Cotra — Restaurant in New York

So Many Dishes, So Many Traumas...

On a Sunday night, we found ourselves at Cotra, drawn in by a stream of glowing reviews. We arrived a bit late, around 8:30, close to kitchen closing. Perhaps that played a role. We began with the 'addictive cabbage.' She had chosen the place, so I held my tongue. But it tasted like solid, chunky, stale vinegar with a dash of salt. Like someone tried to ferment disappointment. Next came the hamachi, floating in a turbid swamp. Still, my lovely companion reached for soy sauce, trying to coax it across the line into something edible. The salmon poke had the consistency and (I suspect) the taste of end-stage tuberculosis phlegm. The servers brought each dish with a strange gentleness, a kind of hesitation that bordered on shame. They know, I thought. We soldiered on. The tuna on crispy rice had an uncanny resemblance to the taste of a solid burp. That’s when I cracked. “This might be one of the worst meals I’ve ever had,” I said. We both started laughing. We ended with a salmon roll that looked like the flesh of a lizard, picked at by vultures and left to sun-dry in the desert for, at a minimum, several days. She couldn’t bring herself to taste it. But afterward, I found myself in awe. This is a genius chef. To create dishes that so precisely channel the full spectrum of burp is no small feat: Addictive cabbage: pure stomach acid, after a day of fasting, burp. Hamachi in the swamp: the “I definitely ate something bad” feeling burp. Salmon poke: bad head-cold burp. Tuna on crispy rice: garlicky lamb kebab burp. Salmon roll: hangover, after burritos at 4 a.m. from a stand outside the club, burp. Genius. Truly. If we’re here to experience the full range of existence, we must also have restaurants that serve us this. It will stay with me longer than a dozen excellent meals. I will forever hold Cotra...

THIRD VISIT: APRIL 2024 This time we bought the vegetarian. She loved it! We had some repeat dishes: Hamachi, the potatoes, the addictive cabbage, The Caesar which was slightly off last night. The dressing didn't seem to be quite as good although the salad is stunning looking.

We tried the edamame for the first time, the spicy tuna crispy on crispy rice. All good!

The gem was the fried mushrooms. The vegetarian had not been able to have calamari since she gave up meat and she adored it.

We had the mazemen with pork and she had the veggie version.

SECOND VISIT: NOVEMBER 2023 We had a second solid visit the other night. In addition to ordering the cabbage, potatoes, Caesar, and the hamachi again, we had the curried mussels, drunken shrimp and the skirt steak. Loved the seafood dishes! The flavor on the steak was very good. That cut is notoriously chewy.

Service was great. Acoustics are weird. It wasn't busy, but I could hear people who were at the bar like we were dining with them.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: JUNE 2023

COTRA izakaya is open for dining where Montes was at 451 Carroll Street. Great addition to the neighborhood. The food was good and perfect with drinks. My favorite things were the addictive cabbage, the okonomi fried potatoes, the fried mushrooms, the Caesar salad and the hamachi crudo. The fried Chicken was just okay, The only weak dish was the pork chop which was kind of bland and not hot although it was very tender. Everything looked amazing!

Boyfriend liked the matcha crepe cake which was way too intense and tannic for me. The one from Lady M is much creamier and lighter and that's more appealing to me.

It's early days and we would...

Beautiful cozy izakaya so close to home. Have been following their Instagram for a while now and I’m mad I haven’t visited sooner. The food looks so good and the actual experience of eating it is even better. I’ve had my eyes on the matcha sour cocktail for a while and it certainly came through. One of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. The Cesar salad with daikon chips is my favorite Cesar salad now. It’s quite big too. The goma appetizer was a mystery but when we found out it was yellowtail sashimi we ordered it up. It knocked other yellowtail apps out of the park. The garlicky shrimp was excellent too but be prepared to navigate your way around the whole shell situation. I’m good at that, my partner not so much 😂. Then we got both mazumens - the soft shell crab and the mushroom and wow the noodles are so good! I preferred the mushroom for the flavor and the runny egg on top but if you’re a fan of soft shell crab, definitely try the crab mazumen. Will certainly be coming back to this cozy, beautiful, delicious haven of goodness very soon to try everything else on the menu - so happy it’s in the...