fermented soybeans ($15); a sundubu jjigae with chadol brisket, soft tofu, and a chile kick ($15); dan dan noodles dressed with roasted peanuts and Sichuan chile pork; and a kimchi wagyu fried rice topped with bacon and fried egg ($32) where the kimchi is singled out as spectacular. Shim’s commitment to making foundational Korean condiments is literal—his mother ships him meju, gochugaru, and yeotgireum so he can make his own soy sauce, doenjang, and gochujang from scratch—and that attention shows through across the menu. Dessert offerings are adventurous (a coconut-pineapple gochujang panna cotta, a yuzu baked Alaska, and a mousse with ssamjang caramel described as a true black-and-white dish, $17–$19). The restaurant comprises three distinct spaces—the first-floor bar with a brief menu (oysters, hamachi, burgers: beef $26, shrimp $23), the second-floor main dining room with neutral, anywhere-in-the-world anonymity, soft jazz, a glowing bar, and tight service paced closer to fine dining but less officious—and a not-yet-open omakase counter called Hwaro, a 22-seat circular grill-and-oven counter set to open this fall with course-by-course ceramicware and mother-of-pearl inlay accents flown in from Korea, which may prove the crown jewel. Practical tip: if you’re solo or with one other person, head to the upstairs bar and order the Korean dishes toward the bottom of the menu—the prices are fair, the flavors memorable, and you’ll likely leave very satisfied." - Melissa McCart
