P*Ong: Your love of the vintage Atari game notwithstanding, West Village newcomer, P*Ong features cocktails that will h*ave you see*ing s*tars, and small plate masterpieces that indicate it’s shaping up to leave more than just a green blip on the screen scene. The brainchild of self-taught pastry chef Pichet Ong, P*Ong (so now it makes sense) is the slickest new kid on the block. Placed in Chelsea or MePa, it would hardly inspire the batting of an eyelash, but in this subdued residential area, it’s kind of a fish-out-of-water, despite the somewhat tired old formula of requisite orange lighting, pod-style furniture, and menu items worthy of their own culinary SAT exam. Drinks like the Bangkok Margarita, $12 (reposado tequila, fresh pineapple, ginger juice, agave, aleppo pepper), and the Roses, $12 (cava, rose petals, gold mist), scream that ready or not, pre-war is quickly becoming post-modern…yet again. |
