The end of the year usually brings a handful of restaurant closings in the neighborhood. 2017 was no different. The latest casualty is New York Sushi Ko, the 11-seat Omakase-style restaurant at 91 Clinton St.
The restaurant, which was a media sensation when it opened in 2013, put out the word on Instagram earlier today that Saturday, Jan. 13 would be the last night of service. Apparently, chef John Daly announced the closure a couple of months ago, but it wasn’t reported at the time.
In 2013, GQ dubbed Daley the “Sushi Bro,” calling attention to his “buzz cut and tattoos,” while acknowledging Daley’s classical training and boundary-pushing presentations. [There was spam on the $200 tasting menu.] The New York Times featured Daley (mentioning his fondness for a blow torch) in an article called “Sushi’s New Vanguard,” a trend piece on New York City’s young, cutting edge sushi innovators.
On Instagram last month, Daley seemed philosophical about the closing, saying, “There’s no guarantee that a restaurant will succeed, but you can always ensure that the chef will succeed even if the restaurant fails by being the best chef you can be. Learn from others’ mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Make mistakes. Make every mistake you can, never make the same mistake twice.”
Stop in before the new year. It was an absolute pleasure NYC…. p.s. It’s not a bad thing…
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