Location: 19 Kenmare Street
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Items: 1 raw bar item, 1 meat and cheese platter, 4 Entrees, 3 Cocktails, 2 Hard Ciders
Cost: 167.00 (Before Tipping and after-tax)
Best Dish: For true meat lovers the lamb shank is a must! The meat is tender and flavorful. If you desire something less cave man-esque go for the scallops, the light fresh sauce is amazing!
Overall: A small living space with friendly energetic staff and great food. The space is pretty tight so you like a lot of space between you and your neighbor visit during off-peak hours. We went at around 7 on a Wednesday and the venue was almost at capacity.
For our first restaurant review of the year we visited Ken and Cook. Our visit was prompted by the announcement of a brand new menu provided by their head chef Ken Hido. The overall concept of the cuisine is Contemporary American dishes that are sustainable and largely organic, with special attention to responsibly sourced veggies and farm-raised meats. Upon entering the dining space prepare to navigate your way through the closely placed tables, a minor inconvenience in an otherwise charming eatery. When I met my companion there he was nearly finished with his first cocktail: The Ruffian. To catch up I immediately ordered a Nolita Tea. This is a light rum-based cocktail garnished with a slice of cucumber.
Ordinarily my companion and I order a shared appetizer, but we shook things up this time and went with individual favorites he is a seafood lover so he opted for a selection of clams from the raw bar. The raw bar offers seafood lovers a good assortment of items including lobster, langoustines, and crawfish,
I enjoy cured meats with cheese and settled on the Coppa Piccante a marbled pork and the Pata De Cabra a Spanish goat cheese. To add a note of freshness the meat and cheese is served with a generous helping of grapes and toasted french bread.
While waiting for our first entree we ordered a round of Rekorderlig cider. Rekorderlig is a high-end Swedish cider noted for its refreshing flavor and fruity notes. I ordered the wild berry and my companion had the strawberry. As a nonbeer drinker I found the cider to be a great alternative to a strong cocktail. The light refreshing drink wasn’t too sweet and was a nice addition to our meal.
Our first shared entree was the Lamb Shank. The mammoth-sized shank is braised with root veggies and arrived deceptively tough looking. Initially, we wondered how we would cut it but that was a moot point, the meat was so tender it practically fell off the bone. The fork-tender morsels were succulent and tasty without the gameness usually associated with lamb. The meat held a fresh almost sweet flavor.
Our next entree was the fried chicken. The crispy breaded pieces are served with a honey-covered biscuit and a generous helping of honey mustard sauce. This isn’t some bottled salad dressing or fast food foil pack sauce this was a rich flavorful homemade sauce and it complimented the chicken perfectly. The biscuit was warm and sweet, its texture resembled a cross between a cookie and a soft cake it was divine.
After the chicken, we wrapped our hands around their big juicy burger. The patties at Ken and Cook are served on a soft buttery roll topped with Gruyère cheese. The burger is also one of the few dishes served with a side of thin-cut fries.
For the last dish of the night, we went for the pan-seared scallops. The tender buts of scallop are pan-roasted and served with broccoli rabe and a light cream sauce. The sauce had a tart lemon and mustard flavor which gave a perfect balance to the sweetness of the scallop and bitterness of the greens. This was an exceptional dish and will likely become a summer favorite.
As restaurants go, Ken and Cook though small in size provides the hungry masses with big flavor. In addition to the great food, the service is impeccable. Guests of the space are seated relatively quickly and served with the same swiftness. The servers run the front of the house smoothly and are respectfully friendly and pleasant. Great service really does make a meal taste that much better. The total cost for our meal was $167 (before tipping and after taxes) When reviewing a space we often order an extra entree or 2 in order to provide more of the menu options. Even with our gluttonous ordering, the total is more than reasonable, truly a good value. Given the location and tight spacing, this space is best suited for a grown-up night out with friends or a significant other. Foodies and bar hoppers alike will find just what they need at Ken and Cook, one of Nolita’s best eateries.