Nobu

[foodboy]

Maybe "spinoff" is the wrong word, but I think I heard something about a Nobu chef opening a place in the West 10's or 20's. Does anyone know about this?

[tommy]

Does anyone know about this?

no, but i'd like too!

i know that chef morimoto is opening a place in Philly.  i for one would be pleased with another psuedo-nobu-caliber restaurant in town.

[Fat Guy]

There are a number of restaurants that are Nobu emulators or spinoffs. There's no shortage of chefs, of varying levels of experience, who have been through the Nobu kitchens. BondSt and Sushi Samba are the two restaurant names that come to mind right away.

[Schrohe]

Morimoto has opened a restaurant in Philadelphia called Moromoto.  I spoke with him at a James Beard event this summer and he told me he was going to open one in NYC in 2002...I think in the Lincoln Center area...

[Fat Guy]

What ever happened to the game plan for that place. I thought it was supposed to focus on rice. I guess Morimoto realized that wouldn't sell?

[Liza]

So I've secured a dinner reservation for my birthday in June and am filled with menu disorientation: some tell me 'you have to have the sushi!', others, 'don't have the sushi'. Some insist on Omakase but they haven't seen my credit statements.

Any direction is most appreciated.

[tommy]

Omakase.

what do you mean by "credit statements"?

you can have good sushi at any number of places.  besides, Omakase will most likely include sushi.  or at least it did when i was there.

[Liza]

I've been told omakase can  be two to three times more expensive and trying to imply that I'm not sure I'm up for spending more than $200 per person.

[tommy]

oh.  you can spend as much or as little as you want methinks.  i believe we chose 125 when we were there, and it was pretty incredible.

[Liza]

Aha! Thank you, Tommy!

[Bux]

I haven't been to Nobu in a while, but either the omakase dinners started at $85 or we had one for that price. Of course with wines and everything, maybe $200 wouldn't be that hard to hit.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Don't order the Omakase there. If you have never been to Nobu, you need to have the signature dishes on your first visit.  There's time for Omakase on your next visit. While others might disagree with my short list, I think the signature dishes are as follows.

Broiled Toro with spicy miso  - It gives the impression of eating steak. The miso is rubbed on one side and the fish cooked on that side. The other side is completely raw/rare like a slice of filet mignon.

Rock Shrimp Tempura w Ponzu & Chili Pepper - Kind of like a bowl of fried calamari with a twist.

Squid Pasta w Garlic Sauce - Squid cut to look like pasta served with asparagus and shitake mushrooms

Creamy Spicy Crab - I think this is the best dish there. The sauce sort of reminds me of a combination of Italian food and Chicken Tikkka Masala.

Broiled Black Cod with Miso - Sablefish marinated with miso, rice wine and broiled. Amazingly tender and it has sort of a sweetish taste. Broiling makes the marinade caramelize beautifully.  

There are lots of other good dishes but I think these are really unusual. Appetizers/sushi etc. are all good, but in my opinion, not as special as the dishes I listed.

[robert brown]

I would add the sashimi salad, specifically. Also the mochi (sp.) for dessert. I agree completely with Steve about the general approach and the specific dishes.

[Liza]

If you two agree, then that settles it for me. Of course, this is almost a month away so I may reserve the right to be completely contrary on the spur of the moment.  

[Steve Plotnicki]

Liza - Yeah the mochi (pronounced moochie) are good for dessert. They are Japanese profiteroles except with rice and sweet potato flour dough on the outside (so they are kind of frozen gloopy) and different flavor ice creams on the inside. It's perfect for me since I don't eat wheat flour. They were so good when I was there 2 weeks ago that we ordered a second portion after finishing the first one. A dish that friends of mine who are regulars there love is the whole fish done tempura style. It's usually a daily special because it varies based on what's fresh. They also have a good wine list  and the 2000 Weinbach Riesling Cuvee Laurence (I think it was that one it might have been the Cuvee Catherine) went perfectly with the food.

[Liza]

I was leaning that way wine-wise, definitely. D. and I will try a few more dishes from the Nobu cookbook before our dinner, and will also be interested in any daily specials.

[CathyL]

Liza, you can do omakase and ask your server to include some of the signature dishes Steve mentioned (all of which I agree with).  One advantage is specifying the price per person at the outset - omakase starts at $80 for dinner - so you don't have to worry about a credit-crunching surprise at the end.  

I also like riesling with the food, but usually end up drinking cold sake instead.

[Beachfan]

I think they have a take on molten chocolate cake (at least Matshuhisa's does).  Fabulous!

[bpearis]

they will ask you if it's your first time doing omakase. if you say yes, you're gauranteed to get the nobu greatest hits -- toro tartare, sashimi salad, rock shrimp tempura, black cod -- well three of those at least. omakase is the way to go. they'll also let you pick every course if you want, but then it's not really omakase.

[wingding]

I had lunch at Nobu today;was underwhelmed by the sushi,but two special dishes were memorable;uni tempura-great combination of crispy-creamy,with sea urchin flavor that people love or hate,and the squid pasta-unusually cut squid with great texture,stir fried with shitake and asparagus.

[tony h]

I had lunch at Nobu (London) yesterday & I'm sorry to say - I just didn't get it.  Tuna tempura - ok - wierd texture.  Yellowfin with jalepeno (sp?) - fine but nothing special,  A couple of different shushi rolls - I got bored half way through eating them.  Mixture of vegetable tempura - tastless.  There was a couple of other dishes but I forget what they were.  It came to just under 50 pounds (ouch!) plus I was hungry afterwards.

And no conveyor belt.

[Roger McShane]

I had lunch at Nobu (London) yesterday & I'm sorry to say - I just didn't get it.  Tuna tempura - ok - wierd texture.  Yellowfin with jalepeno (sp?) - fine but nothing special,  A couple of different shushi rolls - I got bored half way through eating them.

I have to agree with Blind Lemon Higgins although I have never eaten at the London clone. None of the dishes I have eaten at the New York venue had any 'wow' factor at all. It was pleasant food but hardly any better than dozens of other Japanese restaurants in dozens of other cities.

But there were lots of celebrities there.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Blind Lemon - Why would you eat sushi rolls at Nobu when there are so many interesting looking dishes listed that are exclusive to the restaurant? Clearly you didn't read the guide of unusual dishes I posted earlier in this thread because you didn't order any of the dishes.

Roger - Personally I am not the biggest Nobu fan in the world, but you have to give him credit where credit is due. Dishes like Spicy Creamy Crab and Miso Rubbed and Grilled Tuna have loads of wow factor to them. If they didn't, it would just be another sushi bar.

[tommy]

i have to agree the having sushi and tempura at nobu is probably not the best approach.

[jordyn]

Steve:  I've not had the chance to try the crab with creamy spicy sauce, because I am too lazy to get a reservation and consequently only ever eat at Next Door, where that dish is not available.  However, the rock shrimp tempura in creamy spicy sauce (instead of ponzu sauce, as you seem to prefer it) is definitely one of my favorite dishes.  Have you tried the rock shrimp w/ creamy spicy sauce and, if so, how would you compare it to the crab?