Michael Viscuso’s five-story nightlife destination isn’t all dancing and DJ’s—Chef Troy Thompson serves up A-list Asian fare with flair at the second floor’s restaurant.

The massive crowds enter The Kress’ nightclubs through the venue’s back entrance in the parking lot, most not realizing that a dining destination hotspot inhabits the space below their partying palace.  With a kitchen helmed by former Ritz Carlton guru, Troy Thompson, the menu is fresh and interactive.  A sushi bar on the mezzanine level run by Executive Sushi Chef Travis Kamiyama completes the Pan-Asian dining experience.

The menu is prepared each day by Chef Thompson with a Bento Box that rotates samplings of five specialty appetizers—the highlight was the fresh ahi poke, but we shied away from the lobster shumai.  Presentation is paramount at The Kress where entrees are served on heated granite stone plates.  Special sides like the perfectly seasoned wasabi shrimp skewers with sesame sauce or the Wagyu beef are brought to the table raw along with a rock heated at a sizzling 500∞ so diners can cook the dish to their own liking.  We know we’re supposed to try a little bit of everything at these dinners, but we were greedy when our bone-in NY strip steak came to the table—it was the only empty plate by the end of the night. 

To punctuate the interactive dining experience, order the chocolate fountain fondue.  Made exclusively for The Kress, a portable, cordless chocolate fountain flows for half an hour as diners dip an array of fruit, marshmallows, and brownies.  Where else can you have your very own chocolate fountain flowing at your dinner table?  OK, Kress, we’re impressed.—Stephanie Ocampo