NYCReview
photo credit: Kate Previte
Corima
At Corima, a record player rests in a nook of a distressed brick wall, servers in chore coats suggest five dishes for a party of two, and, all the way in the back, cooks tweeze at razor clams in a subway-tiled kitchen that features a binchotan and Pacojet.
If your shirt is now soaked in sweat, that’s good. It means you’ve developed the skills to sniff out a Trendy Small Plates Experience. In this case, however, you don’t need to break your lease and head for the hills.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
This Chinatown restaurant does a unique, Northern Mexican-inspired take on the little-bites-with-big-dreams genre. The flavors are aggressive, the ingredients are diverse, and the requisite scallop crudo semi-successfully channels aguachile. In terms of places where you’ll spend $100+ on a la carte conversation starters, it’s a solid option. But the 10-course tasting is a much better value.
Corima’s $98 tasting takes place in the back—either at a table or the chef’s counter—and it’s where the restaurant does its best work. The menu changes by season, but it might involve a doughy sope topped with poached shrimp, head cheese draped over al dente ayacote beans, or buttery mackerel that’s been blasted on a grill and dressed with mole amarillo. It’s a good amount of food, but you can also order an internet-famous flour tortilla as a supplement. Surprisingly, it’s skippable.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
Corima is best used for when you want to eat something new. The a la carte dishes aren’t very cost-effective, but the tasting is a relative deal—so swing by for a special meal that’ll restore your faith in restaurants that look like they grew up idolizing Momofuku Ko. No matter which route you go, try the fantastic uni gin sour. That’s something you won’t find at other small-plates spots.
Food Rundown
Menu Info
photo credit: Kate Previte
Botanas
photo credit: Kate Previte
Shrimp Sope
photo credit: Kate Previte
Sourdough Flour Tortilla
photo credit: Kate Previte
Beef Cecina Tlayuda
photo credit: Kate Previte