At the forthcoming South Village restaurant King, management has contrived a number of ways to make clientele feel like royalty. There’s the “Champagne button” installed at mezzanine tables, to summon a waiter bearing coupes, an ice bucket, and a half-bottle of Veuve Clicquot for $39. There are hors d’oeuvre like Gruyère gougères with beer cream. And then there’s the Eurocentric menu assembled by chef Francis Derby, who’s worked for the likes of Paul Liebrandt, Wylie Dufresne, and David Chang. Some highlights: maple-braised snails on rye with sauerkraut, pig’s-head tortellini with Honeycrisp-apple jus and apple salad, and beef cheek on an English muffin at lunch.
