Nobody is going to go to Chop Suey for the food. You can get better versions of this pan-Asian fare at Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Spice Market, or at consulting chef Zak Pelaccio’s own Fatty Crab.
But in a city woefully short on spectacle restaurants, everyone will want to go to Chop Suey for the view. The place is so small and dark, so surrounded by glass, that you feel you’re swimming in a fishbowl in the center of Times Square. Neon signs wink and flash thrillingly around you.
The service is pleasant, the food fine. The menu wanders across Asia, picking up noodles with roast pork and chiles from China, bo ssäm (oysters, bacon and kimchi wrapped in lettuce) from Korea, fried shishito peppers from Japan (they would be a lot better without the bottarga sprinkled on top). There’s an innocuous tofu hot pot and a giant burger topped with kimchi and aioli (which many will order on the side).
The thought of eating in a Marriott Hotel in the middle of Times Square makes most New Yorkers queasy, and despite good reviews, the place has been pretty empty. My guess is that this won’t last; where else can you go to feel the pulse of the city throbbing so insistently around you?
Chop Suey 714 Seventh Ave., New York, NY (212-261-5200)
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