Dining with Deborah: Jonathan Morr’s New Restaurant, Cherry

They say you can’t call yourself a New Yorker until you’ve lived in New York for ten years. Well, I say you aren’t a New Yorker until you’ve frequented Jonathan Morr’s establishments. I’ve danced all night at APT, I’ve eaten deadly blowfish at Bond Street, and tonight, I ventured into Morr’s newest restaurant, Cherry, tucked below the Downtown Dream Hotel.

According to Morr, the name Cherry alludes to two things: the Asian influences in the food (cherry blossoms are prominent in Japanese culture) and also something… more naughty. A quick glance at the menu and I quickly understand. Exotic, decadent dishes like uni with poached egg, wagyu tartar with truffle oil, and foie gras gyoza take me on a culinary journey equipped with my very own sake sommelier.

Since Cherry and the Downtown Dream hotel are very much NYC hot spots, I ask Morr to play a game with me:

DZ: Name a dish for these customers. The model on a diet?
JM: Tuna Tarts, they are thin and light.

DZ: The playboy?
JM: An aphrodisiac like Foie Gras Gyoza. They are naughty, delicious, and sweet, like sex in your mouth.

DZ: The billionaire dare devil?
JM: Uni Poached Egg because of the sea urchin.

DZ: The foodie taking food porn pictures?
JM: The sushi/sashimi platter is visually impressive.

Check out pictures below!