Simon Kim is known for opening lavish and busy restaurants. It started with the 2017 launch Cotea Michelin-starred steakhouse that blends light Korean barbecue with fine dining’s attention to detail, and in the nine years since, has bolstered its expertise by adding six venues to Gracious Hospitality Management, which spans from New York City to Las Vegas, Miami and Singapore.
like Bar Chimera Opening on April 18, Kim revealed that he and his team also know what it takes to open a first-class bar. Inside a high-rise at 550 Madison Avenue, the group’s first-ever standalone bar features three concepts that highlight wine, whiskey and martinis. The three distinct bars in different corners of the room create a drinking experience that offers the same over-the-top pleasure and thoughtful touches that first made New Yorkers fall in love with Côte d’Or. Kokodak.
While guests can order from all menus, regardless of where they are seated, the room is divided so that each space reflects its own drink ambiance. A stylish bar with chrome accents and a mirrored back bar is the place to focus on a martini, oversized bar stools provide a place to sit with a glass of wine, and a cozier area across the room houses the whiskey library. In the center of the room, a full-grown pine tree extends to the top of the multi-story vaulted ceilings, further emphasizing the bar’s imposing stature.
The bar joins two other restaurants from the team within the same building. A second Kut location can be found down a dark staircase near the wine bar, and an omakase counter run by celebrity chef Masahiro Yoshitake will open in the fall upstairs.
Throughout my visit, it was clear that every detail of the bar had been carefully considered, including, for example, when I watched the team seamlessly place a stool next to each table as guests took their seats and offered a complimentary round of coconut water, ginger and hibiscus drinks so everyone would have something refreshing to sip on while perusing the menu.
The martini menu is perhaps the best example of the team’s obsessive dedication. A quarter of each martini is water from melted ice, a fact printed at the top of the martini section on the menu. With this in mind, the team tasted 50 different types of filtered and bottled water with different pH and mineral levels before landing on their chosen water. Filtered tap water is remineralized and frozen into the ice that contributes to the making of each martini. While it’s hard to say if this ingredient is what moves the needle, martinis are elevated versions of classics. Variations like Vesper and Alaska make up one aspect of the menu, but guests can also craft their own custom version by choosing from select vodka and gin options and pairing it with their choice of four different olives, pickled onions, or lemon peel.
Behind the whiskey bar, guests have access to more than 200 bottles, including extremely rare finds such as Johnnie Walker’s white label, dating back to before World War I. Classic cocktails and liqueurs like Manhattans or the sumptuous Big Pappy, an Old Fashioned with 12-year Pappy Van Winkle, Okinawa sugar, and Angostura bitters for $275, make up the bulk of the menu. However, they do not leave out those who are looking for something lighter. If that’s your thing, try the Super Creamsicle, which pairs Hibiki Harmony with cream soda and orange citrate.
Gracious Hospitality is known for its extensive wine program, and Bar Chimera’s, led by Executive Beverage Director Victoria James and Wine Director Andrea Morris, follows suit. More than 50 wines by the glass highlight star regions, from Champagne to Burgundy and Bordeaux. While there are plenty of ways to go off the list of more than 1,200 bottles, options by the glass range from an $18 glass of California Sauvignon Blanc to a $370 glass of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, with something at every price point in between. The team even took an interest in the often overlooked fortified wines, digging in to curate a collection of vintage Madeira wines dating back to 1835.
Putting drinks at the forefront does not mean that the group has turned a blind eye to the food portion of the menu. There’s a great selection of raw bars like the generous Chimera plateau and the full caviar service, but the surprise star of the small bites is the pretzel service. Inspired by a delicious viral treat in Japan and South Korea, the bar’s signature bread is wrapped around a stick of butter and baked so that the inside of this croissant-like roll is lightly fried at the base, making it incredibly rich.
The Dinner at Chimera ($95) eliminates the need to decide with a set menu that starts by covering the table with snacks like gildas, Wagyu bresaola wrapped around Sugarkiss cantaloupe, and crispy octopus with ganjung aioli. The spread of dishes provides exactly what we all want when dining at a restaurant: thoughtful hospitality and a little excess.
The menu also includes a selection of entrees from options like the Imperial Wagyu steak with crispy suet fries, the Chicken Paillard with salsa verde, or the signature burger with a USDA Prime patty. Like all meals in the restaurant group, the meal ends with individual portions of light service reminiscent of orange crème brûlée.
From my seat tucked in the corner, I could see every corner of the room working like a well-oiled machine. It was easy to forget that Bar Chimera had only been open for four days, but that’s what happens when you have leadership with over a century of collective experience at the helm.
In an area with few bars deemed destination-worthy, Chimera Bar is poised to become a neighborhood staple and could lure me downtown with its thoughtful drink menus and first-class hospitality.
