After giving the deep-six to 66, his Chinese-influenced
outpost in Tribeca, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has turned Japanese and
transformed the space into a soba-intensive mod-minimalist spot,
Matsugen. It’s the
chef’s long-awaited collaboration with the Matsushita brothers, Japanese
restaurateurs whom JG had been trying to bring to U.S. for several years now
after sampling their homemade soba noodles in Japan—and becoming a fervent fan.
“You’ve got a spy!” Vongerichten quips to us, peering over
our shoulder as we dug into a delightfully hot, smoky bowl of
seiro soba with duck and scallions.
“I’ve been trying to convince [the Matsushitas] for seven years,” he says as he
chats up our table, noting that everything finally came together when he showed
them the former 66 space.
Three Mastushita brothers are onboard—two in the kitchen,
one in the front of the house (they’ve also brought along seven chefs from
Japan)—and the charmingly
self-effacing Vongerichten adds, “I’m just a partner, I’m just helping out. I’m
useless!” before politely excusing himself to make the rounds of the room.
Soba is the centerpiece at Matsugen, served hot or cold
depending on which dish you go for, such as
goma-dare
(sesame sauce),
yamakake (with grated
yams) or the inadvertently named
bukkake
(a medley of scallion, bonito, yam, sesame, okura and nori, among others). The
noodles themselves, available in three textures from delicate to coarse, are made in-house until 1 a.m. the day of service. (“They’re still making
them by the time we close at night,” one of the servers marveled to us.)
For non-soba lovers at the table, there’s sushi, sashimi, kamameshi
rice pots, tempura and appetizers like the delicate sea urchin with yuzu jelly,
which comes dotted with lavender shiso flowers placed there with micro-precision
using tweezers (or so we’re told). Grilled selections, from Wagyu rib eye to pork
belly served atop a scalding-hot “
Fiji lava rock,” add a welcome, savory
heft to the menu.
The new digs echo 66’s sharp, minimalist aesthetic, with black
Eames chairs and banquettes, metal mesh partitions, and Bertoia high chairs
flanking the runway-length communal table. A crisp, precise backdrop for
Matsugen’s crisp, precise flavors.
Food: Straight-up
Japanese—hot and cold soba, tempura, kamameshi, sushi, sashimi, rolls, and
grilled plates.
Booze: Curious
cocktails (i.e. Yuzu Drop Martini ), over a dozen sakes, Japanese beer (including
limited quantities of Hitachino Nest), and scotches.
Service: Vintage
Jean-Georges—unobtrusively attentive and carefully studied, with a fluent
command of menu minutiae (down to the cheesecloth used to distill the tomato
juice used in a dessert of crystal tomato and coconut broth).
Vibe: Sleek and
unfussy, with Modernist touches (Eames and Bertoia chairs, Saarinen tables) and
a loft-like expansiveness
Matsugen
241 Church St. at Leonard St.
212-925-0202
Tue.-Fri. 5:30 p.m.-12
a.m..
Sat.-Sun. 5:30 p.m.-1
a.m.
Photo by Jori Klein
Add a comment