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As many have likely seen by now, there was a scathing review of Jordan Kahn’s newest offering, Meteora. Days before it was published, my husband, sister-in-law and I ran into the two Michelin starred chef at its helm and complimented him on a wonderful experience, thanking his wife for the delectable inspiration of the rice dish on Meteora’s menu.
In researching this particular writer’s past restaurant reviews, featured were casual restaurants with simple offerings which, in comparison to Meteora’s complex menu and earthy decor, is a rapid departure from the writer’s repertoire.
Jordan Kahn stopped by every table, including ours, and explained the ingredients in each of the dishes ordered and why he incorporated them in the dinner set.
Perhaps the writer did not have that benefit during his visit. One needs to have a wide range of culinary experience from extensive travels and have an appreciation and understanding of history, culture and traditions which are all celebrated and highlighted at Meteora.
Was Meteora expensive? Yes. Were unusual and unfamiliar pairings served? Yes. Was there a purpose and message for each of the offerings? Yes.
I have traveled to 31 countries, including 4 trips to the Yucatán Peninsula and sampled a wide range of of dishes at restaurants on every end of the budgetary spectrum. I can wholeheartedly recommend Meteora as a dining experience that should not be missed.
The dishes are beautifully and artfully presented, and the combination of flavors is just exquisite.
Admittedly, Meteora caters to those with cultured, diversified and upscale tastes. It is not for everybody, but if you are looking to experience simple dishes reimagined while sitting within a beautiful Tulum inspired setting, then Meteora should be your next fine dining destination.
htuesday says: I come from a fine dining background, have traveled the world, and cook at a Michelin star.
Everything at Meteora is aggressively mediocre. Every dish has so many herbs and spices, and tries to be so many different cultures and cuisines at once, that everything tastes completely muddled. Sure, it’s interesting, but is it… good?
Kahn was at his best when he had some limits on his creativity–like at Red Medicine or Destroyer. Even Vespertine when it was take-out only during COVID. I will say this was better than any meal I’ve ever had _at_ Vespertine, but that’s a low bar in terms of food quality.
Grace says: Thanks so much for your comments and apologies for the delayed response. I’m finally getting around to editing my Paris blog from last summer which is pretty extensive and includes a review of all the restaurants we visited so stay tuned! With that said, I have only been to Meteora once, and I would need to return again though I believe the format has changed since my initial visit so it won’t be an apples to apples comparison. I can’t say I have ever tried Red Medicine or Destroyer and as you pointed out, I have only tried Vespertine during pandemic times. However, the Infatuation review was much too harsh and likely was written on a day when Kahn was not there to explain the background and historical inspiration for the dishes and perhaps service was not at its best. In response to your question, was it good? Yes, the starters and entrees were good and yes, they were different and some of the dishes, like the fish, chicken and rice were exquisite. The only thing that was not good was the dessert which was not included in my blog. Meteora is a place where one goes with an expense account or to try something different and for us, it was the latter. We checked it off the list. I think people should experience it at least once and see for themselves, but a disparaging review only hurts the restaurant business. We are empathetic to chefs and cooks as we have several friends who are chefs and restauranteurs who struggled during the pandemic. Everybody deserves a chance to rise from the ashes, and that is the sentiment I want to put out into the world.
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