Nobu 57

Nobu New York is one of the chicest Japanese restaurants in Manhattan. With that, Nobu 57 is said to be even more elegant that the Nobu (or should I say Nobus) in Tribeca. Though I must say the bar area is quite a scene and very trendy, the upstairs dining room is very commercial and looses some of the elegance found downstairs or even in Tribeca. The sushi however triumphs over Nobu New York and most other sushi places in Manhattan. All the fish is fresh and melts in your mouth. The toro roll was phenomenal as were the yellowtail and shrimp tempura rolls. The hot food however isn't as stellar. The Black Cod with Miso, Nobu's stable dish, wasn't flavorful but was cooked well. The King Crab Tempura was decent for what it was though nothing spectacular. The prices are high and excluding the sushi, nothing delivers. Your best bet would be to go to the bar area and have drinks and sushi. The scene seems very elite and is what you expect when dining at Nobu 57.

UPDATE (2/24/10): Yesterday, a very gloomy day in New York I might add, I went to Nobu 57 for lunch. I arrived at 3 a bit late for Nobu's lunch menu so I sat in the lounge, which happens to be the chicest part of the restaurant so I didn't mind at all. The bar menu, the menu between lunch and dinner, consists of small dishes, sushi & sashimi and a special $25 lunch bento box. Nobu was actually pretty busy considering it was 3 in the afternoon, it was mostly filled with businessmen. The service at Nobu for bar service, aka the bartender, was very attentive and kind. As for the food, I ordered a tuna cut roll, a yellowtail roll and a Fresh Salmon Donburi. The sushi is always fresh at Nobu and yesterday was no different. Each piece of fish I ate was like butter and everything was fantastic. I'd continue to go to Nobu 57 for lunch, especially that my lunch wasn't nearly as expensive as I thought it would have been (it was $37 including tax and tip).