I did it. I officially crossed the line from distant David Chang fanboy, with a mere late night stop at Milk Bar under my belt, to actual consumer. I joined the crowds Saturday night and waited my turn for a seat at Ssam Bar. I was pleasantly surprised when the hostess ushered Scott and I back to Milk Bar to wait with a beer, as opposed to the classic NYC wait on the sidewalk. After an hour or so I realized how tempting those deadly compost cookies and cereal milk can be, but was excited to take a seat in the restaurant.

We ordered two pork buns and a plate of bread and butter to start. I have to say I could have happily stopped there - devour, reorder, repeat. I didn’t know either pork belly or butter could taste that good. Kudos to Chang for taking the bet that customers would rather pay $8 for excellent bread and butter then be served the traditional mediocre stuff for free. A great cocktail, the “Reverend Palmer” - artfully made with tea infused elijah craig bourbon, lemon syrup and bitters, kept our appetite up for more. The single large ice cube made such a strong cocktail manageable, even for someone like me who often drinks slowly enough to see ice melt.

We shared a few dishes off the main menu, the highlight of which was the pork shoulder steak, cooked medium rare with a great sauce on the side. In addition we tried the Hawthorne Valley Buttermilk off the seasonal menu, a dish that eludes description but I think is best characterized as mozzarella texture balls of buttermilk in a light broth. It wasn’t my favorite dish, but was worth trying for the imaginative texture alone. We also tried the country ham plate, since I have a soft spot for cured meats, and were not disappointed by the 4 distinct tastes we received. Next time I plan to go back with a larger group and a larger appetite to sample even more.

I wish I could say I had the stamina to wander back in to Milk Bar after dinner, but I think pork belly alone is enough to sway me from my determination to have desert. But now that I live in the neighborhood I can promise I’ll be back to the Chang empire soon - next up will be Ma Peche I think, with another stop or two at Milk Bar before then. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing what Chang cooks up in collaboration with Morimoto at the Trade Power Lunch American Express is sponsoring at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic later this month.

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• I ate up Momofuku Ssäm Bar!(blindtasting.twoday.net) - I was not able to take very good pictures in the evening light, but Blind Tasting captured the general feel of the meal and the strange buttermilk dish beautifully.
• ma peche, beef seven ways(gothamgal.com) - Gotham Gal’s visit to Ma Peche back in May with the Food & Wine crew has me itching to visit next. I’m excited to see what magic Chang can do with beef after my experiences with his pork.