Morimoto's in Manhattan

[Sneakeater]

I've never known a chef willing to "dumb down" his cuisine to appeal to the masses.

←

You are leading a truly charmed existence.

[CherieV]

I know we're all here only for the food, but I thought maybe some of you might be interested in what one reviewer said about the design.

Especially since most of you do not read The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Here's what their architecture critic, Inga Saffron, had to say about Morimoto NYC in last Friday's "Home & Design" section.

←

I had the opportunity to check out Morimoto Manhattan last week. The white stark decor paired with the glass bottle walls is indeed interesting. It reminded me of an ice palace. It creates atmosphere which is of course Stephen Starrs signature. I did not have a chance to dine but managed to have a couple of specialty martini's which were quite tasty. The service is friendly and the bar area is comfortable enough to have a bite to eat if you wish. The bar menu had some similar items to Phila for a bit more $$ of course "it's Manahattan". Overall I am curious about the omakase and next time hope to see what it is all about in Manhattan. I've had it Phila many times and NY seems to be more interesting.

[MarketStEl]

I had the opportunity to check out Morimoto Manhattan last week.    The white stark decor paired with the glass bottle walls is indeed interesting.  It reminded me of an ice palace.  It creates atmosphere which is of course Stephen Starrs signature.

←

Stephen Starr's restaurants are perhaps the only places where describing the effect of their design as "atmosphere" is an understatement.

[chefboy24]

review comes out tonight on nytimes.com i hear

my guess - 2 stars.

????

[Sneakeater]

Sure. Why not? Everybody else gets two stars.

[milla]

One star, it is...

[stephenc]

Blogger Augieland has already had the Morimoto omakese five times. Obviously the guy has a lot of disposable income. Amazingly, there have been no repeated dishes.

See here, here, here, here, and here.

←

Bah, theres a woman in Philly who's been to Morimoto once a week, every week, religiously, since it's been open.

And she says she hasn't had a dish twice yet.

[stephenc]

Where are people getting the money to shovel into these places? And how exactly do they plan on making it back?

SS is a notorious tightwad. I'm sure he already had the $12 mil upfront. His two Continentals are absolute cash-cows.

Edited March 22, 2006 by stephenc (log)

[chefboy24]

Where are people getting the money to shovel into these places? And how exactly do they plan on making it back?

SS is a notorious tightwad. I'm sure he already had the $12 mil upfront. His two Continentals are absolute cash-cows.

←

um

12 mil for a restaurant........

ya can't be a tightwad. you know. when you open up the most expensive restaurant in the history of human civilization.

good thing he has cash cows. i dont really care. i hope he fails here in nyc.

i think restaurant groups should be chef run, not businessman run.

Edited March 22, 2006 by chefboy24 (log)

[ASM NY]

Jeffrey Steingarten wrote a short article about Morimoto in this month's Vogue. In all fairness, the article focuses more on Ando's architecture than on the food at Morimoto, still the article is overall very positive on the restaurant. I can't remember when I last read an article by Steingarten that focused solely on one restaurant and its virtues.

[rich]

Is that about $10 million a star? Makes Del Posto's $4 million a star sound like a bargain.

Edited March 22, 2006 by rich (log)

[ulterior epicure]

Bah, theres a woman in Philly who's been to Morimoto once a week, every week, religiously, since it's been open.

And she says she hasn't had a dish twice yet.

←

Yes, I remember reading this woman's accounts somewhere - perhaps right here on eGullet somewhere? Not sure...

... maybe she has very short term memory??? I just don't see how this is possible...

u.e.

[Sneakeater]

Maybe it's like Heraclitis's remark that you can't step in the same river twice.

[NYC Mike]

One star, it is...

←

AP gave 3 stars in the NYer this week too.

[ulterior epicure]

Maybe it's like Heraclitis's remark that you can't step in the same river twice.

←

Sneakeater (a.k.a. resident poet ).

Wow, that was a very generous alternative reading to my slightly (unwarranted) cynical response...

u.e.

[akwa]

actually i know the woman

and she hasnt eaten the same dish twice

at least she didnt in the 18 months i was at morimoto philly

[ulterior epicure]

akwa.

can you explain how this is possible? was she ordering from the regular menu? or, did you/the staff know her well enough to just send out dishes she hadn't had? but, how did the staff know? did they have a database of her previous meals? or were they semi-guided by the diner? i'm sure after a while, everyone knew her...

i just find this quite astounding... both in dedication and logistics.

u.e.

[augieland]

I’ve never eaten in the dining room so I can't share my feelings on his feelings. You all know I love the Omakase bar. http://augieland.blogs.com/augie_land/2006...o_nyc_om_5.html

I find it very interesting (not necessarily bad) that he never had an omakase either in the dining room or at the sushi bar.

[ulterior epicure]

I’ve never eaten in the dining room so I can't share my feelings on his feelings. You all know I love the Omakase bar.  http://augieland.blogs.com/augie_land/2006...o_nyc_om_5.html

I find it very interesting (not necessarily bad) that he never had an omakase either in the dining room or at the sushi bar.

←

augieland.

sorry for being a little clueless, but who is the he that you are referring to?

u.e.

[philadining]

augieland.

sorry for being a little clueless, but who is the he that you are referring to?

u.e.

←

I assume augieland meant he (Bruni) didn't mention having an omakase anywhere in the review. I'll join him (augieland) in thinking it odd for there to be no mention of the omakase in the review. At least at the Philly restaurant it's highlighted as the best way to experience Morimoto's food.

interesting review otherwise, and a surprisingly positive tone for a one-star. Still with the disappointments he described, that sounds like the right rating.

[ulterior epicure]

I assume augieland meant he (Bruni) didn't mention having an omakase anywhere in the review.

Doh... I'll bet you're right!

I'll join him (augieland) in thinking it odd for there to be no mention of the omakase in the review.  At least at the Philly restaurant it's highlighted as the best way to experience Morimoto's food.

Agreed... very good note. Maybe he couldn't manage his wedge himself between the "handsome man" and the "two attractive women" in the way... maybe they didn't pivot to accommodate him...

interesting review otherwise, and a surprisingly positive tone for a one-star. Still with the disappointments he described, that sounds like the right rating.

I'll second that, philadining. In fact, I'd have to say I was really surprised by how positive the remarks were. When I opened it up and accidentally saw the 1 star rating, I was expecting something just short of a massacre... especially given the title (which I love )... I wonder how (if) Buddakan will follow.

u.e.

Edited March 22, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[Bux]

Where are people getting the money to shovel into these places? And how exactly do they plan on making it back?

SS is a notorious tightwad. I'm sure he already had the $12 mil upfront. His two Continentals are absolute cash-cows.

←

um

12 mil for a restaurant........

ya can't be a tightwad. you know. when you open up the most expensive restaurant in the history of human civilization.

good thing he has cash cows. i dont really care. i hope he fails here in nyc.

i think restaurant groups should be chef run, not businessman run.

←

Back in 1998, when the new DANIEL opened, Peter Kaminsky reported that "the price tag on the new restaurant, more than $10 million, is the highest amount ever spent on a single dining space in the city." That was in the December 14, 1998 issue of New York Magazine.

[chefboy24]

ah huh so morimoto is somewhere between 10 and 12.

making it tied for first or more then first, with daniel and per se?

either way, who cares if its 9 or 10 or 11 or 12.

the point is: it sucks. and it will fail. and 10 M restaurants in nyc dont really fail.

[KatieLoeb]

Seems Mr. Starr is rather sanguine about the one star review in the Philadelphia Inquirer

either way, who cares if its 9 or 10 or 11 or 12.

the point is: it sucks. and it will fail. and 10 M restaurants in nyc dont really fail.

chefboy24, dude - why are you so bitter?? Did Chef Morimoto or Mr. Starr do something to piss you off personally? Jeez - I've had my resume shitcanned by SRO more times than I can count, yet I don't wish them any ill. It'll succeed or fail under its own ponderous weight soon enough.

[Bond Girl]

Horrendous meal at Morimoto's. Most dishes of the omakase arrived lukewarm or cold. Even worse is the overall flavorless theme to everything. I might as well be eating cardboard. The sushis are a vulgar display tastelessness with huge sinewy pieces of fish on clammy pieces of rice. Only saving grace is the cool decor, but that only last so long. Anyone with any hint of tastebud should just drink there and save the money for Yasuda or Karuma instead.