When Laser Wolf opened on the 10th floor of Williamsburg’s Hoxton hotel last May, it set off a chain reaction of accolades that virtually filled its reservation slots clear across the calendar. Almost 12 months later, availability is still stuffed nearly to the margins. You can now dine on a Saturday night more than two weeks from press time, for example, but not before 11:15pm.
Having once waited more than two hours as a drop-in, to be seated at the bar, facing away from the notable view, for agreeably-fired skewers and a wonderfully abundant assortment of salatim, I still couldn’t, in good conscience, advise that anyone else follow that particular tack, then or today. That edition of chef Michael Solomonov’s Philadelphia original of the same name, however, still made it to my list of NYC’s best new restaurants of 2022, which says as much about its broad appeal in the dining room proper, booked at a rather early or quite late hour, still with sensational, unlimited babaganoush, gigantes, hummus and warm, ideal pita, as it does about last year’s contenders.
K’Far, another Philly follow, debuted in the hotel’s sunken lobby level last November with a considerably lower hum ever since. And, although it is even better than its lovely and oft-praised upstairs related neighbor, you can actually get a table, more or less whenever. Mild situational Twilight Zone vibes aside, this apparent disturbance in the balance of public and media fondness for a destination relative to its objective goodness in such clear display is ultimately the restaurant-goer’s gain. A great place you can simply visit? For spring? Groundbreaking!
The large Israeli restaurant shares some style notes with its PA predecessor. It’s warmly appointed, with soft, soothing hues and polished, beach house themes. There are three dining areas: the sleek, lofty, tri-sided chef’s counter to the left behind the host desk, what feels like the main dining room to the right, and the verdant adjacent atrium that’s full of foliage and natural light diffused through its glass panels.
This is New York City’s best new hotel restaurant in the last several years, and it wins a high spot among the few true finest in the category overall. It would be as good anywhere, untethered from any naturally traveler-oriented conceit, but, aside from the notable friendliness of everyone I’ve encountered here, it escapes any tourist trappings. It also keeps the long hours expected of its genre, opening at 8am with borekas, Jerusalem bagel sandwiches and eggs for breakfast, and adapting to the mealtime of day until 11:30 on peak nights.
The dinner menu starts small but shareable. Eight two-bite pieces of baklava ($18) are jubilantly springy and savory with flavorful, prudently salty haloumi, adorned with a vibrant shower of crushed pistachios. It’s a perfect snacking, drinking and chatting app. The same section’s roasted fennel Caesar ($16) is also quick to disappear. Its titular ingredient’s layers are subdued to mild, lightly blanketed in dressing and amplified by bolts of pecorino and the greatest salad crunch-enhancing accouterment in recent memory, described in understated fashion only as “pita crumbs,” of which I could not get enough.
Even bigger in a landscape of increasingly miniaturized items at other operations, the Palestinian lamb tartare ($19) covers a swath of its plate in mauve, punctuated by perky shipka peppers and served with leafy green vehicles. It's a fantastic preparation for the meat’s fresh, subtly earthy notes.
A dorade entrée ($45) is not only the most excellent I’ve had of its kind, but one of the nicest fish of any variety I’ve had anywhere: on expensive tasting menus, at august seafood institutions, and considerably closer to the saltwater of the Mediterranean. It’s served tail-on and deboned for a practical whole fish presentation without any pesky poking around. Its simple seasoning and flame kiss allows the rich, tender white meat inside to shine. Its bed of creamy spring pea tzatziki with shabazi is peak form, and would be worth ordering on its own, were it a standalone dip.
Ask what’s can’t-miss and you’ll get plenty of fair answers, but the chicken schnitzel ($30) is an automatic signature dish. The expertly butchered, juicy bird’s crunch comes from kataifi that gives the pounded fowl a light, crisp coat that seems poised to float into the air. It’s accompanied by a portion of tehina with a dollop of bright schug with a bit of heat I’d also like to pair with almost everything here and everywhere, including the delicious coconut ice cream that comes with a passable chocolate kanafi ($12) for dessert, as dynamically additive as this sauce is.
Five months in, K’Far is the increasingly atypical terrific new restaurant that you can reliably book without any reservation platform gymnastics, and one that will give the lucky out-of-towners filling the stories in the hotel above the idea that dining this well in NYC can sometimes, somehow, seem easy.
Vitals
The Vibe: Sprawling, airy and lofty but still intimate and welcoming across its three spaces, including the verdant atrium.
The food: An Israeli all-day cafe, bar and restaurant, K’Far serves standout savory baklava, excellent lamb tartare, wonderfully light chicken schnitzel and a dorade that’s among the best fish our critic has ever had.
The Drinks: Wine, beer and refreshing cocktails like the celery gin and tonic and Yalla Yalla, with vodka, elderflower, cucumber and soda.
K’Far is located at 97 Wythe Avenue. It is open 8am-10:30pm Sunday-Wednesday and 8am-11:30pm Thursday-Saturday.
