A Frank Bruni review in the NY Times of Momofuku Ssam Bar nets two stars for David Chang’s establishment. Bruni praises Ssam Bar for its no-nonsense emphasis on the taste and excitement of the food and for eschewing the rituals and stuffiness that usually accompany fine dining:

By bringing sophisticated, inventive cooking and a few high-end grace notes to a setting that discourages even the slightest sense of ceremony, Ssam Bar answers the desires of a generation of savvy, adventurous diners with little appetite for starchy rituals and stratospheric prices.

The best move for Momofuku Ssam Bar was taking its late-nite “gourmand” menu and making it the standard menu for dinner. I was there about a month ago and the scene is as lively as ever. Here’s the article from New York Magazine which gives some insight into that decision and the initial troubles that Ssam Bar had when it opened last summer. I definitely agree that the initial idea of a “Korean Chipotle” would have fared much better in Midtown, sort of like how Cafe Duke, a Korean-run food court, rakes in the cash day after day from corporate workers. But then we wouldn’t have the culinary excitement on the Ssam Bar menus as we do today.

Eater.com has a post written by David Chang about “what it would mean” if he got 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 stars from Bruni. And since two stars was what he got, Tuesday night must have been flowing with alcohol: “If it’s a good two-star, expect to see amazing acts of drunken buffoonery on Tuesday night. Wednesday will not be the best time to eat at either Momofuku as both kitchen crews will be nursing major hangovers. Major.”