NYC NOW - November 23, 2023: Midday News

Episode Date: November 23, 2023

WNYC’s David Furst talks with Eater New York’s Emma Orlow about subterranean restaurants in New York City, including the new Korean fine dining restaurant, Noksu.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news and then around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jared Marcel. Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you're not too stuffed already because today's episode is a treat. Once you're sick of leftovers, consider heading to the subway for dinner. Underneath the Harold Square subway station, through an unmarked door, there's a 12-course, $225 fine dining experience. Nooksu, a new Korean restaurant is tucked away next to a stairway. well with crackling tiles, and it's only accessible with a pincold after you get your reservation. WNYC's David First talked with Eater, New York's Emma Orlo, about Noxum and other subterranean spots

in the city. That conversation after the break. You wrote about this new place hidden in the Herald Square station for Eder. This is tiny, right? It's only about 13 seats big. Why choose this? location to open a new fine dining restaurant? Well, when I was doing the interview for this story, the owner Bobby Kwok, he owns Bak Jong, a very popular Ketown restaurant that's just down the street

upstairs. He had said that over the years, this was his station that he would always pass through, that he had always been fascinated by this space. And I think, you know, on top of that, in New York dining, it's often not enough to just be a new restaurant. I think having that, you know, hidden hook speak-esies are a big thing. It's a way to set yourself apart from the pack in a city where the restaurant scene is quite crowded. And I think especially for people who do have the kind of money to be spending on these tasting menu experiences, you know, it is kind of a flex in a certain way to be like, I know about this tasting menu counter that you don't know about that's hidden in the subway behind an unmarked door that you need a pin code to get behind.

That nobody else knows about. Yes, that nobody else knows about, but we did put all over our site on Eater on our Instagram. Of course, and we're not having this conversation right now. I mentioned this is a pretty nondescript doorway at the end of a hallway next to a stairwell with some cracking tiles. Once you're on the other side of that door, once you put in your little pin code, it looks very different. Yes, it's, you know, a beautiful marble space. It's interesting because in talking to the owner for this story, when I wrote a about it, we had just had the big flood. So that was top of mind for me. How does one open a restaurant

in the subway, especially so close to, you know, the stairwell interest in the street and be prepared, especially for climate change as things worsen. And he quite confidently said that, so how the space works is it sits below a hotel. So though it is technically in the subway, as when you walk down the stairs into the subway before the kiosk, his landlord is actually, the hotel that is above it. But the exterior of the door, like the space directly in front of the door is actually operated by the MTA. So there's kind of a complicated, he pays the hotel, but it's still, you know, within city limits. This is an expensive night out, $225 per person for dinner next to the subway stairs. And there are plenty of other subterranean options in the city.

Can you mention a few that might not break the bank? Yeah. In Grand Central, there is a Taco Omacase counter where they do an 11 course tasting menu, but it's actually quite casual, doing tacos, but kind of using like Japanese techniques for it. And that's in the food court in Grand Central that's been there for a long time. And then there's also in Grand Central Jogi, which comes from Daniel Blued. He is in that same class of restaurants that Noxu is. It's also a fancier place. And then over in Columbus Circle, there's a lot kind of like a food hall where they're trying to do, you know, some more interesting stalls than maybe the typical subway food options. Right, because I picture, you know, Dunkin' Donuts, burgers and pizza. Yeah, as you should.

I mean, I think that's a lot of consumers just want something quick and easy on the go. But I don't know. I'm quite fascinated by this. I think we have that big new food hall over by Penn Station. people are trying to level up a little bit in their subway commute meals. That's Eder, New York's Emma Orlo, talking with WNYC's David First. As people gather with family and friends over food during the holiday season, we're asking New Yorkers to reflect on the dishes that hold a special place in their hearts.

My name is Maram Udahl, and I am from Jackson Heights, but originally Egyptian. When my mom cooks fried cauliflower at home, that just brings back childhood memories and her childhood memories. It's just such a comforting food. cauliflower is so forgiving. You know, it doesn't have flavor on its own, but when you fry it, you can dip it in anything. And it's just comforting because she dips it in flour and milk and eggs.

It makes a nice soft crust, but it also has like a creamy taste to it. And the cauliflower has a nice bite. And then you can dip it in anything, tahini, ketchup. I like to eat it plain because when it's a nice taste to it, nice and salty. It's just perfect like that. My mom would make it, you know, when we didn't have meat at home, you know, maybe she didn't have time to run to the supermarket, to go buy meat because we would eat specific meat, and cauliflower was always available. Or when she wanted to apologize to us, if she was a little harsh with a punishment, or she felt bad, or we were having a tough

time at school. It's also like a comforting dish that's like an apology dish. Like, okay, I'm not going to say sorry, but I'm going to make this for you. and you know I'm saying sorry, so leave me alone after this. That's the memory I have, you know, and just watching her making it, you know, even though it's simple to make for some reason, it has its own complication watching it, but I think it's more because I feel comfortable that someone's making it for me, and I just feel spoiled and relaxed like, okay, she's got this. You know, you break a couple eggs in a bowl, you take the flour in the milk and you whip it hard,

then you throw those beautiful, like little trees or florets, in the mixture, they soak a little bit. Then you take them out and you could see the mixture oozing off of the florets. And then you just drop it in the oil and it's just like bubbling all around those florets. And then once they come out, like, I have five brothers and sisters. So we'd all rush to the bowl that was served in. And we're like trying to like bear the heat of the florett because it's so hot and shoving it in our mouths as fast as possible. It's just a happy time.

It's a comforting time whenever I think of those fried. cauliflower florets. Maram Abdalal lives in Jackson Heights. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day.

I'm Jared Marcel. Enjoy the rest of your holiday. We'll be back tomorrow.