Qui
Chips with Cheese Foam
Ode to Michel Bras
Axis Tartare – Broken Arrow Ranch Venison, Egg Yolk, Sansho Peppercorn, Coffee, Phytoplankton Tempura
Dinuguan – Pork, Blood, Gnocchi, Chickweed
Cheddar Cheese Ice Cream – Cookies, Goat Milk Cajeta, Peanut Praline, Aged Cheddar Ice Cream
Champurrado – Rice Pudding, Chocolate, Ginger
“First world problem” jokes aside, one of the most difficult parts of traveling to dine is knowing who to trust, a task made all the more difficult when the opinions of long-trusted sources differ dramatically – and so was the case with Qui. The first foray into upscale dining by local restaurateur and East Side King legend Paul Qui, his eponymous restaurant located on trendy East 6th St recently named the best new restaurant in America by GQ, it was just after 9pm on a Thursday when I approached the small hostess podium of the no-reservations space and with music blaring over equally loud conversation I was informed of a “maybe 30 minute wait” that was in fact ten as two seats quickly opened at the chef’s counter overlooking the gleaming open kitchen. Uniquely arranged with clever knick-knacks and blonde woods dominating the lively landscape but clearly understaffed (or untrained) as servers seemed lost on table numbers unless explicitly directed by the culinary team it was fortunate that I found myself seated before a young sous who acted as waiter, server, and conversation partner throughout much of the evening and relying on his word plus my own tastes a five course meal was arranged. Clearly taking skills honed during time at Uchi/Uchiko and pairing them with classical French training plus flavors of his native Philippines to formulate a somewhat slapdash menu it was with Qui’s take on the vegetal medley of Laguiole’s Bras that I began and with sharp focus on texture as well as flavor I was immediately impressed but moving next to plates including raw venison and thick, blood tinged gnocchi I couldn’t help but wonder why so much effort had been taken to rob uncommon ingredients of their unique flavors – the dishes seemingly dumbed down to feed the masses rather than to wow the discerning; high prices and small portions all the more frustrating considering the veritable bargain offered at ESK and similarly priced but vastly superior flavor profiles of Barley Swine, Uchi, or Odd Duck. Moving on to desserts long-delayed by more disorganized service it was a duo of sweets that would fortunately rescue the evening from discontented blasé as the funky cheese-ball-come-ice cream sandwich and texturally masterful Champurrado each proved both innovative and bold – the rest of the kitchen standing to learn something from the young lady resigned to the room’s back corner while the front of house needs to realize Qui is neither a food truck nor a “hole in the wall.”
