Double Knot

Double Knot Restaurant Review:

There’s something for everyone at Michael Schulson’s Midtown Village destination, which serves as a hip coffee shop and lunch counter by day and sexy cocktail bar by night. The real experience, however, awaits downstairs behind a speakeasy door. The candlelit lower level appears like a revelation, with an open kitchen, cedar planked walls and a timeless, all-encompassing ambience. The cooking --- sophisticated, energized and on point --- emphasizes pan-Asian flavors. The best way to explore the menu is izakaya-style, with rounds of small plates and drinks as the night unwinds. A delicate hearts of palm salad and tuna tartare on rice crackers set the stage for fried chicken wings and edamame dumplings. The robatayaki grill turns out Kobe beef, miso eggplant and even venison, while the larger plates (breaded pork chop; hamachi collar) showcase the kitchen’s intricate work on a wider canvas. A full menu of sushi and sashimi is also available. Drinks are as serious as the cooking, with cocktails like the Tiger Loop (sochu, Aperol, yuzu and grapefruit bitters), a nice variety of sakés and beers and a well-rounded by-the-bottle list of wines.