NEW FRONTIERS: Ethnic Goes Upscale

Yeah, we hate the condescension of the word “ethnic” too, but basically, we’ve seen second (and sometimes first) generation talent from many cultures, such as Hooni Kim at New York’s Danji, take their Western-honed culinary chops to create updated, sophisticated ethnic food. More examples include super-casual Portland Korean restaurant, Biwa, upscale casual spots like Seattle’s Revel and June, New York’s updated eclectic Graffiti and fine-dining Indian Junoon. Assistant Professor Krishnendu Ray from NYU’s School of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health has been studying the time lapses between big immigration waves from a country and that country’s cuisine reaching fine dining levels, with results that more or less support what we’ve observed this year—ethnic cuisines that until now had very few upscale restaurants in major markets in the United States are starting to demand long overdue attention.