a horrible dinner at nobu (tribeca)
last saturday night, my husband and i had a spontaneous dinner at nobu in our neighborhood. what a disgrace. the sushi was terrible. bad! i complained and asked the waiter if it was just that it was saturday night and all the out of towners were there? how could nobu possibly serve bad fish?? he asked if i had even eaten sushi there and i said we had it at nobu next door all the time. he said that the sushi was much better over there. what?!? the arctic charr was totally overcooked - chewy and dry. service was aloof and distracted. nobu sucks. tataki is terrible too, now, used to be great. is there any decent sushi in tribeca?
By snturkish
on Nov 27, 2006 12:27 AM
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I agree about Nobu, especially the sushi. And who needs the attitude? If you want seriously good sushi in Tribeca, try the six-seat sushi bar at Bouley Upstairs. First-rate quality, two great chefs. Go early or expect to wait. Every time I eat there, I pass Nobu on the way home and think about all the suckers there.
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I went to NOBU once and was not impressed. I will never go back there.
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I don't think this is going to satisfy the original poster, but Nobu really is not a sushi restaurant. I have found the sushi to be passable, but it is never the highlight of the meal. I love Nobu for its "greatest hits" dishes like the miso cod and the rock shrimp tempura, and I think it is an absolutely stellar restaurant when the chefs put extra effort into the omakase when you request something special.
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been meaning to get to bouley upstairs - great notion, thanks :)
associeat, i feel you, i really do, but bad fish?? maybe i will try the omakase though....
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agree with AssociEat - don't go to Nobu for sushi - the dishes are wonderful, sushi has always just been OK
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I'm looking for a nice sushi/japanese place for New Years. I was thinking Nobu, until I read this post! Thanks.
I was also thinking Morimoto, but read a bad post about that too!
Any suggestions?
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You could try Yasuda if you can get in or maybe Jewel Bako. Both should fit the bill. Enjoy!
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We had a great new years tasting menu at Sumile a few years ago. Really quiet, great raw fish and excellent ambience. It is French/Japanese fusion, though. http://sumile.com/
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A bit off topic, but I love, love Sumile. If Josh DeChellis is in the house and cooking, it's amazing. I just read that they are getting a sushi bar - they didn't use to serve sushi there.
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Yasuda is actually closed NYE!
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Call Shimizu. My fav sushi in the city. If you do an Omakase there you get seriously taken care of. It's also quiet enought to hear your dining companions. I just did a $65 Omakase there that I think rivaled the best sushi in NYC. Not sure if they're open though. Hmmm. I'll keep thinking.
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I'm curious about the Omakase you had at Shimizu. I've been there often, but never for the Omakase. Can you tell me a bit more about it? Did you just sit down at the sushi bar and asked for the $65 Omakase?
What did they serve? Any special types of fish?
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Hey, the omakase at Shimizu often includes special fish that they have that day like needlefish, raw octopus, raw orange clam and often a few grades of fatty tuna. In addition, I've had a starter of "tuna sausage" which seems to be dried fish with an almost fennel-like spice to it as well as fried shrimp heads. It's a lot of fun and he seems to be open to specific requests. Enjoy!
Jeremy
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Generally, you don't go to NOBU for sushi. Although their sashimi type dishes are always delicious and I have never had a bad piece of fish.
The 57th street location is much better than the downtown branches.
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We may be blaming the diner too much. No, Nobu is not a sushi restaurant per se but then again, when their prices are as high as they are, and that much of their menu is sushi, perhaps they should be turning out a better product. If I had a bad cup of coffee after a lavish meal at Le Bernardin, I would be annoyed even though they aren't a "coffee place." It think at those price levels, they shouldn't be serving anything that's not great. Just my two cents... or two hundred dollars. : )
Jeremy
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I don't understand why people think Nobu is sooo expensive. It really isn't.
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I think Nobu gets labeled as soooo expenseive becasue the taste hasn't measured up to the expectation/reputation for many years now. If you go to a truly expensive restaurant like Jean Georges you can leave feeling like it was worth it. I agree that in the world of 3 and 4 star restaurants, Nobu isn't so bad pricewise, but foodwise I think it's most disappointing. I think the 57th street restaurant is indicative of just how cynical the palce has become now that it can coast on its reputation and people all over the world know about Nobu. So, why not put a big, tacky place on a street visited largely by tourists? The miso cod was once great, but I've had imitations that utterly outdo the original several times over the past couple of years and in more than one city. Credit for the invention? Sorry, but food can't be patented. The worst part of my last trip to Nobu 57 was when the waiter congratulated my wife and me on our choices. Only a paraphrase, but it went something like: "Alright. You guys did a good job with the menu. Most people don't do such a good job." I would have preferred timely service rather than patronizing. Okayl, I've whipped myself up a bit much here. Final thought: Nobu's food isn't awful, but it's not even closer to worth the price. You can eat much better at Sugiyama for half the price.
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Thanks for the rec, Jeremy.
I was hoping to find a place that has some kind of event, with a champagne toast - not finding that yet.
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megu and morimoto have a similar style menu, but consistently decent sushi
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So I guess Nobu next doors' leftovers are tomorrows sushi for Nobu? heh
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Recently had sushi lunch at Nobu 57, I've had better sushi from the corner deli...probably the most unremarkable sushi experience i've had since the early 80's...even though I asked for exotic stuff, I got the usual American Joe sushi plate, very mediocre..
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This is where I'm confused though. I go to eat the actual dishes at Nobu, not the sushi. It may be a japanese restaurant, but has it ever been billed as a sushi restaurant. The two can be mutually exclusive.
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It's not even really a Japanese restaurant. I believe it is Japanese-Peruvian fusion or something like that.
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I didn't enjoy nobu either. None of the dishes made me feel "wow" and I just didn't think anything was that great. The rock shrimp in creamy spicy sauce was a bright sauce but barely. I felt like everything else felt plain and uninspired.
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