Dae — Restaurant in New York

On a rainy evening, we decided to try DAE and see what the hype was about.

TL;DR: Way too expensive for the service or the quality of food.

When we arrived at a mostly empty DAE, we were given stools instead of actual chairs, even though we requested chairs. The service vibe was odd.

The food tried to be interesting but ended up being strangely average.

The Charred Caraflex Cabbage with Doenjang Butter & Bottarga was unique. A bit messy, but decent. The Pita with Labneh and Chili Oil Honeycomb was fine. The Crispy Tofu Kimchi & Sakura Crisp Canapé was the most confusing appetizer we’ve had in a long time. We couldn’t quite identify the actual taste. The best part was our Winter Water Kimchi martini—tasty, though it was tiny for $18. Enjoy the four-sip, two-gulp martini. Finally, the Almond Tea Cake with Yuzu Whip & Crème Anglaise was actually quite refreshing.

Don’t get me wrong, nothing was bad (except maybe the seating), and I’m a big fan of adventurous fine dining.

But with four dishes and two drinks coming to $170, the flavors and...

As a Korean person, it's truly sad to see that DAE seems to take inspiration from many aesthetically great cafes in Seoul and adopted everything except for one thing Korean businesses pride themselves on: efficiency.

My partner and I walked in while we were waiting for a table at Ugly Baby next door, with about an hour in between when we walked in and us needing to be at the restaurant. There was only one couple at DAE.

We sat down and it took 30 minutes for us put in our order, while the staff were just running around aimlessly. We ordered 1 beer and 1 glass of wine. By the time it hit 55 minutes of us sitting there, our drinks still had not arrived. We decided to cancel our order and went on to eat a delicious, well-serviced meal at Ugly Baby.

So in summary, it took 55 minutes of us sitting there to not receive a single beer and wine. I'll give DAE an extra star for looking quite nice on the inside, but I would strongly avoid this place if you're looking for...

We hosted a private celebration dinner at DAE, and couldn’t have had a better experience. There were a lot of details to coordinate, from the menu to bringing in flowers and our own dessert, to some guests needing alternate dishes. And it all went beautifully! Amy and the owner Carol helped tend to every detail. The ambience was perfect for what we were looking for — clean and intimate, and the food was delicious: curry croquettes, Korean fried chicken, vegan risotto, prawns with gochujang-glazed little gem salad. The cocktails we selected for the menu (2 of which were N/A) were also so, so good and very original! I was gobsmacked at the quality of the food and presentation, and professionalism of everyone involved. It allowed us to truly enjoy the evening and focus on the occasion for our celebration. Don’t hesitate to inquire if you’re looking for a private event space, DAE did a phenomenal job hosting us...