Zagat: The General Brings Modern Asian Cuisine To The Bowery
Updated: 02/10/2013 12:08 PM
By: Kelly Dobkin - Zagat
The General, a new restaurant on the Lower East Side Manhattan serving small-plate cuisine inspired by the foods of modern Asia. Zagat editor Kelly Dobkin filed the following report.
Located in the former Crash Mansion space on Bowery and Spring, The General is the newest eatery from EMM Group attached to nightclubs Finale and Bow.
"We’re situated between the Lower East Side and Chinatown, which is almost the perfect location for an Asian-style restaurant," says Huynh.
Huynh, who is also the executive chef at Catch in both New York and Miami, designed The General’s small plates-driven menu, which is modern Asian.
"The menu is modern Asian influence. I took a little bit of inspiration from Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and kind of made it into my interpretation as what I’d like to see each dish as," Huynh says. "My favorite dishes are definitely the crispy beef, the miso-bourbon sea bass and the Cinderella rice. Baked sea bass, I love it because the fish is flaky and tender. It’s made with bourbon and real maple and miso, all roasted up until it's lightly caramelized. I love it."
The sprawling space features wrought-iron red chairs, black lacquered table tops and exposed subway tile columns and is broken up into three sections.
"Up front we have the cafe area, in which we'll take walk-ins, and then there's a pastry bar there also. Then in the middle part, there's a huge bar where you can get a drink and a bite, and then there’s a main dining room which is huge," Huynh says. "At EMM group we're known for these stands in the middle of the table which is kind of like a small lazy susan. Our style is mostly shared plates. We created these little stands so we can save room and have multiple plates at the table and not have it so crowded. So it's a great way to share food."
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