Musaek Opens in NYC

"Located on the eastern fringe of Koreatown in a 12,000-square-foot basement reached through a long hallway, this dimly lit, attractive seafood-focused spot has dark-green banquettes flanking a U-shaped bar and soft, muted lighting. Chef Lenny Moon, formerly of Jungsik and Hortus, showcases coastal Korean specialties including mulhoe — spicy raw fish served chilled with cold broth and bouncy konjac noodles — as well as jiritang (a ginger- and green-onion–forward monkfish soup), samhap (thinly sliced octopus braised in dashi with stir-fried kimchi, tiny fried enoki mushrooms, and ricotta ssamjang), Wando seaweed jelly topped with uni and ikura, chungmu gimbap, mussels on ice, and nostalgic deep-fried shrimp heads that evoke Seukkang crackers. There’s also a playful riff on fish and chips using vodka- and beer-battered shishamo (ice fish) packed with roe and edible bones, served with steamed-then-fried potatoes and a white kimchee slaw. A clarified, batch-made cocktail program that leans on Korean ingredients (for example basil-infused vodka with hallabong, tequila with barley tea, and Toki whiskey with dried perilla) is designed to bridge the bar and dining room and encourage pairing with the fried dishes." - Chris Crowley