The Early Word on Co-Op Food & Drink

[Krieger]

Co-Op Food & Drink opened in late May at the Hotel on Rivington to a drippy opening party. The restaurant serves locally sourced, globally inspired cuisine to be shared at notably high prices. The walls are covered in photos of celebrities and, oh yep, it's been Deathwatch. Let's see what the internet is saying about this new spot:

The Slow News: OpenTable users are all lamenting about slow service at Co-Op Food & Drink, one of them even had to get all up in someone's face to get their table, but they still say they'd go back. An anonymous OpenTable user writes: "Loved the vibe, and the drinks were amazing. Staff was very nice but the wait for a table was really long. I had to get in their face (Which I really dont like to do) in order to get seated. Almost 2 hours after our reservation." They clearly neglect to review/mention of food though... [OpenTable]

The Defensive News: Eater commenters on the Co-Op Food & Drink Deathwatch piece were mainly talking smack about the prices and Taylor Momsen photo on the wall, however a few who had experienced the restaurant did come to Co-Op's defense. Guest #8 cries: "You guys are clueless. The decor is great and the food, albeit a little expensive, is fantastic. Give it a shot before trying to run it out of business..." Guest #18 also joins in with "You guys should really try the restaurant before writing these things. The food is great and so is the atmosphere." [~ENY~]

The Cocaine on the Floor News: Yelpers have been posting some really great reviews of Co-Op so far, however, one Yelper, known simply as J.N. is pretty sure all the other reviews are shills. J.N. writes: "It is pretty clear the first couple reviews are from the employees of this restaurant. I went Saturday night (5/21) had a 9:30 reservation, did not get sited until 10:45 then we did not have a waiter come over until 11:05. Needless to say I was getting pretty pissed, they gave me a free round of drinks and told me the food will be great. Honestly I could get that food anywhere in NYC, was just OK nothing special and definitely not worth the 90 minute wait. The scene was a good up beat atmosphere but I was going for dinner not a night club... I found out my wait for a table was because the owners and friends of the owners used their tables as a night club and had bottle service instead of letting customers sit down for dinner. I used the bathroom 2 times in my 3 hours of horror, both times the floor was covered in cocaine.. IF YOU ARE GOING OUT TO DINNER IN NYC AVOID THIS PLACE!!! You can get this food anywhere in NYC." [Yelp]

The Great News: Jean Hsu of Essential Luxuries has a seafood-centric meal at Co-Op and she loved it. She writes: "...And the Spicy Scallop Crunch Handroll was out of this world. The scallop was completely doused in a delicious spicy sauce and enriched with those little tempura crunchies that dreams are made of. A little gift from heaven wrapped in soy paper... I definitely do not agree with Eater's Deathwatch prediction of Co-op Food & Drink. I thought the food was no less than excellent and there are plenty of other items that I will need to try upon my return. My only complaint would be the steep prices (which I wouldn't mention unless they were truly noticeable), which could prevent the restaurant from fillings its many seats." [Essential Luxuries]

The Left Yearning For More News: The Oyster Blog visited Co-Op and was so impressed they left yearning for more. They write: "With elements pointing in the pretentiously obnoxious direction, what stood out the most was the hospitably friendly staff. If the goal is to please their patrons, it was reached, for even the smallest nooks were immediately attended to, providing for a top-notch dining experience... The menu covers all parts of the globe, with items intended to be shared, leaving no palate unattended to. Although the general concept of each dish is not extremely innovative, the added personal twists provide for perfect execution, in presentation and taste. Even something as simple as salmon sushi takes a creative route with the added garnishes of roasted tomato and shallot. Replace the rice with a bagel, and you have a classic breakfast staple. From the raw bar to the french fries, everything we tried blew us away. And unlike restaurants of similar style, most of the portions here are in fact shareable, justifying the slightly higher prices... First to hit our plates, the Fried Oysters with miso butter were delicate, crispy, and playfully accentuated with the yuzu marmalade. Although we typically prefer our bivalve in its natural form, this is a dish worth revisiting on any day. The A&J Braised Meatballs, named after Alan and Jason, were melt in your mouth awesomeness, justifying the duo’s confidence in putting their name on it. Hold the lettuce, for this delectable Black Cod with miso take on the more familiar sea bass version, should not be masked by any leafy vegetable. The CO-OP Chicken Lollipops, smothered in a finger-licking glaze, come bone in and ready to kick start any party. Even the fries, seasoned with restraint, had just the right amount of truffle, allowing for the crispy potato to keep its identity." [The Oyster Blog]
—Jackie Goldstein