Nobu Fifty Seven’s miso black cod would be served at my last meal on earth.
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 Jalapeño, 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