Nobu

[kurl]

I've been to Nobu a few times, and I don't dislike it as much as many others seem to... There are some utterly lackluster dishes on the menu (which, I grant, is unacceptable) -- the new style sashimi comes to mind -- but there are some great ones to be had if you're not looking for authenticity or anything like that.

[dahl01]

My boyfriend's birthday is August 17th and I had hopes of snagging a reservation at Nobu for it. Howerver, I've been trying to make a reservation there for the past week, but every time I call (212.219.0500), I get the busy signal. Any tricks to getting through?

[oakapple]

Any tricks to getting through?

Speed dial. Many people are trying.

[Laksa]

My boyfriend's birthday is August 17th and I had hopes of snagging a reservation at Nobu for it.  Howerver, I've been trying to make a reservation there for the past week, but every time I call (212.219.0500), I get the busy signal.  Any tricks to getting through?

I believe they only take reservations up to 1 month before the date. So I think it was one month before my birthday dinner, to the day, that my wife started calling at 10 am, but by the time she got through at 10:30am, they were already fully booked. I have no doubt that if you happen to be Tom Hanks, or Catherine Zeta-Jones, they could accommodate you.

However, we had a very nice meal at Nobu Next Door on my birthday. Apparently, the menu is identical (we had the omakase), and the chefs rotate between the two restaurants.

NND doesn't take reservations, so you have to get there early, say 5:30pm or so, as the line forms pretty quickly.

We got a seat at the sushi bar, and it was great to see the chefs at work. We sat in front of a very friendly chef, who was happy to answer any of our questions. He personally prepared most of our cold dishes. He also explained the correct way of eating some of the sushi, e.g. pointing out the pre-seasoned sushi so we don't dip it in soy. I didn't quite catch his name, but he was an older guy with a moustache.

Hope you and your boyfriend have a good dinner there.

Edited July 6, 2004 by wongste (log)

[Schneier]

My only suggestion is to keep trying.

[Fat Guy]

Are you in New York City? If so, you might try walking in and making the reservation in person.

[alacarte]

I've had the same busy-signal experience. Maybe we are calling at the same time and cancelling each other out!

[hshiau]

I went to Nobu Next Door with a couple of friends tonight. We started with the Tuna Sashimi Salad and a New Style Whitetail Sashimi. Then we had the Broiled Black Cod with miso, the Chilean Sea Bass, the Eggplant Special with Shrimp & Scallop and a special of the day...a Lobster Tempura with black truffle butter. The stars were the cod and the eggplant. The sea bass just didn't do it for me and I couldn't taste the truffle in the lobster tempura.

I'll need to go back to Nobu and do the omakase sometime.

[twhalliii]

This really isn't much of a culinary report, but I work in the indie film world and got to attend the Showtime party at Nobu for the TriBeCa Film Festival last Friday. Showtime rented out the whole place and fed hundreds of party goers and the food was very good. This is the most coveted invite at the festival, and you can see that for certain businesses (read: those that don't probably need much financial help), the film festival does bring cash into TriBeCa. Anyway, if you are interested in the festival and some minor comments on the food and champagne, I did post a blog piece about this very generous party <a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/twhalliii/archives/003584.html">Here</a>.

for what its worth....

[juuceman]

Are you in New York City? If so, you might try walking in and making the reservation in person.

←

NY Press's 'Best of NY' slams Nobu, recommends Komagashi, and gives the unlisted reservation number for Nobu. The website is currently down, otherwise i'd share it..

[oakapple]

I had lunch at Nobu on Wednesday, probably my 4th or 5th time at the restaurant (always for lunch). As I have noted before, if you show up without a reservation at 11:45 or noon, you will invariably be seated. In the past, we've always been told that we'd have to be finished by 1:30, or so. No such guidance this week; even when we left, at 2pm, the restaurant was not full.

I started with a salmon skin roll (I am not exactly sure what that means), but it was very good, if not quite offering the taste explosion of the best sushi restaurants. My colleague and I shared four of the signature dishes: yellowtail tartar with caviar and wasabe sauce; spicy rock shrimp tempura; squid "pasta", and miso black cod. I think the squid pasta has lost a bit of its lustre; when you get over the novelty, it is really nothing special. But the others are all top-notch, and it is no surprise that they bring the miso black cod last. Although imitated a hundred times over, there is still no miso black cod like Nobu's.

I finished with an apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream, and while you don't think of Nobu for its desserts, this was beautifully prepared and a sensory pleasure.

Service was excellent.

As an unrelated aside, did you ever wonder why you can't get through to Nobu on the reservation line. At lunch time, there are five phone operators sitting at a booth near the front door. They are the reservations department. While waiting for my coat, I overheard one of them telling the others about a recent social event she'd attended. The phone rang: "Nobu, can you hold, please?" After putting the caller on hold, she finished her story about the social event.

[gaf]

Planet Kyoto New York City Entry #75 Nobu

Why tinker with a sharp formula? A decade ago I ate an astonishing meal at Nobu, Nobu Matsuhisa's haute Japanese TriBeCa joint. The evening was a rare experience that changes how one thinks about the possibility of cuisine. Borrowing from Europe and South America, Chef Matsuhisa invented for many diners a new way to think of Asian flavors and textures. A decade later in hope of preparing my palate for a visit (my first) to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima, I returned, and Nobu is as almost as good as it once was , even if it is a victim of how much it has changed the world of dining. Chef Nobu has tough competition, and several of his iron colleagues and students can challenge the master. And, of course, the restaurant has cloned itself endlessly, creating a formulaic cuisine - Planet Kyoto.

Nobu is one of the wittiest restaurant spaces in the city. The sculptural trees that adorn the dining room suggest an ryokan set in a Japanese forest. It is dramatic without facile elegance, and it is never misses a thoughtful detail. Our waiter, pure American, was cheerful, knowledgeable and efficient.

We selected the high-end omakase dinner to which we added a tempura dish, creating a menu of ten dishes. While a few dishes did not stun, there were no failures. After a dozen years, a weeding-out process is evident. Perhaps Nobu is resting on its well-earned laurels, and one sometimes suspects that the kitchen is not charged with the gas of imagination, but the best dishes still tingle.

Although I rarely order or write about cocktails, the Matsuhisa Martini reflects the Nobu style. The mix of Level Vodka with sake, ginger and cucumber slices proved to be startlingly effective in awakening my palate. Not sticky sweet like many failed cocktails, these additions were quietly modulated.

Our opening appetizer (Nobu doesn't provide an amuse) was toro (tuna belly) tartare with a powerful and wicked wasabi soy sauce and Sterling (white sturgeon) caviar. The tuna and soy were set in a tiny crucible placed atop a ball of crushed ice. The drama was evident. We were impressed knowing that this was a meal that had been carefully calibrated. The wasabi jus was a fiery accompaniment, skating near the edge of pleasure. Diners were not given a choice, it soaked the toro. Eat or starve! I ate with tears in my eyes and a song in my heart. Confronting Nobu, one must be brave. To the side, a Japanese mountain peach, the size of a raspberry. Designed as a palate cleanser, it was a reward for clearing one's blazing plate.

The toro was quickly followed by a quartet of Kumamoto oysters, served with hot sesame oil, chives, ginger, and citrus soy sauce. This pile of oysters was sublime. I wondered whether sesame and citrus would be a match, but they were harmonious and in tune with oysters that were as perfect as bivalves could be. If the legions of phobes would be forced to eat these Kumamotos, a run on oysters would surely result. With its symphonies of pungent flavors, this was a star dish.

Our third course was Kanpachi (young yellowtail) sashimi. It was served with sesame soy vinegar and a haystack of micro-fennel. We tried to divine the subtle flavor of the micro-greens, not imagining that the farmers at Nobu grew fields of tiny fennel shoots. The display was stirring, and the kanpachi fresh and pure.

Our next course must have created by a lapidary with some slight assistance of a chef. We were served four slivers of Japanese red snapper, set in a pool of citrus (yuzu?) juice. On each slice was an aureole of forest green cilantro with a nip of bright chili sauce. One needed to nibble a morsel of the perfect fish before venturing into its combinations. The chili pepper provided a holy fire, an enchanted massacre. After the subtle dishes, we were reminded of the biting toro tartare.

The fifth course changed the world. My two companions had never visited Nobu before, and so we were blessed by Chef Nobu's broiled black cod marinated in miso (four days to create the world). The cod was as buttery and sweet as one could imagine. Were it the naked cod, we would have spied heaven. However, Nobu's pickled onions are certainly the finest pickled onions that human hands ever touched, the foie gras was measured and devout, and the crispy Japanese mint leaf was transformed by a magician. That this dish has delighted so many diners for over a decade is a miracle. That it has changed the way New Yorkers have conceived of Japanese cuisine reveals that kitchens have cultural power. Nobu's Cod is a finalist for Dish of the Century.

So ecstatic were we that the next plate - Kobe beef with a chili paste sauce, and red and yellow grape tomatoes on a lemon slice - was a disappointment. As one, we decided that the tomatoes were the chef's treat. Kobe beef is rather like truffles, foie gras, or caviar: unless used with inspiration, it announces conspicuous consumption. To suggest that the Kobe slices were "not bad" is to mock their precious pretensions, but we could have happily noshed on a bowl of tomatoes.

Feeling a bit peckish after the beef - and not wishing the meal to end quite yet - we ordered Rock shrimp tempura with ponzu and chili pepper served with a mound of micro-mache. This transformed the possibilities of tempura, a culinary domain that I hope to explore during my stay in Japan. As all dishes at Nobu, the presentation was sublime, dramatic and precise.

Sushi and soup is a transition to dessert. Our five pieces (otoro, belt fish, red snapper, king salmon, and orange clam) were exemplary, but after the rock shrimp, after the kumamoto oysters, after the miso cod, the sushi did not astonish, but only satisfied. As a palate cleanser sufficed.

I was not enchanted by Pastry Chef Jessica Isaacs' desserts. Japan is not a dessert culture. Tokyo is not Paris - I'll report back if my visit upends my bias. We were first treated to a mango citrus granita. This bowl looked like jewels, and was topped with edible gold leaf, but tasted like a routine and awkwardly chunky snow cone.

Our final sweet was a bento box composed of a Warm Valrhona Chocolate Souffle Cake with Shiso Syrup, White Chocolate Sauce and Green Tea Ice Cream. The elegance of the dessert critiqued the humble bento box. Ho ho. I licked the smooth and mild ice cream, but was left cold by the warm cake. I should not indulge in caffeine, often a struggle. Tonight, after a few small bites of a rich but ordinary cake I lacked desire to violate doctor's orders.

Nobu is an essential restaurant, the rising sun lighting TriBeCa. To be sure there is danger of Nobu becoming Hard Rock Café, but until cod is endangered, Nobu will remain more wonderland than Disneyland.

Nobu

105 Hudson Street (at Franklin St.)

Manhattan (TriBeCa)

212-219-0500

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

[ASM NY]

What really strikes me is that even the tasting menu hasn't really evolved over the last 10 years. I have been to Nobu many times over the past decade, and while they clearly have developed a good formula that makes them good money, one would think that a tasting menu would show a little bit of change over time.

Nobu became the destination that it is because it used to offer very innovative, creative, high quality food. Now every single restaurant carries the black cod with miso... The main question is: can a restaurant whose claim to fame was creativity (remember when "fusion" was new?), just stop creating new dishes? Based on nobu, one would think it can.

[oakapple]

What really strikes me is that even the tasting menu hasn't really evolved over the last 10 years. I have been to Nobu many times over the past decade, and while they clearly have developed a good formula that makes them good money, one would think that a tasting menu would show a little bit of change over time.

Nobu became the destination that it is because it used to offer very innovative, creative, high quality food. Now every single restaurant carries the black cod with miso... The main question is: can a restaurant whose claim to fame was creativity (remember when "fusion" was new?), just stop creating new dishes? Based on nobu, one would think it can.

←

There is a place for restaurants that just keep doing one thing extremely well. The clear leader in that category would be Peter Luger, whose menu hasn't changed in living memory. Lots of restaurants have tried to imitate it, but most observers believe Luger still serves the best porterhouse.

I've tried some of those other attempts at miso black cod, and they invariably aren't as good as Nobu's.

[ASM NY]

There is a place for restaurants that just keep doing one thing extremely well. The clear leader in that category would be Peter Luger, whose menu hasn't changed in living memory. Lots of restaurants have tried to imitate it, but most observers believe Luger still serves the best porterhouse.

I've tried some of those other attempts at miso black cod, and they invariably aren't as good as Nobu's.

←

I completely agree on both accounts. I am not saying they should change their menu, or have a different tasting. Peter Luger has made a name for itself by serving outstanding porterhouse steaks, not for being creative or innovative in any way. When I first visited Nobu, I was under the impression that the place was "hot" not only because of the high quality food, but because it was at the forefront of the "fusion" cuisine, offering new and creative dishes. For them to not have evolved further, is somewhat surprising.

[babern38]

Had dinner at Nobu last sunday. Had the $150 omakase menu and must say I was not very impressed at all. In fact, i was a bit disappointed by several things. Having only been to Matsuhisa in LA where I was blown away by the tasting there, I found several flaws in my recent dinner.

First, our first course of Toro tartare with caviar in a sweet wasabi sauce was so incredibly laced with wasabi it completely obscured the tuna and caviar. I wound up scooping the whole tartare out of the sauce bowl and eating it off another plate. I love wasabi, but this was way too much. my girlfriend who really doesn't like wasabi at all could barely tolerate it. Not a good way to start.

Second, the cod was delicious, but my girlfriend had to pick out about 7 pin bones from her piece where as mine was fine. I could understand one bone, but 7 for her and none for me makes me question the consistency of this place.

Third, The kobe beef that came grilled in a pot was tasty, but I again, I found it to be too overly seasoned and salty. I love my soy sauce, but when I go to such nice restaurants I prefer more attention to the taste of the high quality product and not everything around it.

There were some other service and food mis-steps along the way, but I don't feel the need to rant about them here in more detail. In short, I had high hopes for a great meal at Nobul, but left very disappointed due to the inconsistency of dishes and some preparation issues. Having recently dined at Morimoto's, where I had an amzing meal, I think I'll just prefer to say I've been to Nobu and have no reason to return.

[raji]

There is a trick I was taught by Japanese wasabi farmers to dealing with a wasabi accident or a chef with a heavy hand. I'd post it on here but I stand to lose a decent source of income winning bets at bars. It's too late now but if you PM I'll tell you.

It's been a while since Nobu was the standard bearer for Japanese in NYC, maybe not since around 2000. I'd only go there for the scene and for their signature dishes. That said, if you're finding pin bones in their signature dish, and not getting reliably well-executed Japanese cuisine there, I'd be pretty surprised.

Edited September 11, 2008 by raji (log)

[raji]

Sorry for the delay in reply, I've been away.

After the many, MANY requests I have to divulge the might wasabi trick, exclusively to you loyal Egulleteers, for being members of the best, most well-maintained culinary community out there!

So this was revealed to me many moons ago at a dynamite sushi-ya in Shimo-Kitazawa as a way to safely consume the wasabimaki, which is often ordered as al palate-cleanser after a sushi meal.

They should usually be made with real wasabi, although recently I had one served to be made with the tubular variety at Yasuda of all places.

Here's what you do. When you're eating a large amount of wasabi, as you are chewing, processing and swallowing it, breathe in and out through your nose and/or close off the channels to your nasal passages. Just the act of breathing in and out through your nose should do this well enough but you might want to close off your nasal passages the same way you would if you were jumping in a pool.

The whole stinging buzz you get from Wasabi are the the vapors released when you further masticate it and release them into your mouth. If they don't reach your nose and most importantly, your sinuses, you are shielded from that wasabi buzz, and you can pretty much eat as much of it as you want.

This works with both the green horseradish served as wasabi and real wasabi.

Try it out!