KING RESTAURANT.

"It's good to be THE KING" is printed on the restaurant's business cards - which made me think of Gene Simmons and his reality TV show that makes him appear quite normal...to the point of boring (which, of course, does not at all deter me from avidly watching). The King Restaurant opened up last week right by my apartment - literally sitting at the border between Soho and West Village.

The antique-y, old world charm of the venue makes for a casually luxurious dining experience. The open dining space and bar area lead towards a more intimate "railroad" style dining area.

At each table is a little enticing SWITCH. When turned on, servers run over with a bottle of champagne...service fit for a KING. I couldn't help but flip the switch myself, but of course I warned my server to ignore the request beforehand.

 

I began with the Tartine of Mimolette and Spaghetti Squash - and adorable little toast topped with strips of spaghetti squash (one of my most favorite vegetables) and heaps of thinly shaved mimolette cheese!!! Delicious and quite different!!

My friend ordered the Squash Soup with chamomile, pumpkin seeds, and spice bread. I thought the mixture was a tad too sweet for my liking.

The Smoked Octopus dish with frisee, radish, and poached egg was absolutely AMAZING. The octopus was cooked perfectly and had a wonderful smokey flavor to it - so much to the point that I am fearful there might have been bacon bits in my dish (I thought to ask...but didn't...because I secretly wouldn't have wanted to stop eating it if I had realized it was bacon). The soft, velvety texture of the poached egg paired well with the soft octopus. I tolerated frisee for the first time in many months only because I loved the smokey bits of flavor captured in each leaf.

My friend's Roasted Skate was very nice - served with cauliflower, caper berry, and maple. A lightly flavored cauliflower puree always goes well with the saltiness of skate. The caper berries were similar to...well...capers (caper berries are the fruit, whereas capers are the edible bud), and added a pickled sweetness to the dish, which I really liked.

My Scallops, served with hen of the woods mushrooms, salsify, and clam nage, was not as exciting. The clam nage was a soupy sauce that was poured over my dish at the table - it was difficult to experience the flavor of the clam in each bite because of the sauce's liquidity. I woud have much rather preferred a creamier or thicker sauce to flavor the scallops.

For dessert - a Mint Poached Apple with walnut streusel and cream fraiche gelato. To be honest, we were a bit disappointed with the dessert. The poached apple slices were not served warm and were almost difficult to cut through - I would have liked a softer fruit consistency. The walnut streusel was a little too simple and there was not enough cream fraiche gelato to go around!! To tell you the truth - I have better breakfasts made out of Chobani Greek yogurt and granola.

Our check arrived with two airy chocolate chip meringues. A nice touch.

There were many things about the King Restaurant that I liked - several of the dishes were quite unique and lovely. Others, such as the scallops and the poached apple, were not quite as strong - they lacked in flavor and consistency. I am excited, however, to return to this newcomer restaurant after it has had time to work out the kinks (which there are only very few of).