Chef's Counter Club Opening - Soho, New York City

The "fine-fast" dining concept is quickly proliferating in the restaurant scene of New York City as the industry tries to find ways to build a sustainable business in an environment of rising storefront rents.  A number of well known fine dining restaurants of renowned chefs have closed in New York City in the past several years, notably the closing of Tom Colicchio's CraftBar restaurant in the Flatiron district. 

One of our favorite casual fine dining restaurants in New York City is the newly opened Chef's Counter Club in Soho.  You can go and sample quick and affordable options for tasting popular dishes from some of the world's finest chefs.  The menu is curated by Didier Elena, a 20 year Alain Ducasse alumnus. 

Didier Elena, Jean-Georges Vongeritchen posing with the staff of Chef's Club Counter

So what's unique about the Chef's Club Counter?  It's not your usual artisanal foodcourt where some dishes may be instagram popular but taste amateurish.

Eggslut : Originally a pop up food truck in Los Angeles, Eggslut has quickly gained a following for their original egg dishes that include the Fairfax, the Slut, and the Soho Salmon.  Most notable is the Slut, which is eggs poached in a glass jar with silk smooth potato puree, which reminds us of an amuse bouche dish you would get at a really fancy meal.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten : Here you can get a JG burger slider, any burger we've ever had at a Jean-George restaurant is a burger you wish you can have, well all the time!  The JG Burger has avocados, pepperjack cheese, and Russian dressing.

George Mendes's Aldea : Portugese Food - one of the finest heartiest cuisines in the world is generally not too easy to find even in New York City.  We can only wish we saw more casual yet delicious Portugese food in NYC but this is a good start indeed.

Duck Rice Dish from Aldea