"We serve beautiful food in a beautiful setting."
This straightforward description from Chef A. J. Pike describes Buddha Bar New York perfectly and explains the restaurants' popularity with a very celebrated clientele of famous actors, models, musicians and fashion designers. Shining gold Buddha statues greet visitors at the entrance and the restaurant's numerous dining and bar areas are beautifully decorated with Asian-influenced architectural design elements and art.
A. J. Pike is one of the creators
and founders of the renowned Buddha Bar in Paris. He opened the
Parisian original 12 years ago, and followed it with Little Buddha
at the Palms in Las Vegas and the Buddha Bar in New York. "We do
many release parties for new CD'sc we just did Christina Aguillar."
Chef Pike supervises the regularly changing menu in New York and created signature desserts, the Buddha Bar Brownie and the Cookie Plate, to match the luxurious atmosphere and clientele using Edible Gold Flake from Korin.
"The gold shines off the brownie and
off the marbled chocolate cookie that's almost like a bundt pan
cake but it's a cookie, and the center is filled with a small dot
of gold. Everyone wants to know if they can eat it! It's so very
exotic, eclectic and indulgent."
Gold flake has been used in Europe and Asia for hundreds of years to decorate food for a myriad of reasons. Gold is a symbol of prosperity, of purity and ingesting gold is considered by many to bring good fortune and health. Gold leaf and gold leaf flake shines with a warm and pleasing glow that is unique. Korin's gold flake and gold leaf products are 100% edible and will bring your presentation to a new level of opulence.
"Beauty in food and in the environment is part of my background," explains Chef Pike, "I was born and raised in Japan, where my father was in the military, and I ate Japanese food until I came to the United States, to Washington DC, when I was 14. I grew up not far from Tsukiji Fish Market and I loved watching the fish being auctioned. The cleanliness and freshness of what I experienced in Japan was remarkable. The textures in Japan - for example, the toro and the Kobe beef are both so tender they really could melt in your mouth- were amazing, as were the different cuisines, the different flavors. I especially like that in Japan there are a lot of intense flavors: the curries, the vinegars, etc., though the cuisine is so clean."
Chef Pike is well traveled and world savvy. He attended Johnson and Wales and then moved to California, working for Joyce Goldstein at Square 1 and Bradley Ogden, but it was in New Orleans, at Commander's Palace, working for the Brennan family and Emeril that A.J. thinks he really came into his own. He took a sabbatical in Australia for a year and a half, worked in Queensland and then moved to France and the Buddha Bar. But his Japanese roots have served him particularly well, giving A.J. an incomparable perspective on ingredients, cooking methods and styles.
"I grew up using Japanese knives, and I've been using knives from Korin for 15 years. At the Buddha Bar, all of our sushi equipment, so much of our tableware, and our start up kitchen equipment come from Korin. My favorite knives are a 10" Glestain Gyutou and my Masamoto Yanagi. I started off calling in my orders to Korin, then started ordering on the website. Now that I'm in New York, I can get to Korin so easilyc it's a pleasure! It's like being back in Japan for me!"