Twin Tails joins sister restaurant Bad Roman in Columbus Circle
Quality Branded is behind some of the buzziest spots in town: the eye-catching (and self-billed unhinged) Italian eatery, Bad Roman, Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli’s perpetually busy Italian restaurants, Don Angie and San Sabino, and the landmark for all things steak, Smith & Wollensky. Their latest recently opened its doors in Columbus Circle, this time, flying through the cuisines of Southeast Asia.
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Located on the same floor as the sister restaurant, Bad Roman, Twin Tails is now open in The Shops at Columbus Circle. Designed by AvroKo—the design group behind Michelin-starred SingleThread in Napa and New York’s Zou Zou’s, another Quality Branded restaurant—the 140-seat eatery takes us back to the heyday of dining in NYC in the 1980s. We are talking marbled floors, yellow upholstered banquettes and mirror-paneled walls, once used to check your shoulder pads, now used to snap a few pics.
Developed by chef/partner Craig Koketsu, the restaurant leans on the flavors found in Thailand and Vietnam, with layovers in Cambodia and Laos along the way. Raw offerings start with Yellowtail Tuna with a watermelon nuoc cham or fish sauce and Kusshi Oysters topped with a spiced calamansi shaved ice. Trading out tossed tableside Caesars, waiters instead prepare the Papaya & Kumquat Salad. Grinding garlic and chili in a mortar and pestle, the salad invites an Instagram moment, eye-watering be damned. But if salad doesn’t exactly excite you, the King Crab and Uni Buns definitely will.
Several mains are dedicated to the sea, including the Grilled Branzino spooned with a Mekong salsa verde and the Crispy Garlic Shrimp that nods to the famed Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. Looking to share a few dishes? The Cho Long Duck comes with steamed crepes and all the accouterments, like red curry, tamarind jam and nam jim, so you can dress it up as you like.
As for the bar, that goes to beverage director Bryan Schneider. Shaking up saffron-infused gibsons at Chez Zou to Campari shots in toy cars at Bad Roman, Schneider approached the cocktail menu here with an international eye, picking up various flavors and combos across the region. Teeter up to the marble-heavy bar for Salted Lychee Martinis or a few Bangkok Screwdrivers, made with vodka, calamansi, galangal, Thai basil and chili. Desserts travel around here as well, including an Ube Creme Caramel and a Rainbow Sherbet Cake with guava, pineapple chili and graham-cashew crunchies. And if you need a pick me up after a full meal, the Thai Iced Coffee Affogato with caramel and roasted peanuts is sure to do the trick.