Openings

First Look at Josh Eden’s New Take-out Joint, Ten Ten

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Even if you live on the block, you might have toddled by Ten Ten without noticing it, so unassuming is this seemingly generic Chinese take-out. As it turns out, the joint has a fine-dining pedigree in its consulting chef-partner Josh Eden, who runs Shorty’s.32 in Soho and previously delved into haute Chinese at Xing and 66. Now, along with chef de cuisine Ryan Bartlow, late of Bar Carrera and Tailor, he’s taken on something potentially even more challenging: that iconic fact of New York life, the neighborhood Chinese take-out joint. The only thing that betrays this one’s somewhat elevated ambitions is the chalkboard-wall menu, which has what Eden calls a “modern Asian” focus, encompassing not only shrimp wonton soup and pork-belly buns, slicked with a swipe of spicy mayo, but Eden’s signature fried-garlic-flecked string-bean salad, Korean-style fried chicken, and spicy roast-duck noodles.

Counter seating runs along the room’s perimeter, and the beverage menu, for the moment, is limited to hot and cold teas, plus a trio of thick, Asian-inspired milkshakes (we recommend the honey sesame). Another thing Ten Ten has going for it: Eden’s mother, who lives nearby. “She’s a super-good networker,” Eden says. “She’s scouring Kips Bay right now, spreading the word.”

Ten Ten Menu [PDF]

Ten Ten, 413 Second Ave., nr. 24th St.; 212-951-7119

First Look at Josh Eden’s New Take-out Joint, Ten Ten