For a Taste of Opulence, Make Your Way to Hutong

The cavernous dining room at Hutong

There are fancy restaurants in New York that bring a specific cuisine to the forefront and fuse it with typical American flair [and fare], and then, there are restaurants that make you forget you’re in the city altogether. Hutong does neither of those things. You’re constantly reminded of where you are and of the melting pot that makes New York so great, and even more, you’re pushed to question every meal you’ve had and why you’ve only had it prepared that one way.

Simply stated, head to Hutong if you’re adventurous.

Nestled in the middle of towering skyscrapers that give way to the honks of cars rearing to get onto the Queensboro Bridge, Hutong brings a new meaning to lush dining. Even the location is an adventure in itself: located in the Beacon Courtyard on 59th St between Lex and 3rd, the first thing you’ll see are massive doors that give way to a seemingly endless black carpet branded with the Hutong logo.

The Dim Sum platter featuring the following dumplings: lobster squid-ink, pickled wild chili shrimp, seafood and lily bulb, and vegetarian spinach

Upon checking in with the four hosts at the contemporary art deco-inspired desk, you’ll be ushered into a cavernous room filled with luxe blue leather booths and gilded ornaments lining the floor-to-ceiling mirrors and windows. The large footprint may serve well to tell you about the pretty penny you’ll drop on dining tonight– but I promise it’ll be all worth it.

The contemporary Northern Chinese-inspired menu, complete with different pairings of ingredients and dishes that make you reconsider everything you’ve eaten before this moment, is extensive as the concoctions are exquisite. Just at first glance, I, the daughter of immigrant parents who religiously stuffed me with zucchini flowers and fried calamari, experienced some sort of epiphany upon reading the words “calamari flowers” on the menu’s first page. I had barely glanced at the words– now somewhat meaningless as I experienced the ending of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind while I recalled every iteration of zucchini and calamari I’ve had in my life– and wondered how I would combine them and in however many ways. I was hooked. My first thought wasn’t even to look at the dishes to order, but just point out fantastic combinations.

Dim sum choices for days

Wagyu Beef Millefeuille? A dessert I have grown to sneak bites out of the pastry box during holidays, but with wagyu beef? Unbelievable. Kung Pao Iberico Pork with cashews and apples? Two distinctly different cuisines now combined together in a takeout fave? Unthinkable. And let’s not forget the myriad of dim sum options that range from eccentric to spectacular. For the bold, how about lobster squid-ink dumplings or dry-aged beef xiao long bao? Perhaps some iberico pork dumplings or kou shui chicken crispy dumplings might suit you instead? Maybe you want all of the above, in which case the dim sum platter is made for you.

This was how the night went between myself and my chef and wine-industry friends– completely shouting over each other as we discovered yet another curious creation. These were all of course complemented with even more extravagant cocktails that left us craving more. The Comfortably Numb is a testament to treating dining as a full-body experience, with my lips going from tingly to numb by the end of the multi-hour dinner thanks to the Sichuan peppercorn. The Shanghai Margarita combines yuzu, pineapple and serrano pepper with mint and basil into a delicious spicy herbal cocktail. For the more savory among us, the Beacon Manhattan offers a new twist with Croatian liquor and Grand Marnier, all the while the Smoked Dan Dan Old Fashioned truly stole the show by mixing bourbon with peanuts, maple, sesame, mole bitters, and Sichuan peppercorn.

The making of the Dan Dan Old Fashioned

With drinks in hand, we started the night with the dim sum platter, which includes two each of the following dumplings: lobster squid-ink, pickled wild chili shrimp, seafood and lily bulb, and vegetarian spinach. We weren’t dim sum’ed out yet, so we then ordered some of the even more interesting dumplings: the dry-aged beef xiao long bao, Iberico pork, and rosé champagne shrimp. And each of course was better than the last.

Crispy Peking duck with tender fatty meat

Then it was time for the Peking duck: a fatty and tender pink meat surrounded by a crispy skin that almost seemed to melt as soon as you opened your mouth. The duck was served in two stages, the first came with accoutrements that elevated your dining experience: pancakes and a fruity hoisin sauce that perfectly complemented the fatty meat. The second then came in a lettuce leaf cup with diced duck meat that paired well with the sauces provided before.

For our sides, we ordered the four season French beans that came with fresh chili, minced pork, and dried baby shrimp that added an even additional layer of spice to the meal. The Kung Po Prawns entered our table into a debate into what constitutes giant prawns and if there is a category greater than giant to describe the sheer size of these prawns, coated in dried chili and garlic.

Wagyu Beef Millefeuille

And the creme de la creme came from the Wagyu Beef Millefeuille. In addition to being an innovative, out-of-the-box creation, it tasted exactly what you expected it to taste like– and that’s what made it so interesting. I was eating a heavenly puff pastry made with perfectly symmetrical gold-brown flakey sheets gently enveloping a rich Wagyu beef inside. It wasn’t just a side dish, it was a luxurious dish that transported us beyond the New York City restaurant in which we found ourselves sitting, with its gilded walls and a hallway lined with a floor-to-ceiling wine rack as you made your way to the bathroom. The Wagyu Beef Millefeuille, much like Hutong, is a testament to the perfect balance of crispiness and creaminess, of opulence inside and crunchy outside. If you’re looking to experience the dichotomy for yourself, Hutong is the place to be.