Create-your-own, or build-your-own tasting menu restaurants...?

[Andrassebestyen89]

Hi All,

I'm hoping to compile a list of restaurants that let you create your own / build your own tasting menu's or multi-course menus from any combination of dishes on the menu. The concept of ordering multiple half portions works too, just no Tapas restaurants.

I've been to Wallse and Barbone that both allow this type of thing... Can you please list more that do this?

Thanks so much!

[deepfry7]

I'm kind of surprised no NYC restaurants have a menu & pricing schema like Gary Danko's out in SF. They list out a traditional menu format of apps, seafood mains, and meat mains. You can choose ANY 3 for $72, 4 for $92, or 5 for $107.

I suppose Jean Georges lunch is kind of like that (ignoring that new $8 surcharge that was just posted about recently, that I had never been charged as well).

[Andrassebestyen89]

Thanks for all the responses so far! Will try many of these! All further suggestions are of course welcome! Thanks

[bluesky22]

How about Mas Farmhouse? They have a 4-course option where you can choose one appetizer, two entrees and one dessert off the menu. Everything I've had there so far has been great too.

[ellenost]

Jungsik would be perfect for you since most of their dishes are offered both full size and half size. You could compose your own tasting menu with the half size dishes. At least that's my plan on my next visit.

[sgordon]

You can theoretically do this at most higher-end restaurants where you're not locked into a prix fixe - just go with a bunch of apps, and assuming you're dining with a partner most better places will split entrees for you if you like. I've done it at Babbo and many Japanese places - I've had great meals that way at Morimoto, Soto, and Kyo Ya.

Jehangir Mehta's places - Graffiti and Mehtaphor - are good for that kind of thing.

Some of the mid-range Boulud places can be good for that - Boulud Sud, Bar Boulud (I'm not a fan of DBGB, but I suppose you could do a make-your-own sausage tasting in the bar room there...)

Empellon Cocina's fare tends to be pretty share-able.

There's Chris Santos' places - Beauty & Essex and Stanton Social.

Momofuku Ssam Bar is always great for that sort of thing - Noodle Bar a little less so, but it's still doable. When I go with a friend, we'll usually do seven or eight courses at Ssam Bar.

Recette and WD-50 are good choices as well.

If you're dining alone, that's a different matter. You could do some of the above sticking to apps (or in the case of a place like Soto, everything is small-ish) but unless a resto specifies they do half-portions it'd be tough to do a real "tasting menu" type of thing solo.

[kathryn]

7-8 courses at Ssam Bar?! Wow. We do like 5, including some oysters, buns, a country ham, a seasonal dish and a full entree.

[foodwhisperer]

Good response, I have done same at all the places you mentioned. All good places. ( I'm no fan of DBGB)

[Scott_C]

The bar menu at Picholine consists of smaller portions of the a la carte selections, so you would be able to compose your own tasting menu of sorts.

[kathryn]

Recette does this. Even though the menu doesn't explicitly say it, they'll let you customize the chef's tasting.

Bar Room at the Modern does 1/2 entree sizes as well.

If you dine at the bar at WD-50, you can choose dishes a la carte from either tasting menu. "Bar diners can order either of the above menus or any two courses for $25; additional courses can be added at $15 per course from either menu."