A Downtown Meal in an Uptown Place
Had lunch at Ma Peche today, with Francis Lam, his friend Winnie (such a great name!) and Doc Willoughby. The place was half-empty, and it certainly didn't deserve to be. Tien Ho is really hitting his stride, and the 3-course $25 lunch is a very good deal.
Just about everything we ate was intensly flavorful, surprisingly textural, and fresh. I couldn't stop eating the spicy lamb with crunchy rice sticks or those crisp, sticky, Brussels sprouts. I loved the freshness of the squid salad and the wonderful crunch in the summer rolls. If you love Momofuku SSam Bar but hate the noise (and the wait), this is a place you'll want to know about.
Meanwhile, Francis was raving about Miles End in Brooklyn; just listening to him talking about the smoked meat made me want to run out the door and hop on the train.