08.29.09
Posted in Asian, Japanese, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 23:50 by Dominique
152 W.49th St. & 7th Ave., 212-764-8549
Great for: pre-theatre dining, izakaya food, sharing with a small group
Snowboarding Guy had an irresistible proposition one day – dinner and In the Heights (fantastic, I definitely recommend it). It was perfect timing to get a table, as they get jammed really quickly but around 6pm isn’t too bad. The line starts around 6:15, S said. I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Japan yet, so I can’t tell you if this is a proper, authentic izakaya. I can, however, assure you that if the proper ones are anything like this they must be absolutely delightful. Basically, izakayas serve a lot of small dishes along with sakes and beers, and are traditionally for businessmen to unwind after work.
We started with some lovely yellowtail sashimi and went a little crazy with the skewers. I wasn’t feeling very adventurous so we just got chicken, duck, pork belly, asparagus wrapped in bacon, shrimp and one other. They were all quite good. I did not enjoy trying to de-shell the giant shrimp on its stick though. I fell in love with the mentai pasta, which has cod roe and creamy sauce mixed on top; so much so that I think I will try to make it at home. It sounds odd but is really good. The saltiness and texture of the roe are a great contrast to the smooth creaminess.
I also surprised myself liking the soup with salmon and pickled stuff over rice. So simple, yet so delicious. It wasn’t that big, though, so we ordered a tempura shrimp skewer. This was much better than the regular shrimp skewer, mainly because I didn’t have to deal with a shell and it had spicy mayo. We also got delicious gyoza filled with Berkshire pork (is there anything Berkshire pork doesn’t augment?) and perfectly crispy, juicy kara age. I think Japanese-style might be my favorite kind of fried chicken.Obviously I love Southern, and the Korean marriage of crisp and saucy, but the Japanese have figured out how to pack a lot of crunch and flavor into very little breading and oil. At least it seems to have not much oil.
The waiters are very busy, but do their best. They don’t rush you either, which is especially nice considering how popular the place is. They have many rare foods, like natto, and interesting little cocktails – SG got some kind of fruit + beer mixture that was actually quite good – plus there are some private booths too. I cannot tolerate waiting, so I will always try to go around 6, but it’s lively any time and I certainly want to come back.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $85 (one fruit beer)
Noise level: kind of loud
Chance of walking in: not good. The line starts around 6:15pm.
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04.02.09
Posted in Asian, Japanese, Lower East Side, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 17:06 by Dominique
252 Broome & Orchard/Ludlow Sts., 212-979-0989
Great for: special rolls, tuna amazing roll, good sushi near Chinatown
My snowboarding friend M (from the Fat Hippo post) ended up asking me out. Something about shared thrills, I guess. :)
He loves Jin and I live practically next door to it, so it was the obvious choice one cold Monday. To start, we got the mini Japanese pizza, salmon slices, spicy sauce and jalapeño on a rice cake, which was enjoyable though I’d have liked a smaller rice cake. It was a bit hard to share because they just cut the rice and then draped the salmon on top, but that gave me a good excuse to “accidentally” take extra sashimi.
The tuna amazing roll is everything its name suggests. It’s a fantastic concoction of spicy tuna, white tuna tempura, black pepper tuna, avocado and scallion that I can only describe as genius. The black pepper, especially, lifts it considerably above ordinary. The tempura somehow integrates seamlessly – the whole thing just goes together wonderfully. We kind of wanted to order another one but the waiter told us about a special tuna and yellowtail jalapeño roll that sounded great, and was. I could have done with less avocado but then I always can. I didn’t mind it, actually; I think it helped balance the spiciness of the peppers. All the special rolls are generously sized and come eight pieces each, so we just got one more little thing. The agedashi tofu with bonito flakes and scallions was super hot; the outside nice, though the inside needed a bit of flavor.
I’ve been here a couple other times, too. The regular rolls are fine, not as big or delicious as the specials. I like their selection of sakes; fiscally reasonable as well as tasty. The staff are actually Chinese, but attentive and nice. I think they did a good job with the décor, the music is always chill and fun and it’s rarely crowded. Plus it’s open until 12 on Fridays and Saturdays (as of April 2009). They’re definitely getting another visit soon.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $55 (1 tall beer, 2 apps, 2 special rolls)
Noise level: good
Chance of walking in: not too bad.
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02.18.09
Posted in Asian, East Village, Japanese, New York City Reviews, small plates at 04:44 by Dominique
243 E.14th St. & 2nd/3rd Ave., 212-253-7670 (now closed – Lesly is turning it into a Mexican place, sadly)
Great for: trying lots of inventive yakitori, dates (the booths are cozy), having a grown-up drink in a mostly-student area
Mr. Jones keeps a low profile; the door is almost as hard to find as when it was hidden behind plywood. I was lucky enough to go as Bar Owner’s guest during Friends & Family, when it was already very good. I was back for my birthday in February; they’ve improved the food from its already high level and added a large cocktail menu. (Full disclosure: I happen to know Lesly, the owner, a bit through a friend.) The prices are surprisingly reasonable for the quality of the ingredients. If you go with a large party, they can do a very decent omakase from $30 (!) per person.
Bar Owner & I started with daikon and chilies salad sprinkled with black sesame seeds. There were a generous number of square daikon logs and I actually liked it a lot. I’m not a fan of radish, so that’s saying a lot. Our first yakitori was four skewers of Wagyu harami separated by sliced leeks and garnished with fresh wasabi. I didn’t even mind the mushroomy flavor, they were that tasty. The kara yuzu, chicken with spicy yuzu sauce, were small, exceedingly spicy skewers. Also a success. The BLT yakitori was cute. It was peppered bacon plus a big, cooked cherry tomato on a small bed of lettuce. I was persuaded to be brave and try it and I’m glad I did! I think I hate whole tomatoes for their nasty pulpy texture but that problem is gone here since it’s cooked. Plus, the bacony goodness covers the tomato taste, which basically just adds juice.
The ton toro wasabi shiso, Berkshire black hog belly with fresh wasabi & shiso, was miraculously not fatty; instead crispy, juicy and succulent. I guess hogs get more exercise than pigs. The calamari (ira tempura) in spicy mayo came in big crunchy pieces and were delicious, tender enough to distract from the knowledge that I was eating squid. Next up were the tori tatsuta age, chicken wings with daikon paste, They were fantastic – juicy, basically chicken meatballs with actual meat held together by bread (not ground up) around tiny bones. I could have eaten at least twenty more.
From the big dish section we got the escolar goma ponzu, Hawaiian walu with black sesame and citrus sauce. I was surprised to adore the sauce, which sounded like it’d taste weird. Walu is a white fish; they made the top crunchy and the flesh a bit too firm but the center was perfect. Our second one was still a tad overcooked but less so. It might have been because the fish came in a giant tofu-looking thick slab. It was still really good. We’d ordered the lamb chops but the kitchen ran out of them, so we contented ourselves with the Kobe meatballs with foie gras centers. They were very juicy with a crunchy outside and much improved the second time I had them. They’re not over the top, just delicious and subtly decadent.
Mr. Jones has an extensive sake and shochu list, as well as lots of delicious cocktails. Try them all, every one that my birthday table of 13 people ordered we enjoyed. I liked the pretty model/waitresses in brown dresses and the really cool mod-ish (’60s, ’70s) décor. The very warm yellow and orange light was a nice touch, as was the spacious setup. The tables aren’t squeezed together as so frequently happens with East Village restos and there is plenty of room to stand at or around the bar in front. There are also comfy curvy couches in the back dining room, presumably for bar overflow. Try to get one of the cozy, circular, corner booths near the fireplace in back. It’s not just great food – you can eat dinner and then have your friends come hang out at the bar, which is exactly what I did for my birthday. It feels welcoming and upscale at the same time.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
No cost first time. My birthday cost: $80/person, but that’s 13 $30 omakases split 12 ways with a lot of heavy drinkers
Noise level: you may need your outside/club voice, but it’s fun
Chance of walking in: it’s pretty packed even on off nights with inclement weather.
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01.07.09
Posted in Asian, Chelsea, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 15:18 by Dominique
185 7th Ave. & 21st St., 212-989-4466; 427 Amsterdam & 80/81st Sts., 212-580-0007
Great for: tuna usuzukuri, elegant dining in Chelsea (I haven’t tried the UWS one yet)
I have been meaning to come here for about four years, and somehow I’m always in the area during the late afternoon when they’re closed. This time I was going to a shopping thing around dinnertime so I finally got to cross it off. Well, not literally, since I liked it, but I moved it from “should try” to “proven good.”
My appetizer choice of tuna usuzukuri turned out to be inspired. It’s a really big plate of slightly seared tuna slices, jalapeño, cilantro, yellow tobiko, wasabi mayo, tomatoes and crunchy bits. Everything goes together so well. I ate every last bite, even the tomatoes, and could have had more. It wasn’t too spicy for me; I liked the contrast of crunchy vegetables and tobiko with the soft tuna.
I was in a noodley mood that day, I guess (I had ramen at Tsushima a few hours beforehand), and went for the tempura soba. I ended up regretting the choice a bit, for reasons unrelated to the cooking. The tempura were two shrimp, yam, eggplant and squash. I don’t like any of those except shrimp. And the three kinds of mushroom – string, wood ear and regular – were lost on me as they are the food I hate most. The rest was really good though. There were a couple spinach leaves I could eat. I even enjoyed the fluorescent green pickles slices on the side but only cold, as I discovered after attempting to add them to the soup. There was a satisfyingly large amount of soba, which tasted the same as usual noodles. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but I liked it. There wasn’t an overabundance of broth either.
I found the service very friendly. The many waiters wore all black and were quiet like ninjas, albeit super cheerful ninjas. They didn’t bother me much as I sat alone reading my Economist but were unfailingly quick and attentive, especially considering it was 7 pm on a busy Wednesday. The large space extends quite far back and was packed when I left. I liked the nice grey-streaked marble that was the sushi bar as well as the airy minimalist design and blond and dark wood with cool white accents. There was an interesting sculpture behind the sushi chefs that reminded me of a Jenga game. I was surprised at how little the place echoed, since the ceilings are high and wooden-looking and I didn’t notice any carpeting. Overall, a very pleasant experience.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
My cost: $30 (no drinks)
Noise level: not bad, despite high ceilings
Chance of walking in: low.
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Posted in Asian, Japanese, Midtown East, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 15:02 by Dominique
141 E.47th St. & Lexington/3rd Aves., 212-207-1938
Great for: yummy cheap lunch, business lunch, big parties
I saw in Serious Eats that there was a special limited edition Wednesday ramen place in midtown. But they only serve thirty bowls of it, starting at noon. When I found myself in midtown at 11:45 one Wednesday, I knew exactly where to find lunch. I went about 10 blocks out of my way and I’m happy to say it was worth it. They actually do specials every weekday and the other food was good enough to warrant a non-ramen-centric visit. (Hence its own review outside of the Ramen Roundup.)
One of the waitresses took pity on me hovering outside in the rain and let me come sit down a few minutes before they officially opened. Even before I was allowed to order she brought green tea and a salad. I didn’t realize that the ramen comes with a bowl of rice and ikura, so I got an appetizer of shrimp shumai (they don’t offer gyoza). Each had a whole shrimp on top and there was a dainty bit of minced jalapeño on the side. I loved it.
The shio ramen came with two slices of not-too-fatty pork and one giant straight-out-of-the-shell scallop. The noodles were lovely, chewy and sticky, with lots of scallions and bamboo slices on top. The scallop looks weird but is nice. As a whole it was not that salty and I really liked it. I noticed there wasn’t much extra stuff like at other ramen houses but honestly the soup didn’t need it. Besides, I had a whole bowl of rice and ikura (salmon roe) to help hold my attention. It was also only slightly salty, even a little sour in a good way. They were surprisingly generous with the eggs. I can’t believe all that was only $13.50.
Everyone was very polite. I especially liked that the waitress didn’t argue when I over-ordered; I hate when servers assume that I won’t want to eat much because I’m a small woman. OK, maybe not that small, but I’m certainly no Amazon. I just eat like one sometimes. The resto itself is quite large, though from the outside it looks tiny. The pretty, plushy, white leather chairs that look a bit like handbags are amusing. They go well with the blond wood scheme. I was pleased to see that the clientele was almost all Japanese people. By 12:05 there were already ten people eating the ramen, so you should definitely not dawdle if you want to get some of that shio goodness. You also have a chance on Fridays with miso ramen.
Rating: 8 / 10
My cost: $25 (special for $13.50 + app)
Noise level: sushi temple hush
Chance of walking in: decent, there is an upstairs as well.
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12.01.08
Posted in Asian, Haute Cuisine, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates, TriBeCa at 06:07 by Dominique
241 Church & Leonard Sts., 212-925-0202 [now closed]
Great for: epicurean indulgence, imaginary journeys to Tokyo, splurging on sake and shochu
My friend SOGIK (he insisted on the appellation) is as into haute cuisine as I am. So we were pretty excited for Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s new restaurant. We opted to get the reasonably-priced seven-course omakase ($85) plus two appetizers.
The bakudan, a hobby kit of uni (sea urchin), ikura (salmon roe), raw scallops, scallion, poached egg, warm nori (seaweed) and natto (fermented soy beans), was fun and delicious. I am not so much a fan of raw scallops but I really enjoyed the dish as a whole. It’s unique and interesting, even in presentation; there’s a hot stone underneath the nori in a special box. The four giant ebi tempura were truly gargantuan. They might have had a bit too much breading but were a very respectable showing. I liked the dipping sauce and award bonus points for the size and number of the shrimp.
Our omakase began with a small shooter of uni with yuzu gelée on top of homemade tofu. It was subtle with only a hint of salt and I loved it. Considering that I am generally at best indifferent to uni and Jell-o-like substances, this had to be exceptional. Then came wagyu and braised daikon soup with a reduction of yuzu koshi. The delicate beef with lots of fat and tendons was not much fun to eat but the big thick disc of daikon and the very rich and flavorful broth were.
The first sashimi course consisted of two pieces each of red snapper and seared chu toro with slightly spicy yuzu sauce and pepper coating. It was fantastic in every way. The slices were small in area but satisfyingly thick. I was surprised to like the snapper a lot.
The crab salad with creamy carrot dressing was arranged geometrically with a nice amount of each thing. It was ridiculously good with delicate, perfect-sized leaves and lovely crab. If I had dreamed a salad with those ingredients I’m not sure I could have made it any better.
We then had more sashimi of tuna, fluke, salmon and yellowtail. The tuna and salmon were meltingly buttery. The others were also very good though a bit rubbery. I think fluke tends to be a bit chewier anyway, though.
Next was a terrific black cod with miso from the grill. It was so flaky it crumbled on our forks. I was impressed at how perfectly it was cooked – not a hair over or under the ideal time. I’m not sure I’ve had it better anywhere, even at Nobu, although I’d have to go back and do some research. (Unfortunately, funding is currently not available for that.)
I expected a lot from the soba course, knowing that it was Matsugen’s raison d’être. My rin (delicate no husk) soba with kamoseiro duck soup was great. The duck could have used more seasoning but overall I liked it a lot. His seiro (smooth medium husk) kamo nanban duck with scallion was great. The soba were a smooth and sticky wonder. I liked it even more than mine. I never thought I’d be a fan of buckwheat but I have now been converted.
In our dessert course, the Matsugen parfait was tasty – mainly on the merits of the green tea ice cream, not so much the mochi and red bean. My strawberry water with almond tofu was airy and delightful, the perfect palate cleanser.
They have interesting cocktails here. The matcha green tea cocktail with shochu was green like wheatgrass with its flavor, too. I found it cool and refreshing. He had a dry white wine and one box of “ten thousand year” semi-dry Manju sake on our waitress’ recommendation. We then asked her for a bottle recommendation. In retrospect, we probably shouldn’t have given her free rein in choosing for us, as she had been pushing us towards the most expensive items on the menu and the box of sake turned out to be $73. She brought us Golden Dragon (Kokuryu), a junmai daiginjo. It was fantastic, though I’m not sure I can argue that it was $170 fantastic. The drinks menu has six cocktails, lots of sake, shochu and beer, some wine and a page of scotch. There’s a full bar as well.
The service is great. I watched one of the bartenders run after a guy to give him his bag; they were on the ball about everything. Our waitress was chatty but nice, or at least we thought so until we saw the bill. I really liked that no one ever took anything off the table without asking, yet didn’t hover. A perfect level of attention. It’s nice that they kept the lovely clean lines and white décor from 66. There is an extensive couch area, great for preprandial cocktails and meetings. The very long sushi bar invites casual dropping-in. They have the same layout with a rounded separate entrance as of old.
I very much enjoy meals like this – elegant and sophisticated with minimalist presentation and meticulous attention to detail. It’s luxurious in an understated way. I look forward to my next visit (and will keep a closer eye on which bottle we pick).
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $700 (1 cocktail, 1 glass of wine, 1 $73 box of sake, 1 $170 bottle of sake)
Noise level: people can be noisy but the music was at a good level
Chance of walking in: not bad sadly impossible now.
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10.02.08
Posted in Asian, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, SoHo at 04:12 by Dominique
119 Sullivan & Prince/Spring Sts., 212-343-0404
Great for: rock shrimp tempura, orgasmic lobster with miso butter
Commodities Broker took my friend M and me out to dinner one night shortly after school. We had to wait about half an hour, but we did that in a bar down the street (the Room, it’s all beer and wine, quite nice) so I didn’t mind too much. Also, I knew I was going to have crazy delicious rock shrimp tempura soon.
The shrimp didn’t disappoint. It was every bit as wonderful as I remembered from last time. The yellowtail tartare with lots of scallion and a quail egg on top didn’t maintain the same high level, as it was a bit bland. M and CB attacked the edamame with gusto, and we also enjoyed the pork shumai. Beware the hot mustard that comes with the latter. The gyu tataki was somewhat bland too - the meat was good but it needed more soy sauce and slices. Six weren’t enough. Or maybe I’ve been spoiled by other places with ten or more slices.
We tried some jackfish, salmon and chutoro sushi, all of which were quite good. The blandness issue came up again with the two shrimp tempura rolls, though not with the spicy tuna and spicy crab rolls. I found the soy sauce massively salty. I’m not sure but I think it was in the low-sodium bottles – don’t know what’s up with that.
The hands down, chopsticks down, nearly pants down best part of the meal was the broiled lobster with miso butter. It was decadently awesome. I said the butter was like if KY tasted good. M, taking it to a whole ‘nother level, said it was what every girl wishes cum tasted like. (Am I allowed to say that on here? I guess since it’s my own site.) In any case, I completely agree with her. I confess to using the also-delectable pieces of lobster as succulent little convex spoons, because I just couldn’t get enough of the butter.
We worked our way through an enjoyable bottle of Black Dragon sake slowly, not because we weren’t trying, but because the glasses are quite tiny. We finished that as M and I mopped up the last few drops of miso butter. Dessert sake and a shared green tea crème brûlée rounded out our meal nicely. (See other review for my praise of the crème brûlée and service.)
I give them an extra half point solely for the lobster. (Thanks for telling us to get it, Dominique Angel.) Most of what we had this evening was at best a 7. If you come, get the shrimp tempura and the lobster, maybe some sushi pieces, and drink the rest of your dinner – that’s what I’m doing next time.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $463 (3 people, 1 large sake bottle, 3 glasses of dessert sake)
Noise level: not too bad
Chance of walking in: that’s a nice pipe dream. Put your name down and get a bottle of sake, it’ll be a while.
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09.25.08
Posted in Alphabet City, Asian, East Village, fusion, Japanese, Latin, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, seafood at 17:50 by Dominique
509 6th St. & Ave. A, 212-529-5200
Great for: chupe, lazy people who want to go clubbing after dinner
This is another ceviche place, but fortunately it’s not as bad as Rayuela. Midtown Hedge Funder and I started with the grande ceviche tasting. What that entails isn’t listed on the menu – plus I bet it’s not always the same – so all I can say is that there was lots of tuna, some crab, fried oysters and other assorted raw fish covered in a ton of sauce, all a bit sour but passable.
My favorite thing was the chupe, a shrimp bisque with corn, edamame and egg in creamy panca-oregano broth. The corn actually came on its cob in the soup so it was a bit difficult to eat. Despite tomato halves, the soup was delicious; a savory, not too creamy, very umami delight. I almost forgot to share.
The volcano roll with shrimp, octopus, fluke, hamachi, crab, avocado, cucumber and spicy tobiko mayo was just ok. It had lots of sauce-laden stuff in the middle, didn’t taste that spicy, and seemed similar to a California roll. The rainbow roll, ambitiously loaded with hamachi, salmon, tuna, fluke and crab ceviche, was also soggy, and maybe had too much avocado. Personally I would prefer no avocado in anything ever. I mean, except guacamole. I think even if you like avocado you would consider this too much, though. We also had an interesting construction called causa. It’s a napoleon that looks like a big biscuit of shrimp, crabmeat ceviche, avocado, spicy potato layers and spicy mayo. It was the best of our main dishes. There was too much potato but the inside was pretty good.
Kion’s flirtini with Stoli Razberi and champagne is tasty, as is the Plymouth gin martini. MHF had a Gougenheim malbec that he liked as well. The service was extremely slow for a while, partially made up for by the waiters’ considerateness. I enjoyed the decor. It’s kind of eccentric but I think all the textured, colored glass is pretty. It’s a nice place to have a few cocktails or a birthday party – if you must eat something, get the chupe.
Rating: 6.5
Our cost: $130 (2 cocktails, 1 glass of wine)
Noise level: quiet, but downstairs turns into a club/party space (only weekends I think)
Chance of walking in: pretty good.
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09.03.08
Posted in Asian, Chelsea, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 02:45 by Dominique
88 10th Ave. & 15th/16th, 212-989-8883
Great for: omakase, toro, sakephiles, design enthusiasts
Commodities Broker had had a terrific day in the markets, and I was stressed out mid-acting program, hence an 8-course omakase splurge one night at Stephen Starr‘s giant Philadelphia import. CB’s also fun to dine with because he likes to drink even more than I do.
I saw a couple things I wanted to substitute on the tasting menu, but was convinced to give them a chance. I even tried CB’s special appetizer of hydroponic tomato salad with onion, soy, and shiso. It was really fresh and juicy – I’d love it if I could stand tomatoes outside of sauce. The onions were also raw but didn’t hurt too much, to my relief. Sometimes raw onions can pack a wallop like straight wasabi.
The most elaborate toro tartare I’ve ever seen was up next. It came with osetra caviar, crème fraîche, wasabi, dashi-soy, chives, avocado paste and tiny rice cracker croutons. The lovely soft toro itself came in a shallow square dish with a dainty silver scraper. Be careful with the super spicy wasabi. The whole thing was delicious artwork. An itty-bitty raspberry-sized yamamomo peach waited on the side as a palate cleanser after we destroyed the pretty sculpture.
The sashimi course consisted of beautiful thin strips of amadai (a Japanese tilefish, seared slightly) and yellowtail with ginger and different varieties of soy sauce on small green leaves. It was great though the yellowtail was a little chewier than I expected. I especially loved the oil – sesame, maybe? – it all came in.
The watercress salad with seared sockeye salmon sashimi and mild jalapeño sauce was pretty good. The sauce reminded me of relish, and the vinaigrette was delicious. I was bit disappointed when I realized the salmon was not spicy; even a little bland, in fact. But combined with everything it was a good dish. Don’t eat the random line of sauce or whatever it is, it’s nasty and bitter.
The next course was a tasting of two of their star dishes, the market oysters and the foie gras chawan mushi. The two oysters came with foie gras and uni in teriyaki sauce, which really helped me get mine down. Everything was soft and slimy but actually good. The two dainty little cups of foie gras chawan mushi with egg and heavy cream tasted like meaty, foie-gras-infused custard. They weren’t as heavy as you’d think.
The nigiri plate came with cockle clam, kanpachi (amberjack yellowtail) with sweet ikura (salmon roe), snapper, beltfish with yellow tobiko and chutoro. All of it was very fresh and lovely. The slightly rubbery clam was sliced so thin it turned out very well. The beltfish was rubbery and scary but a bit spicy and still pretty good. The chutoro was like seared butter made of meat. I was surprised all the exotics didn’t put me off – I remember when I had the omakase at Blue Ribbon and really didn’t like any of the rarer sushi. I guess that means they have better quality fish here.
It was now time for a palate cleanser before the main course of Korean green tea and a red bean macaroon. The tea came in powder form that the waiter mixed into water with a whisk for us. The presentation was over the top but it was really good.
All the fanfare was for flash-fried Kobe beef on sweet Japanese yams and a half lobster épice with garam masala, lemon crème fraîche and alfalfa sprouts. The soft lovely beef was folded over in thin slices, but there wasn’t much of it and it was quite tendon-filled. I found the yams super sweet, maybe from the sauce. I really liked the dish but it could have been any steak. I loved the lobster without reservation. The bitter alfalfa and meringue-like crème fraîche was a good contrast to the succulent, tender, spicy lobster. CB didn’t love it as much but he doesn’t enjoy Indian food. I thought the garam masala was the best part of an excellent dish.
We finished up with a sweet potato cake with red bean center and brown sugar ice cream accompanied by red bean compote. It was pretty good; the cake was not that sweet. I would have eaten a bowl of the ice cream, though all the red beans didn’t add much to the dish. I don’t understand the Asian obsession with red beans – they’re crumbly in a bad way and neither sweet nor savory. They’re like blah soft sand. Anyway, the wonderful ice cream made up for all that.
We tried all three levels of Morimoto sake – ginjo, daiginjo and junmai ginjo. The first, caramelized pear aromas with a ripe stone fruit finish, was smooth and not too strong, dry but still hearty. The daiginjo had melon and honeysuckle fragrances and was also yummy. The Shichi Ken (Seven Swords) Yamanashi, with a custardy richness & sweet rice aroma, was extremely smooth. It was like drinking vodka straight without having to make that “eeeee” face.
Our waiter was wonderful and cute, and patient with all my questions. He was knowledgeable yet not afraid to pull out the cue card. He advised us well on the sake too. I liked how he made sure we were done with every dish before taking it. I found his service very caring, as though he was personally invested.
The whole place is outfitted in crazy finished concrete with very mod curvy furniture in blond wood. There’s a huge glass water bottle wall, all lit up like a giant Lite Brite. The translucent plastic swirl chopsticks were pretty and functional; the folded white cloth ceiling was just pretty. They had the same cool Neorest toilets as at Megu Midtown, with fewer bells and whistles but still awesome. A tip, in case you get confused or you’re a little too drunk; slide the restroom doors, don’t push/pull.
Overall, it was an enormous amount of food, most of which was done extremely well. I was really impressed. I can’t wait until I get to come back again.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $535 (8-course omakase $120, 1 big $75 & 2 small $42 & $31 bottles sake)
Noise level: not too bad.
Chance of walking in: low.
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07.21.08
Posted in Asian, Gramercy, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, Union Square at 04:18 by Dominique
111 E.18th St. near Park Ave., 212-260-2020
Great for: cocktails, splurging on beef, meeting people for drinks in a lovely lounge
I met Blond Hedge Funder here for our second first date (long story), and had to wait about 20 minutes in the lounge because he got stuck in traffic. Fortunately for him it was a very pleasant place to pass the time, with lovely cocktails, a whole lounge area with couches besides the bar, and one waitress so friendly I started to think/hope she might be hitting on me. I hate to be the yucky presumptuous customer though, and didn’t follow up on that before BHF arrived finally.
Our first appetizer was the rock, a thinly sliced marinated New York strip on a hot stone. The slices were surprisingly thick – I was expecting carpaccio width, so that was nice. I enjoyed the quality of the meat and the yummy, spicy, salty sauce. We also tried the sakana carpaccio of three kinds of fish. The lean tuna in chef’s special sauce with black tobiko and fluke in ponzu sauce topped by spicy radish were good but nothing special. I really liked the soy-marinated salmon in garlic sauce with spicy tobiko.
Although a lot of the other apps looked good, we stopped there to save room for the 12 oz. Akaushi (a kind of Wagyu) ribeye which is marinated in togarashi (chili pepper) and comes with a generous helping of uni butter and satsumaimo pommes frites. I can’t recommend this dish enough. The meat was fantastic, soft yet perfectly charred outside with a delicious marinade highlighting its flavors. The fries were a bit like yam fries, which I usually dislike, but they were actually pretty decent with the sauce. I loved the creamy crazy uni butter too. I calculated (completely without basis, or even numbers) that sharing 12 ounces instead of eating the whole thing myself made it ok to spread the butter all over every piece of meat I ate. Even if that’s not true, I was so happy devouring it I’m sure it all evened out.
BHF also got some sashimi, two pieces to an order, of kanpachi (a Japanese amberjack or wild yellowtail), chutoro, wasabi tobiko, otoro, zuke (soy-marinated salmon) and hamachi. He also got some nigiri with unagi and ikura. I helped him finish the fish when I was able to tear my attention away from the ribeye, and it was all very good.
The drinks are quite as tasty as the food. The Japonais caipirinha was on the special cocktail menu that day – I don’t have a note for why it was special, it may have had an interesting fruit juice. As a proud science geek, I had to try the special cocktail with Moët and watermelon molecular foam. Watermelon and Champagne should be put together more often. The great thing about the foam is that it gives you fruit flavor without the actual pulpy fruit. I also liked the Moulin Rouge - fresh muddled strawberries, Bacardi, Navan (vanilla cognac) and lime juice.
The service was very nice. Our waiter always asked how things were and told us when things were about to come out. He had an uncanny sense for that, and it couldn’t have just been acute hearing, because I think I only wondered where the next dish was aloud once. I appreciated his patience very much, too. We took a really long time to order, since we were too busy talking for quite a while, and he checked on us just enough to remind us of what we should have been doing but not so much it felt like nagging. Everyone in general was nice and seemed more or less happy to be there. And as much as I try to go only to unreviewed restaurants for you, dear reader, I might have to be naughty and sneak off to Japonais again sometime soon.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $300 (3 cocktails, $72 ribeye)
Noise level: noisy but tables are spaciously placed which helps
Chance of walking in: medium, just because it’s so big with two floors.
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