Union Square Tokyo to open tomorrow

[Fat Guy]

The New-York-based Union Square Hospitality Group (known as USHG) announced yesterday that, on 30 March 2007, Union Square Tokyo (UST) would pen under a licensing agreement with the Wondertable restaurant group. According to the press release, "USHG provides the trademarked name, expertise, and know-how to create UST, as well as on-going consultation following the restaurant’s opening."

Also, "In preparation for the transatlantic opening, Chef Matsuda and General Manager Hideo Mogi spent several weeks in New York City, working side by side with Michael Romano and the Union Square Cafe staff, absorbing the spirit, hospitality and cuisine of Union Square Cafe. Additionally, Chef Romano has visited Tokyo several times over the past year, and has been there for the past month, working closely with the UST team; in addition to teaching both the front and back of house about the food and culture of USC, Michael is absorbing numerous details about Japanese cooking, restaurant operations and local culture, many lessons he intends to share with the USC staff. Union Square Cafe’s service director Kellie Brooks will spend the year at UST, translating the gracious hospitality of the original for the Tokyo audience. To conduct service and hospitality training seminars, and also to participate in opening celebrations this week, USHG partners Danny Meyer, David Swinghamer, and Paul Bolles-Beaven are all spending the week at UST as well."

UST is on the ground floor of the Tokyo Midtown project in Tokyo’s Roppongi district. The location is: Tokyo Midtown Garden Terrace, 9-7-4 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052.

I hope one of our members will dine there soon. It would be great to hear about it.

One point that a lot of folks back here in New York City are talking about is that the main person behind Union Square Cafe, Danny Meyer, has long resisted licensing or franchising. So this announcement came as a big surprise to many.

[torakris]

I can't wait to check it out as well as the rest of the area.

Tokyo Midtown's English homepage

[thelobster]

It looks like a nice space, although I was surprised by how small it was. Other notable restaurants include the first Terence Conran restaurant (managed by the Hiramatsu group) and Coppola's Vinoteca. Here are a few photos I took on Monday (although not a good one of Union Square, unfortunately).

I can't wait to check it out as well as the rest of the area.

Tokyo Midtown's English homepage

←

Edited March 30, 2007 by thelobster (log)

[Blether]

I like that 'transatlantic' - someone's tongue has slipped, there.

Steven, may I ask, what in a nutshell is the original Union Square Cafe like ?

[Fat Guy]

Union Square Cafe here in New York is one of the city's favorite restaurants, but it's hard to put a finger on why. It's one of those formulas that just clicks, probably for a hundred reasons. That's why it will be very interesting to see if they can reproduce it -- I'm not positive that even Union Square Cafe's owners really know why Union Square Cafe is such a success!

The restaurant opened in 1985 and was on the leading edge of New American cuisine, at least on the East Coast. The food, and the setting, are quite casual and simple -- it's not a luxurious restaurant at all. Everything about it is utterly unpretentious, such that for many people who hate fine dining Union Square Cafe is the only fine-dining restaurant they like. You don't hear a lot about Union Square Cafe in eG Forums discussions because it's not much of a "foodie" destination restaurant. It's more about doing a few simple things really well.

The restaurant is legendary for its service team. The servers manage to balance informality and professionalism better than at any other restaurant I've visited anywhere. Also there's an incredibly deep wine list. The restaurant is just a few steps away from Union Square Park, which is where the famed Union Square Greenmarket is located. The primary owner of the restaurant, Danny Meyer, is sort of a New York legend, some jokingly refer to him as the "future mayor of New York," because he's so beloved.

Lots of images here:

http://www.unionsquarecafe.com/

[Blether]

Cool ! Thanks for that. I really must try it - and it will be interesting to see what and how Wondertable does with it. I'm a big fan of their Mo-mo Paradise cheap-but-perfectly-adequate fixed-price-all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu joints; and not least because I worked near one of them, I've eaten quite a bit at their Bellini cafes (basic but again, pretty good Italian). Lawry's Prime Rib in Akasaka which they run is a kitsch gem (to be kind ).

[JasonTrue]

If that's true, Japan is probably the right place to do it. Getting simple things right goes a long way in Japan. One of my biggest complaints about US restaurants is usually lack of focus or coherence of vision.

You don't hear a lot about Union Square Cafe in eG Forums discussions because it's not much of a "foodie" destination restaurant. It's more about doing a few simple things really well.

http://www.unionsquarecafe.com/

←

[sk_ward]

I had plans to go to Roppongi Hills, but when I got off at the subway station there were people holding signs directing people to Tokyo Midtown. I had heard about the opening, but didn't realize that it was in Roppongi. I took the very worthwhile detour and have some pictures to share. Unfortunately, they aren't really of food! From a distance, the huge skyscraper didn't appear all that inviting, but there is a really pretty park around the building (with the cherry blossoms) and the design of the "galleria," (where all of the shops and restauants are) is very modern and kind of serene feeling. They did a lot of interesting things with the lighting, the greenery and there are several really cool water displays. It seemed like things were really in full swing and that all of the restaurants were open, so I was surprised to see that Union Square Tokyo wasn't open for business. I guess that maybe they were planning on opening for dinner only. Flowers similar to those seen in front of the restaurant could be seen all throughout the building as they are congratulatory flowers, for the opening of a new business. Actually, the floor lighting and the bamboo trees just in front of Union Square Tokyo brought a lot of people with camera in tow, so I think that it will be a high traffic area. Apparently, the place to go was Toshi Yoroizuka, a pastry shop. Actually, almost every sit down restaurant had a long line, but what set these die hards apart was that these people had to wait outside and it was really, really windy and not exactly balmy! The vast majority of the sit down restaurants are fairly luxurious and those with the longest lines seemed to be the nicest places. It will be interesting to see if the Japanese public will appreciate the delicious food, yet unpretentious atmosphere that Union Square Tokyo has. (I've never been there) There's certainly a lot of competition! There's a very high end dog spa/salon/store where you can see the dogs getting their hair cut. It's kind of a spectacle, but the dogs sure are cute! I spent hours wandering from store to store and had a great time.

Just a few comparisons to Roppongi Hills, just because they are so close to one another and are both new multi-use, modern spaces. The shopping in Roppongi Hills is spread out in different buildings, and if you're directionally challenged like me, you can get lost fairly easily. Some of the shops in Roppongi Hills are outside and some have entrances that are partly inside, partly outside, thanks to snazzy architecture. Aside from the outside gardens, most of the shopping and restaurants in Tokyo Midtown is contained in one building, which has some vague similarities to a mall because the shops are one right after the other, with escalators going from floor to floor. But it is far more interesting and much more beautiful than any mall I've been to! Both have residences and art museums, but I don't think that Tokyo Midtown has a movie theater. Roppongi Hills seems a little more futuristic with the big screen and giant spider sculpture. The emphasis at Tokyo Midtown is definitely clean lines, modern. Next time I go, I'll have to check out a restaurant!

[torakris]

Thanks for the great pictures and report!

I am glad to hear it is more compact. I have been to Roppongi Hills 3 times now and really hate it. It is so spread out and it is almost impossible to find things (though the food does tend to be concentrated in one place and that is usually why I am there). I was also disappointed in Omotesando Hills, I felt like I was trying to walk around inside a sardine tin.

They just opened the Yokohama LaLaport about 20 minutes from me about 2 weeks ago. Though the parking could have been better thought out it is a great use of space. 3 stories, very similar setup to a mall in the US, and loads of restaurants. Unfortunately nothing of the caliber here, but they won't wipe out my bank account either.

[Fat Guy]

I'll be interested to hear about the menu and hours of operation when the place gets going. In New York, Union Square Cafe is a very different restaurant at lunch and dinner. The lunch food is in many ways the most impressive aspect of the restaurant, because at lunch the restaurant offers upscale adaptations of classic American lunch food, like a fabulous yellowfin tuna burger. That food is not available at dinnertime at the New York original. I wonder how they'll handle it in Tokyo.

[torakris]

According to Gourmet PIA they are open for lunch on weekdays from 11 to 3 and dinner from 5 to 11 (LO 10). On Weekends and holidays they are open from 11 to 11 (LO 10) with dinner menu only.

http://g.pia.co.jp/shop/84539

Here is part of the menu, average prices seem to be 3000 to 6000 yen ($25 to $50) for lunch and 12,000 to 15,000 yen ($100 to $125) for dinner.

[thelobster]

I had a lovely dinner at Union Square last night, and I thought the dining room was beautiful and well laid out, with excellent lighting and a very comfortable feel.

The food is typical international cuisine with an emphasis on simplicity and good-quality ingredients. The foie gras appetizer with bamboo shoot and orange slices came with an ample portion of tasty foie gras, and good contrasting textures and flavors. The slab of Iberico pork was tender and very flavorful.

The grilled chicken wasn't the most exciting dish I've ever had, but it was perfectly acceptable, and the accompanying sauce and the salad of snow peas, bamboo shoots and asparagus tips helped it along quite a bit. The tuna filet mignon with wasabi mashed potatoes was excellent - a nice big cube of tuna that had been marinated in soy and mirin for three hours before grilling, served medium rare.

The wine list doesn't have all that much under Y8000, but there are a few (like a Penfolds Aussie shiraz for Y4800); by contrast they have a lot of impressively expensive bottles for the big spenders in the house. Almost all wines are from Italy, France or California. The bar up front serves a full assortment of cocktails, including an excellent martini.

I won't comment on the service, since they only opened a few weeks ago. All in all the food was quite good, but you can find as good or better in Tokyo for literally half the price. But it's probably a decent choice for business entertainment purposes.

[mkjr]

Nice report. My wife and I will be in Japan May 19-June 1 (Tokyo for 6 nights, Kyoto for 4 nights a few one offs). I have not searched around this forum yet, but will do so (we are in NYC this weekend) and hope to find some good eats from $ to $$$$.

[thelobster]

Nice report.... 

←

Thanks. If you're just coming from New York the prices probably won't shock you, and Union Square has that buzz going for it - a lively atmosphere that a lot of Tokyo restaurants are too small to even try for.

As an alternative, Cardenas Charcoal Grill in Ebisu has a similar liveliness and equally good food, with more reasonably priced California and Aussie wines.

[mkjr]

Nice report.... 

←

Thanks. If you're just coming from New York the prices probably won't shock you, and Union Square has that buzz going for it - a lively atmosphere that a lot of Tokyo restaurants are too small to even try for.

As an alternative, Cardenas Charcoal Grill in Ebisu has a similar liveliness and equally good food, with more reasonably priced California and Aussie wines.

←

I think that my wife and I are going to be looking into Japanese cuisine in a variety of forms (from cheap eats to 20,000Y+ per person (not every night...yikes)). May be worth a visit though for a glass or two of wine at the Cardenas. My wife told me a lot about the site you sent me to. Cheers.