Last night I decided to check out the new restaurant Tailor in SOHO. Tailor comes to us from the former pastry chef at WD-50, Sam Mason. WD-50 is the most experimental restaurant in NYC, and was the location of one of my greatest dining experiences in my life, so I was definitely excited to check this place out.
Tailor is located on a block away from all the commercial craziness that is SOHO. I knew the address was 525 Broome st., but I did not see any sign or number. What I did see was a large wooden door that I assumed was the place. Luckily for me, I was right!
There is a dining room on the first floor and a cool lounge downstairs. I took a table in the dining room, which was simply decorated, with dim brown/beige colors, and one wall of exposed brick. The mood was modernized 1800's.
In the back right corner of the restaurant is a service bar with a window, but no glass. I have seen open kitchens before, but rarely do you see an open bar. In other words, yes, most restaurants have bars, but this was a "Service" bar, meaning this is where the drinks the diners ordered were "created". Not a bar with stools, etc. I found this quite interesting, almost if they wanted to highlight the drinks. And, well, the drinks here should be highlighted.
The cocktail list was created by mixologist Eben Freeman, and it's an amazing list. I started with the "Blood and Sand" ($14)- scotch, sweet vermouth, red bach. This was a great drink. The balance between alcohol and flavor was perfect. There was just a touch of saltiness to the drink that I enjoyed.
The menu at Tailor consists of one side labeled "Salty" and the other side labeled "Sweet". For my first encounter, I decided to get one dish from each side.
From the "Salty" side I went with the Pork Belly with miso butterscotch and artichoke ($16). This was an amazing dish. The balance of sweetness and saltiness was perfect. The pork belly was perfectly cooked, tender, juicy and absolutely delicious. The miso butterscotch was interesting. I thought it had a chance to be too sweet, but in fact it was the perfect compliment to the pork belly. The artichoke was perfectly cooked, and gave a nice added texture to the dish. It was also beautifully presented. The colors on the plate were very appealing. This was a memorable dish.
After this dish I ordered a cocktail called "Good Ol Boy" ($12); bourbon, smoked coke, and preserved lemon. This was a nice drink as well. I look at the cocktails at Tailor as dishes themselves (they cost just as much too!).
From the "Sweet" side of the menu I had the Soft Chocolate with sesame ice cream ($12). This dish was also beautifully presented and tasted great. The sesame ice cream was a refreshing compliment to the soft chocolate.
Another aspect of Tailor that should be highlighted is the service. The service was extremely good. It seemed they had many more servers then needed, but that works to the diner's advantage, because there is someone always there to take care of you.
(They also walked around with two types of bread-raisin and olive- I had both, and both were very good.)
I definitely plan on coming back to Tailor to try the other dishes on the menu and to try more of their great cocktails. So, for great drinks, and memorable food, Tailor is the perfect spot.
Tailor
525 Broome St. (between Sullivan and Thompson)
New York, NY 10013