Golden Diner Chef Sam Yoo’s Favorite New York Date Night Spots

I go to Dim Sum Go Go as my neighborhood haunt. It’s super casual, very chill. And typically on a Friday night, Saturday night, it’s pretty empty. It’s one of the best dim sum spots and just has great Chinese food in general.

We go specifically for the vegetarian dim sum. I’m not vegetarian. That’s how good their vegetarian dim sum is. All their veggie dim sum is fire. It’s really, really tasty. I love the variety of dim sum. I also love that they’re made à la minute here versus the cart dim sum spots, so everything’s always hot, fresh, just made. [My partner and I] are big fans.

Their spring rolls — when they hit, they hit. They’re served with this black sauce which I’m almost certain has Worcestershire in there. I’m not 100% sure, but there’s definitely something funky in there.

We also get the snow pea leaf dumplings, Chinese parsley dumplings, and mushroom dumplings, which aren’t very common. The wrapper is almost paper-thin, and you can see through it. And there’s a variety of mushrooms which give it texture. I feel like there’s shiitake and wood ear, which gives it a bit of a crunchy texture. I also love the Chinese celery and carrots, which give some more crunch, which is nice. I like the earthiness from the mushrooms and the vegetal taste from the celery. It’s really lovely.

There’s also a bamboo heart dumpling that’s really delicious. I love the textures. I love the chewiness of the skin with a mochi-like texture. And then there’s a contrast with the crunchy bamboo inside.

I like to go out for cocktails and a place that I’ve recently discovered that I don’t hear people talk about too much for reasons I don’t know is called Ye’s Apothecary. It’s a beautifully designed cocktail bar, and they have a really serious food menu, too. I don’t expect to go to a cocktail bar and have amazing food, but they really execute on a high level.

What I really appreciate about this space is that it’s so beautifully designed. Every piece of lighting pendant or table or even the bathroom is just so thoughtfully designed. As a fellow restaurant owner and operator, I know how much effort and thought have been put into place. It’s just a beautiful venue. And it’s low-key. I know everyone’s into speakeasies, but they have a real speakeasy vibe. It’s on a quiet street. They have a sconce on the outside that indicates that they’re there. And then you go downstairs and it opens up into like this beautiful backroom of a bar.

What I love about their cocktails is that (a) they’re delicious, and (b) I am not a fan of baijiu, but they have six to eight baijiu cocktails that they make palatable for me. I don’t like to drink baijiu neat or straight, but with the other flavors that they combine it with, the drinks are just really complex and interesting, but still crushable.

The Forbidden City is made with Ming River baijiu, pink Sichuan peppercorn, Amaro, angostura and Palo Santo. The White Ghost has baijiu, bergamot, and dry vermouth. I’ve gotten those multiple times.

I’ll be honest, I’ve only eaten there once, but I remember eating and being like, “Why is this food so good?” We got just basic things, nothing innovative, but it was just executed so well. The fried rice was really fluffy. The Szechuan wontons were so flavorful. And the chile oil was so good. Sometimes you go to a Chinese restaurant, and you taste the chile oil, and you just get heat, but here, you get different levels of complexity.

[Owner Jenn Saesue is] a good friend. And I was really curious about what she had up her sleeve with the new project. And after going there, I’m still thinking about the fish sauce cocktail, the pork jowl fried rice, the watermelon scallop granita crudo … and just the talent that she’s recruited. And the team that she’s conducting to produce the quality of food and service that they’re putting out just got me so excited to be in New York.

I’m just so pleased when I go out now, whereas a little while back, I was just more disappointed every time I went out to eat at buzzy restaurants. But now, I’m pleasantly surprised which I feel is more difficult as you get older. Everyone’s leaning into their culture a little bit more. And they’re not being shy. For example, that fish sauce cocktail was funky, you know? And I loved it. I loved everything about it.

Generally, I prefer raw seafood when it’s served on the colder side. Here, the granita is served on top, and it’s constantly chilling the seafood. There’s also that spice from the Thai bird chiles in there. There was really a contrast where you’re eating this meaty scallop with the spicy granita that’s also slightly sweet. It just was this perfect, harmonious thing, and aesthetically, it’s just stunning.

That pork jowl fried rice was one of the best fried rice dishes I’ve ever had — even if you take out the pork jowl. I like fried rice that’s not wet, and this was on the drier side. This one had a bit of that Socarrat, nurungji (scorched rice) kind of texture but with the fluffiness of the rice. And the pork jowl was, of course, beautifully cooked and seasoned. And it put it over the top.

I just like the vibe and the energy is just so beautiful. It’s so well designed, and I’m just so proud of what she’s doing.

I found out about Ddobar maybe a year after they opened. I hadn’t been to [chef-owner Jiho Kim’s] first restaurant, Joomak Banjum. But I was like, “Oh, what’s this interesting take on Korean-style sushi slash omakase with yubu (tofu wrapper) and chobap (vinegar rice)?” And the first time I ate there, I was like, “This guy’s this guy’s a madman.” For him to create this food, bringing in his own [Korean] cuisine but also doing it in a very French fine dining kind of way, it just made me really proud. It really inspired me to lean more into my heritage in cuisine but put my own inflections in it. You know, do it my way, like how he’s doing it. I’ve eaten at a lot of these new fancy Korean spots, and they’re good, but this place was, for me, really, really great.

There was a salmon one with the everything bagel seasoning and some horseradish that stood out to me. There was another one with caviar and fatty tuna. And it was, of course, just amazing. What I really love about it is how he gets a lot of the acidity from the yubu and chobap, and the yubu is such a perfect vessel to put sushi in.

I also love this place because it’s so chill. Like you’re in a food hall. It’s so unexpected. There’s no pomp and circumstance. I didn’t grow up going to super fine-dining restaurants so it’s always a treat, but when I do, it’s not comfortable for me. Like I don’t ever crave that when I’m looking for a night off. I want comfort. And I like Ddobar’s juxtaposition of being in a food hall and having this beautiful food.