W-W-WD50-D?

WHAT WOULD WD-50 DO?
Answer: Nothing that you would think of.

I'm still like so giddy about my meal at WD-50! It was fun... like exciting, fun, and thrilling!

My whole experience was just really chill and great. It was father's day (my dad lives in Japan, so I hang out with Dad #2 A.K.A my mom :-P) so the restaurant was packed by like 7. All the waiters were great! So friendly, and very knowledgeable!

We went with the Tasting Menu. I read reviews saying that WD's creativity really comes out in the Tasting Menu. The funny thing is that the menu itself only vaguely explains the dish, so it left me wondering how the hell it was gonna be executed and presented to me... and most of the time, I was completely off.

START
Cuttlefish, Root beer, Watercress, Cashew, Myoga- Interesting flavors. Not too exciting... yet.


Everything Bagel, Smoked Salmon Threads, Crispy Cream Cheese- THE BAGEL WAS ICE CREAM! wtf?! It was all the classic flavors, but just completely transformed.


Foie Gras, Passionfruit, Chinese Celery- Heavenly. The passionfruit just bursts out when you cut it!


Scrambled Egg Ravioli, Charred Avocado, Hamachi- My favorite dish of the night. Inside the block of egg is... soft runny scrambled egg!! The avocado was a cream mixture of like wasabi, yogurt, and other stuff. Then the hamachi and the potato crisps... OMG, the hamachi was extremely high-qual.


Cold Fried Chicken, Buttermilk-Ricotta, Tabasco, Caviar - The fact that they chose to serve this chicken cold is really courageous. It's like a guilty pleasure that no one likes to admit. Cold fried chicken=awesome. Plus, the Honey Tabasco sauce was just awesome.


Snails, Red Lentils, Juniper, Orange- This was the only dissappointment of the night. The orangey lentils were just too much. Too sweet, too orangy, but not in an accent way.

(Before the meal started, they asked if we had any dislikes, so I mentioned that I am not a fan of Snails. They substituted the snails with these Shrimp Noodles with Mushrooms and Yogurt Sauce- Nothing really special.)


Duck Leg, Popcorn Pudding, Kalamansi, Lovage- Third favorite dish of the night! Duck leg? I was expecting bone, something that looked like a leg! But, no. Thin slices. Beautifully cooked. Moist. Exotic flavors.


Lamb Loin, Black Garlic Romesco, Pickled Ramps, Dried Soybean - My second favorite of the night! OMG the lamb was so tender, and cooked perfectly (look at that color)! And the garlic romesco.... I scraped every little bit off the plate :-)


Vanilla Ice Cream, Balsamic, Raspberry- Sounds simple right? No. Best Ice Cream Of the Year! It's a tiny little log of vanilla ice cream covered in raspberry powder, and on the inside, it's filled with balsamic vinegar!


Hazelnut Tart, Coconut, Chocolate, Chicory- This ain't nothing compared to that ice cream! It was good though :-) The coconut powder was definitely awesome though!


Carmelized Brioche, Apricot, Buttercream, Lemon Thyme- OMG yum! I was getting so incredibly full that I was only able to have a few but that was some damn good apricot filled brioche! The not-sweet broiche was the perfect canvas for all the other dramatic flavors.


Cocoa Packets. Chocolate shortbread, Milk Ice Cream- I'm still so intrigued by the eatable chocolate packets! What are they made of!? It was delicious <3


My conclusion is this: WD-50 is all about textures and flavors. In every dish, there was a crunchy accent. Also, in most dishes, there were a few sauces/sides. I think the key is to taste each flavor separately first, and then combine as you like. I think eating everything on the plate together, in one bite ruins the fun of picking and choosing different flavor combos.


I LOVE WD-50! It was definitely one of the most unique dining experiences I've ever had. WD-50 is like the American version of Sushi of Gari. These people are culinary geniuses.

WD-50
50 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212.477.2900