Jungsik

Jungsik is an outstanding restaurant, though it lacked...something. Service was outstanding and without error. The environment was excellent and matched the food experience they wanted you to have. The dishes were excellent. What I missed was any "wow" factor. Nothing made me giggle, or take a beat to slowly dwell on the food I was enjoying.

The best bites were standards - wagyu and black truffle, scallops and beets, toro and caviar. Sounds strange to complain about these dishes...but they can be found elsewhere. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare had a few almost identical dishes - far and away better than these. (Even the waiter admitted "Chef's Table is the best restaurant in the city, for sure.")

Most of the wines were domestic (American), which I found to be an interesting call. (Other than Napa, we're not known for wine that can compete on the world stage.) They also reused an ingredient (crispy quinoa - found in the toro/caviar dish, then again in the uni add-on) - a faux pas for a restaurant of this caliber. The uni dish was overly generous, the result of which was a diminished enjoyment of the rest of the meal - we were just too full.

Excellent but not outstanding. Very well done but not inspired. With the other stellar options in NYC (such as Brooklyn Fare and Atera), I won't rush back.