60 degrees in very late November: woohoo! Rain, and rain, and more rain: damn it.
The point is, double-edged swords are less cool than single-edged ones. And we consider the following news
to have both a handle and a blade.
It’s the news of Chinese Tuxedo, an ample Chinatown reclamation for predinner cocktails and Cantonese
dinners. It opens tonight under the guidance of Eddy
Buckingham (formerly of
the Liberty) and co.
To give you an idea of the setup, this was once an opera house, and also the scene of a famous
early-20th-century Chinese gang shootout. Frankly, we’re astonished that Doyers Street could even fit an
opera house at any point, but here we are, left only with a humble, giant ode to
the salad days of the neighborhood.
At Street Level:
The bar. For now, it’s strictly a beer-and-wine operation, with a bunch of Chinese beers available. In the
new year, though, expect some low-ABV cocktails, and expect them to contain Chinese spirits. Buckingham is a
personal mixologist to Justin Timberlake, if that helps nudge you here.
Below the Ground:
The dining room is the sprawling, old-world kind that third dates and mildly irritating Instagrams are made
of. You’ll get a pleasing version of the rice porridge known as congee just after being seated amongst the
tall potted plants and black crescent banquettes.
From then on, you’ll have some decisions to make (menu here). Roasted duck salad or housemade egg noodles with konbu butter, XO sauce and pork
floss? Bone-in sirloin with Jiangsu sauce or mapo lo mein with spicy pork? All of it?
For the vegan in your life or yourself, they’re also doing well by you: dumplings of braised shiitake
mushrooms, flowering garlic stems, snow pea leaves and jicama are one option.
Soon:
The building will also house the Good Sort, where coffee and tea will be.
