raji

Yeah I know the manager shared between Totto and Aburiya Kinnosuke, but I don't invoke his name when making a reservation. They're pretty consistent Japanese or not, they take these early reservations 5/5:30 for the first round, and then after 7 you put your name and phone # down and either wait online or outside. Japanese clientele don't really have an advantage, and it's been a while since they've been the majority anyways. Also, sitting at the bar is considered as good as or better than a table. If I'm a party of 2 I usually prefer the bar... Over the phone you are dealing with someone whose second language is English, so it's pretty limited compared to their Japanese.

Are those places really non-dairy? ← Good point - south indian vegeteratian is strict - no meat, no fish, no eggs, but not non-dairy. However, most of those dishes are non-dairy, or anything dairy is served on the side. Like those huge dosais are simply fermented rice and lentils ground into a crepe.. but they can be cooked in oil instead of ghee As long as you tell them non-dairy, and not to use Ghee (clarified butter), you'll should be fine...

Oh! I just saw my name. Good thing I clicked in. There's 2 Ethiopeans right by eachother, but Queen of Sheba is far far better than Meskerem. Flavorwise it's very close to Southern Indian; geographically they're close and south indians look a whole lot like ethiopeans and vice versa. You'll see apps that are very similar to Indian. It's mild to spicy stews and whatnot, and it's all served on top of and with this tangy spongy bread. It's really great. You can ask/tell them how spicy to make it. I recommend you get a veggie combo and hubbie beef tibs or meat combo. That said I suggest you go to Madras Mahal, Udipi Palace or another South Indian Vegetrian @ 28th and Lex. Madras Mahal is my favorite. Maybe they use more ghee than the others but their Mysore Masala Dosai, iddly's with dosaipodi, etc. cannot be beat. Even carnivores do not crave meat once they've eaten there. Also at 30th and lex is a great Japanese wafuuchuka "Saburi", which is Japanese rendition of Chinese food, which i think would do really well for both of you. For him, I really recommend the Ebi Chili, Buta Kakuni, and one of their ramen - for you, get the hiyashichuuka and any of the number of veggie dishes. really delicious I'd get Chinese @ Grand Szechuan @ 51st and 9th, there are plenty of vegeterian dishes mixed in with the rest of the superb sichuan cooking... Japanese food is very condusive to vegetarians - meat, fish and poultry are for the most part used very deliberately and often scarcely... As for Japanese I'd hit Totto @ 55th between bway and 8th, you can get plenty of great veggie yakitori, rice and noodle dishes, etc. Tsukushi @ 41st and 2nd is a great little hidden Japanese, no menu, so you can tell them this situation and they'll put together a great meal for you Aburiya Kinnosuke is closer to you than Totto. He can dig on the many many fish options there, and once again, plenty of veggie, rice, and noodle dishes for you Donburi-ya has great rice dishes (donburi) As for izakaya that you've been hearing about, I guess Riki and Sakagura are the best, Ariyoshi, Hagi and Hizen are not bad at all For lunch I'd hit Cafe Zaiya, Menchanko-tei, I think a visit to a sushi bar is a waste... Let me know if you need more...Really, midtown you will find the best assortment of Japanese restaurants outside of Japan.

Toraya, right?

If Shimizu's on First, Hoo's on Second?

Is there an echo in here?

Yeah, and that hotel has a big "WJ" on it's awning so I thouht you meant there.... maybe you and I need to invade shimizu finally, because 2 years later I still haven't had an excuse to go theree....

Well you and me both would choose Totto - you know that. The food there is showstopping. I've had a business meeting at the counter there, but the service is so snappy there that I don't know that there is a food advantage to sitting at the counter. It's not as if they're gonna make you a larger tsukune just becasue chatting up the chef... The place in the W you mean Shimizu? I STILL havent been there but have heard great things. Haven't been in a couple years but there is a Sushiden @ 6th. Sushiden Sixth Ave 123 W 49TH St New York, NY 10020-1101View Map (212) 398-2800 That place is very good, very very authentic, very nice decor, just doesn't get attention on here. Sugiyama has less expensive set menus so that you don't have to break the bank to go there. Had to be the west side, didn't it! I dont' know why but the Japanese are just allergic to the west side....

Raji, for some reason I have this image of you literally under the tap, drinking Homer Simpson-style. ← Is it the raw harami being fed to me in my avatar? I plead the 5th on that one. Shochu makes me black out, I'll be honest... nihonshu is a different high... I'm sorry I just can't get it out of me to say sake because in japan, sake is all booze, so for those of you who know me on here nihonshu = sake! ← Isn't the shochu the trend for the past few years in Japan? Yes, sake is all booze perhaps with the exception of biiru (beer). In Kagoshima the land of shochu, the waitstaffs will automatically bring you shochu if you asked for sake. The same in Okinawa; awamori will be brought to when asked for sake. ← Shochu started booming maybe around 2000? I also think it was benefited by a renewed Japanese interest in Korean culture, which came with the popularity of Yonsama, the Korean drama actor. Kinki Kids is right, it's petering off in Japan in favor of nihonshu and white wne, and as it takes a year or two to get over here, now you see bottle-keep iichiko EVERYWHERE. So the question is, when you ask for sake in Kagoshima, do they give you IMOshochu?? Vinegar??? Well, it's always meant any alcoholic drink to me, but it's probably more associated with nihonshu because that's pretty much all the island nation had in the way of booze until it finally opened its doors open to te world... Anyway, if you want to say someone has a high or low tolerance, is a matter of saying "Kare ha osake tsuyoi" or "Kare ha osake yowai" anyways, semantics, As for the tap, I put it to the committee (bunch of Japanese ex-pats) and they all said, well yeah technically you could do it, like the Jagrmeister shot dispensor. In fact, maybe I did see it, but it was a promotional thing for nihonshu that already comes in a big box

I should have known having read some of your prior posts. After going through this exercise, I took an informal poll of my office staff to find out that they want to go back to Carmine's for a 4th year in a row. I should have known. When you think about, Carmine's really is the only one of its kind in the theater district as it offers a lot of fun and great atmosphere in a central location. Add the mamoth portions of quite decent garlicky food served family style and you really can't beat it for the touristy crowd. I guess that's why its always packed. Thanks everyone for your help and I hope I didn't waste too much of your time. ← In that case, I'd just go to John's Pizzeria in Times Square for better food...Top 10 NY pizza, plenty of other choices, great wine list, huge room on 44th (converted church, very close) and not the 4th freakin' year in a row!

Me three. I've spent or had spent on me around that number at other restaurants in NY, not-so-curiously, all Japanese - Sugiyama, Megu - but it's gonna be tough to do it all with no booze. Maybe I'll sneak a flask in...

Raji, for some reason I have this image of you literally under the tap, drinking Homer Simpson-style. ← Is it the raw harami being fed to me in my avatar? I plead the 5th on that one. Shochu makes me black out, I'll be honest... nihonshu is a different high... I'm sorry I just can't get it out of me to say sake because in japan, sake is all booze, so for those of you who know me on here nihonshu = sake!

hmm all the sake (nihonshu) I've ever drank came out of a bottle - I don't recall ever drinking it out of a tap in Japan, but I could be wrong, because if I ever did drink sake out of a tap, I surely did not recall the night thereafter, so it's a bit of a catch-22, isn't it Maybe it's a tapping system that draws out of those magnum-sized bottles of sake -

I actually had Virgils in my orginal post but edited it out thinking BBQ may not be an "approporiate" dining option. Notwithstanding their limited taste in food, I'm not sure my staff can get excited about going to a BBQ restaurant. A good idea none the less. After everytthing is said and done, I'm thinking Bond 45 ......... ← I had over 12 at Il Bastardo recently, and that was a lot of fun, it's a little further away at 20th and 7th, but fits your bill... And FWIW I didn't see people getting back into a limo with sticky fingers either... otherwise might have been a good suggestion...!

Having read the reviews of Tintol I think I agree. Pulling out my trusty Zagat (I hope Zagat is not a bad word on this forum), I've come up with a list of prospective restaurants: 1. Bond 45 errr 2. Esca YES 3. The District errr 4. Orso ummm 5. Osteria al Doge hmmmm 6. Ruby Foo's nonono Any comments or suggestions with regard to any of the above restaurants? Thanks in advance. ← Is Asiate or the Modern too expensive to you? Those are showstoppers... Churrascaria Plataforma would also be a blast, if you want to absolutely gorge them Bann could be fun for Korean I think Sneakeater is right - BTW you have the limo, so the city is your oyster, do you want to open up to the rest of Manhattan or still only Theatre District? Sounds like any of the big restaurants down Park Avenue could fit the bill for your party...

Yup - same EXACT formula AFAIK. I haven't been there yet. Hopefully it will take the heat off the westside branch, because yeah, I'm sick of fighting with old momma's for a table there Besides the superb chicken they use, you know why Totto is so authentic - they apprentice their staff as striclty as they do in Japan. Watch the intensity with which they work that grill. That's why every piece is cooked to perfection.

Not an izakaya. It's a Yakitori-ya... but that's a technicality. Totto should be everyone's favorite, that's how we eat in Japan

Raji - Thanks for the quick reply. Both of these places sound fantastic however, while Marseilles is a nice sized place, the food may be a little over the top for most of my office staff (i.e. pates, cous cous, leg of lamb, and bouillabaise - although I'm sure they would love the grilled items). On the other hand, Hell's Kitchen's menu sounds perfect however the space looks too small to accomodate our party. Any other ideas? BTW, the Penthouse Lounge looks fantastic. We had tried the View at the Marriott Marquis one year and they should enjoy 230 5th even more. Again thank you for your suggestion. ← Hell's Kitchen has a few large tables in the back, so they can definitely fit you... Marseille's menu isn't THAT fancy, is it? I mean you _are_ getting a limo, aren't you? Let me know if you need a limo company btw Oh yeah, Tintol, the Portugese Tapas place off times Square, that's another winner. Search for the thread here about it.

They're not swimming anymore...booze yes

hehe actually those turtles are huge like a couple of feet across..

It's certainly what the Chinese and Japanese believe...some friends of mine claim it invigorated them, I tend to think it's the liquor....

Try the suppon (snapping turtle, terrapin) at Saburi on Lexington - on their counter, two huge jars with snapping turtles in them...

I can't figure out the formula at RUB, I've been there a few times and either they are out of what's good or what comes out seems like it's been sitting around a bit... plus, if they're going to charge what they do, please real plates and utensils... For my money I think Daisy Mae BBQ up on 44th is much much better...

Marseilles - much better food, MUCCCH better wine list, big room (former bank) Hell's Kitchen - nothing makes workmates get along better than really really good margaritas. food here is spectacular Drinks, you might try the penthouse lounge at 230 5th, that's real nice.

I used to go to Taisho when I was younger, but it's gone downhill, and I kind of grew out of it too... Kenka is now really popular down there too, but man, you get what you pay for.. stuff is really cheap there... Those places are not bad but usually staffed by young japanese turning over often, serving even younger than them - so you don't get the obsession with quality ingredients that you expect from Japanese (nor the price), and can sometimes be met by inexpert/inconsistent preparation.... which the kids are too drunk to care about anyway When I'm down there I usually will just go to Typhoon or Yokocho, which are a bit better and have more serious chefs. I haven't been to Kasadela, but Umi no Ie is really really good and I also recommend it. Funny there was just an article in the times that addressed the izakaya mushrooming in EV... http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/fash...CxcSIsUxDHnuEuQ