Nobu Fifty Seven offers few surprises, just indescribably delicious seafood as dependably reliable as singer Kelly Clarkson churning out one record breaker after another.
It’s been around four years since I last dined at a Nobu. This time I tried NYC’s Nobu Fifty Seven, which opened in 2005. (This year Nobu had triplets: one each in Cape Town, Moscow and Mexico City, bringing the grand total to lucky 21.)
The Setting:
A dramatic entanglement of rope, bamboo stalks, sparkling abalone shell chandeliers and reclaimed wood make you feel like you’re dining in a fisherman’s shack-albeit a very high-end one.
The Crowd:
Not the “seen and be seen” jet setters of yester year. Lots of tourists at this location, mixed with a few fashionista’s (we saw at least four hotties sporting the one bare-shoulder look, although we figured out later that they all employees.)
Service:
The place was full so although we had often had to wait a few more nano-seconds than we liked, the service was quite sweet. Our server thoughtfully kept emptying our edamame shell bowl, which we promptly filled again and again- those green guys are sooo addictive- and brought us clean plates for each dish that we shared.
Food Faves:
The pristine Yellowtail Sashimi, each slice accented with a teeny round of JalapeƱo, doused with a little garlic soy.
The pinwheel of Fluke Sashimi, with it’s pitch-perfect fusion of flavors–shiso salt, zingy yuzu juice, a dot of chili sauce and cilantro.
If there was a Nobu with in a 100 mile radius of my home, I’d make a standing daily lunch order of the Tuna Tataki Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing, and I made the exact same comment four years ago.
Don’t miss:
Nobu’s infamous Miso Black Cod. To even think of eating here and not ordering this is the culinary equivalent of experiencing a day without sunshine. Although this buttery, rich, silky sweet dish has been cloned worldwide, Nobu’s is still the gold standard. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to give it a try.
Can easily skip:
The desserts. If you must, the pecan ice-cream topped with hot caramelized bananas was acceptable but stay away from the weird architectural grey-green spongy pistachio thing.
Nobu Fifty Seven
40 W 57th St- Btwn 5th & 6th Ave
New York, NY 10019
212 757-3000