The Man Who Wants to Make the Best Martini in the World

In the near-decade since Simon Kim opened Flatiron’s Korean steakhouse Cote, the restaurateur has become one of the city’s standout empire builders. Since then, he has also become the most famous purveyor of caviar-topped chicken nuggets with his follow-up Coqodaq, and he has taken on a Cote expansion to Miami, Singapore, and Las Vegas.

His latest NYC project is his grandest yet. “This is my Sistine Chapel,” he told Grub Street, of the three-restaurants-in-one opening at 550 Madison, a skyscraper designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee that once housed the Quilted Giraffe. Here, with designer David Rockwell, Kim has his newest Cote destination, as well as Bar Chimera, with three bars each dedicated to a single specialty: wine, whiskey, or the martini at the start. His goal? “The best martini bar in the world belongs in New York City,” he tells me. Over the summer, he’ll open the third destination, Sushi Yoshitake from chef Masahiro Yoshitake. I sat down to talk to Simon about the opening.co