The recent opening of Simon Kim’s new restaurants and bars in Midtown Manhattan sent New York City’s food media world abuzz. He’s taken over a massive property situated at 550 Madison Ave. in a neighborhood not necessarily known for its culinary scene. Many have wondered what Kim, the famed restaurateur behind COTE, which has added four outposts around the world since its 2017 debut, would bring to the newly opened location and his additional concept Bar Chimera.
No doubt, Kim is a smart businessperson. Midtown is a neighborhood rife with corporate offices where deep-pocketed locals and commuters flock every day. That crowd is perhaps the perfect audience for his Korean-barbecue-slash-American-steakhouse theme. But Kim’s recent openings point to something larger: Restaurateurs are increasingly marketing to the ultra-rich.
Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam and Joanna discuss Kim’s new openings and why he and other restaurateurs are making such bold and obvious plays for the uber-wealthy. While these kinds of restaurants have always existed, they’ve rarely been so widely promoted and covered. Is this a trend New Yorkers want? Is it a good thing if Manhattan’s restaurant scene is out of reach for most?
Joanna is drinking: Fines Herbes Gibson from A Pop-Up Called Pancakes
Adam is drinking: 1971 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello
