Pete Wells Thinks Cote Serves Better Beef Than Any Other Korean Barbecue in NYC

Pete Wells agrees with the general media consensus about Cote — the Times critic awarded the Flatiron Korean steakhouse two stars, declaring that the beef “is all likelihood the best at any Korean barbecue place in New York.”

The restaurant from Simon Kim and David Shim at 16 West 22nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, opened in June, and shortly after, it received three stars from Eater critic Ryan Sutton and one star from the Michelin Guide.

Wells ordered the $45 butcher’s feast several times and found that the beef here has unmatched “richness and concentrated flavor.” He also tried a sirloin that wasn’t included in the set menu:

One night I ignored the butcher’s feast path and went off-road so I could try some sirloin that had been ripening downstairs for 138 days. Steaks aged that long are often described as funky, but the word doesn’t cover this piece of meat. It tasted like something other than beef, or maybe beyond beef, more condiment than protein. At $80 for six ounces, it was not my cup of barley tea, but it may be yours.

Next time, I’ll stick to the road more traveled by. The butcher’s feast takes in most of the menu’s highlights, avoids the lowlights, and does so at a very good price for a steak supper.

Some of the non-beef items hit, like the pickled cauliflower and traditional Korean dishes such as skinny wheat noodles, but others, like a shrimp cocktail with gochujang, did not. Two stars.

• This May Be the Best Beef at Any Korean BBQ in New York [NYT]