BWW Preview: TURNTABLE ROCK CAFE & LOUNGE Opens on 5th Avenue

Turntable Rock Café & Lounge is a new Korean Gastropub featuring a high-fidelity custom sound system, from Kiyoung Lee-owner of Turntable Chicken Jazz and Turntable LP Bar & Karaoke-and new Partner Jeremy Seong, owner of the East Village's Thursday Kitchen. Executive Chef David Kwon, a Korean chef and CIA graduate who has cooked at Soogil (2-star NYT) and Brasserie Seoul, created the menu and runs the kitchen. As with all of Mr. Lee's restaurants, Turntable Rock Café & Lounge was inspired by his lifelong passion for music, but this location is dedicated to his first love, rock n' roll. He aims to share that appreciation with his guests, and to provide a casual hangout for unwinding with great food, great music and good friends.

Mr. Lee is a DJ, record collector and world-traveling audiophile. His love affair with music began in highschool when he was bitten by the rock n' roll bug, and began an LP collection that would later grow to awe-inspiring proportions. In his early 20's he designed and opened a small music café in Korea where he DJ'd from his collection. Following in his father's footsteps, he entered into the architecture business and eventually immigrated to the U.S., bringing along his still-growing collection of 3,000+ LPs. Here he dove into the concert scene, attending as many shows as possible across the U.S.-a highlight for him was The Animals-before settling in NYC and opening R Design Company on the 2nd floor of a building on 5th Ave. He was using part of the space as storage for his LP collection, but deciding it would be more enjoyable to share his music with the public, he moved the office to the 3rd floor and transformed the original space into a restaurant where he could play the vinyl, thus beginning the Turntable saga. Two locations later, a friend introduced him to Jeremy Seong, a passionate and creative restaurateur, professional musician and fashion-enthusiast, and the two became partners in this latest project. Seong brings a stylish, energetic element and operations-savvy to the table.

Executive Chef Kwon uses his fine dining background to create simple, unpretentious yet perfectly-executed Korean gastropub fare. The vibe is decidedly fun and casual, as there is no table service and food will be served on disposable plates. His menu features dishes meant for sharing and pairing with ice cold beer; fried chicken is a specialty prepared in the traditional Korean style (light, balanced batter), available in plain or slightly sweet soy garlic; fried calamari is placed over a bed of mesclun and kale, drizzled with spicy sauce, sweet mayo and lemon vinaigrette; and kimchi fries feature shoestring fries smothered in sautéed kimchi, applewood smoked bacon, jalapeno, cilantro and sour cream. Other options include crispy boneless popcorn chicken tossed in sweet chili and orange zest, veggie or pork dumplings, fried oysters with katsuobushi, katsu sauce and wasabi aioli, and the Ain't Slider (4 oz beef patty, lemon aioli, gochujang bbq sauce, lettuce, pickle, red onion, tomato and white cheddar. Also not to be missed are the 5th Ave. Tacos; two to an order, they come with one stir fried spicy pork (corn tortilla, gochujang marinated pork, perilla leaf, scallion, pickled radish, shallot chips) and one aloha bulgogi (corn tortilla, soy sauce marinated thinly sliced beef brisket, pineapple, scallion, red onion, queso).

Beverages include a variety of canned and bottled beers, and draft options that use the Bottoms Up system, which fills cups from the bottom up using a special magnet. A concise list of red and white wine by the glass, in addition to well-priced mid-range bottles, is also available, and cold sake by the cup. A full bar offers a compliment of creative cocktails, and slush machines allow for boozy frozen drinks.

Interior Design: The industrial-chic space was designed entirely by Mr. Lee, featuring concrete floors and walls, wooden tables, high ceilings, and a catwalk that displays his LP collection, which these days numbers over 50,000. Walking around the space, guests will find vintage rock concert posters from all of the icons (many of them signed), including The Beatles, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Marley. A photo of pioneering audio engineer James B. Lansing hangs on the wall opposite the bar, an homage to creator of the speakers that fill Turntable with crisp, high-fidelity sound. And anchoring the entire space, presiding authoritatively above the open kitchen at the back of the restaurant, lies a JBL Paragon speaker cabinet, an iconic and lusted-over speaker first created in 1957, known for its limited production and world-class sound. Stacks of dormant high-end receivers and audio equipment are also placed decoratively around the space. Large projectors beam black and white movies and other graphics onto the walls, adding an element of otherworldliness to the experience.

Vibe/Programming: Turntable Rock Café & Lounge will featuring a rotating list of DJs spinning music ranging from 80's and 90's rock and pop to contemporary house and dance music. Weekly events will be scheduled including potential karaoke nights, wine/sake promotions and party nights. Forthcoming is a front takeout area offering fried chicken, salads and drinks to go.

Turntable Rock Café & Lounge is located at 290 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001. Call them at 212-967-2323 and visit: http://www.turntablecafelounge.com/.

Follow them on Instagram @turntablerock.

Photo Credit: Jason Greenspan

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