Momofuku Ko

After six years in a shoebox storefront on First Avenue, David Chang started thinking bigger for his 12-seat chef's counter, the most expensive restaurant of the Momofuku empire. In October, he closed the original Ko to shuffle it to a triple-the-size space just off the Bowery, kitted out with a massive dark-wood, 22-seat counter at its center and tables for larger parties. “Before, space was the ultimate limitation. Now, we’re no longer confined,” executive chef Sean Gray says. “We can showcase techniques and present a fully transparent cooking process like we’ve always wanted.” At the counter, diners can fishbowl-view the chef-servers as they prepare the 17-course meal from start to finish, from breaking down whole ducks behind a refrigerated glass wall to adding a final lick of sauce to the plate. The ever-evolving menu includes creative numbers like a matcha-tea–dusted mille-feuille that layers house-made rye puff pastry with béchamel and trout roe, and a mackerel sabazushi that’s pickled, pressed, seared and sliced before being served across a wasabi leaf with a drizzle of dashi ponzu.