My spouse and I participated in a noodle making class in the Balcony Bar of má pêche at the Chambers Hotel in July of 2012. For $75 per person, we learned how to make two types of noodles (alkaline, which uses no eggs, and a more traditional egg noodle). We booked our tickets through Eventbrite using a link on the má pêche website. The restaurant offered at least three classes this summer: the noodle class was the second (the first was a dashi and kimchi class, and the third was a bartending class). Class size is limited to about 16 people, seated at four small tables and the bar. Although the tables are extremely small, and space is quite confined, they made the close quarters work well. We watched two chefs from David Chang's test kitchen, Dan Felder and Veronica Trevizo, make and work the dough and then incorporate other ingredients to create delicious dishes. We were encouraged to walk around to get a better look at the ingredients and process, and we were invited to touch the dough if we wished. We feasted on two dishes that we watched the chef make - one Asian dish with noodles and dashi and one Italian dish with hand-torn pasta. Each course was complemented by a tasting of three different beverages - one wine, one beer, and one sake. Momofuku Ko's beverage director, Beth Lieberman, was knowledgeable and informative. Hailey, the woman running the class/restaurant (not the chef) was very welcoming and enthusiastic. We received a thank you note afterwards for participating in the class, which was a nice touch.
Ma Pêche at the Chambers Hotel: Excellent Casual Lunch
My spouse and I visited Ma Pêche (whose name means “Mother Peach”) for lunch in mid-January 2011. We had been hearing great things about owner David Chang, and this was one of his properties at which it seemed easy to secure a reservation (via Open Table, unlike how you reserve for his other restaurants) and it was also near our sightseeing goal. The restaurant itself is on the basement level (so no windows, although that didn’t bother), with a bar on the street level/positioned on a balcony overlooking the dining room. The menu featured both a la carte and prix-fixe offerings (3 courses for $25). The prix-fixe menu didn’t seem like much of a deal; the a la carte menu was reasonable enough, and the prix-fixe menu didn’t offer the items that we most wanted to try. This is a casual restaurant; no tablecloths, not even silverware place settings on the table (chopsticks are provided in a glass in the center of the table), but both the restaurant and the menu really “fit the bill” for what we wanted on the day that we visited. (We’ve since been to Chang’s Momofuku Ko, which was one of the most memorable meals we’ve ever eaten.) We loved all the items that we tried. From the Petite Assiette section of the menu, we ordered summer rolls (with pork, lettuce, hoisin) and venison and pork terrine (with pickled vegetables and violet mustard). From the Sandwichere section, we ordered duck confit banh mi (with liver, hoisin, pickled vegetables). From the Poisson & Viande section, we ordered brisket from Niman Ranch (with rice noodles, cabbage, herbs). All items were priced between $9.00 and $15.00, which we felt was accurate for the quality and quantity. The restaurant offers no dessert options; visit Milk Bar on the street level if you need something sweet afterward. From some reviews that I’ve read online, people seem to pan this restaurant in favor of Chang’s others, but we wouldn’t hesitate to return if it fit into our schedule.
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