KO Prime and the Importance of Curiosity

KO Prime, Boston babychef Ken Oringer’s new brain child, seemed to me to be a place where the rich and famous would gather for their 90 dollar-a-filet steaks, but unlike at Smith and Wo’s, or even Ruth’s Chris, the socialites would gladly empty their wallets in the hopes of being accepted into “foodie” circles.

So I stayed away. I read their menus and cocktail offerings, and I salivated over the idea that two of the greatest in Boston, namely Jamie Bissonnette and Josh Buehler were the real generals of the kitchen at KO.

But then last night, curiosity got the better of me and I trekked over.

A note to myself- it is WAYY up tremont. I parked next to the 4 seasons and ended up almost passing out on the walk over. But enough about being out of shape.

The entrance is very chic, and leads to a dimly lit staircase that seems to spiral into the upper atmospheres of sense and taste. The bar/lounge hits you first, of which I totally approve, and its nice. Tall tables and chairs, low, leather couches and a sparingly but tastefully appointed bar looks like it might be almost as fun to work behind as to sit at.

Alyn (thats ay-linn) greets me with a mesmerizing smile, and asks what I want. I drop my benchmark “do you have eggs behind there?” question, and while she answers in the negative, she cheerfully explains that yes, this is a restaurant, so they must have some in the kitchen. Off she goes. When she returns, she explains that she doesnt actually know what to do with them, and I offer to walk her through one of the basic, but most crucial egg-white-based drinks, the Gin Flip.

MAN! She moves through the creation of this drink like she’d done it a million times before, taking instruction, but lending her own personal touch to it. When it finally rests in the glass, the meringue glistening and lightly colored with the bitters, I could detect the air of pride in her coy smile, knowing she’d pulled off a miracle.

In case you’re wondering, it was in the top 5 Flips I’ve ever had, and that includes my own and some mixed by gods and goddesses in this world.

I moved onto Jamie and Josh’s charcuterie plate, as it was getting late and the full menu was unavailable. Delicious, as I expected, but the description of each item left me tasting as hard as I could as to be able to decipher the combinations. So, Alyn- you’re cute, mix a great drink, but PAY ATTENTION in pre-meal. You’re selling the food. Cheers.

All in all, I’ll be going back, not for dinner, but for another lesson in mixology and possibly the KO burger.

I love this town.

for all your drink recipe questions and intrigue, visit www.cocktailDB.com and just browse.

~ by crispypig on August 14, 2007.