When I was in second grade, my elementary school principal convinced my parents that children should not watch TV on weekdays. Naturally, I developed a crippling, lifelong obsession with television.
Twenty-six years later, I’ve watched enough TV to be wary of spinoffs. Most don’t live up to the success of the I.P. that inspired them (“Joey,” “How I Met Your Father,” “And Just Like That …”). But then a show like “Better Call Saul” or “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” comes along and equals or outshines its predecessor.
Apply this formula to restaurants and you can make the case for sticking to what’s tried-and-true: There has only ever been, and only need ever be, one Keens Steakhouse. But if Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya had stopped at Adda Indian Canteen, we wouldn’t have Dhamaka, Masalawala & Sons, Rowdy Rooster or Semma. In that spirit, I thought I would highlight three brand-new spinoffs of wildly popular and singular restaurants — Cote Korean Steakhouse, Don Angie and Miss Ada — and determine whether they live up to the original.
Coqodaq
When early coverage of this Korean fried chicken restaurant from the team behind Cote Korean Steakhouse highlighted the caviar-topped chicken nuggets, I was immediately suspicious. But I’m happy to say that’s where the gimmicks begin and end at Coqodaq. Even if you order nothing but the Bucket List dinner — chicken consommé, a small selection of banchan, two kinds of crispy, mostly-dark-meat fried chicken, cold noodles and frozen yogurt — you can get away with a satisfying, multicourse dinner for about $50 per person after tax and tip. Did I also mention that this affordable feast is delivered at lightning speed in a breathtaking dining room? If money is no object, you might add on the coleslaw, the chicken and curry and Champagne (my party of four split a $65 bottle of Crémant). But I can faithfully say that whatever you choose, you’ll be back again soon.
Verdict: As good as the original. Bonus points for the hand-washing station with fancy soaps at the front of the restaurant.
12 East 22nd Street (Broadway)
San Sabino
Let me start by saying that I generally avoid going to restaurants during the first week of business. It’s the dining equivalent of walking in on a half-dressed stranger, and it’s too early to have any definitive takes. But I did drop by this new seafood-focused restaurant from the team behind Don Angie days into its opening. Quirkiness has always been at the heart of the Don Angie ethos: a take on the Caesar made with chrysanthemum leaves, pepperoni fried rice, fior de latte mochi. But quirk can be a double-edged sword. For San Sabino dishes like the cheesy frittelle with a drizzle of orange blossom; clams tossed with aji amarillo and springy, corkscrew noodles; and mussels stuffed with nduja rice, playfulness works in their favor. But in the case of the scallop crudo in buttermilk with kiwi, not so much.
Verdict: Too soon to tell, but never judge a show by its first season.
113 Greenwich Avenue (Jane Street)
Theodora
Everything I know about impossible-to-get brunch reservations, I learned from Miss Ada, the small Israeli-Mediterranean restaurant from the chef Tomer Blechman. (Sweet potato hummus, you will always be famous.) Where Miss Ada is the friendly girl next door, Theodora is her sophisticated older sister with a poorly hidden smoking habit — that is, the restaurant’s wood-fired oven. There, beets and sweet potatoes are fired before they’re served over salsa macha and crème fraîche, laffa and pita breads are baked to order (you’ll want to get extra), and the whole fish, lamb and chicken entrees are roasted. The only real drawbacks at Theodora are its tiny entryway, and the at-times deafening volume of the music, which made it difficult to hear my friends on the other side of the table. My prayers go out to the restaurant’s upstairs neighbors.
Verdict: Better than the original once they turn down that damned racket.
7 Greene Avenue (Fulton Street)
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