Nobu Fifty Seven

Nobu Fifty Seven is the second location to open in Manhattan after renowned chef, Nobu Matsuhisa’s success with the original Nobu downtown.  I went for dinner with some of my favorite dates, and truthfully we had no complaints.  I know D wanted to go because Robert De Niro is a co-owner.  That means a lot for this bunch.  We loved that the restaurant was completely packed, but we could only hear ourselves.  Nobu is a great time, from the slamming martinis to the hot waitstaff.  The menu style is made up of cold dishes and hot dishes to share.  Our waiter recommended moving to sushi and sashimi after finishing the cold and hot plates.  I apologize for the blurriness of the pictures as the meal progresses, the bartenders were very generous.  

We all started with a dirty Grey Goose martini but then shortly parted ways.  After, I had the Cucumber Martini, Spiced Apple Martini and we got a bottle of California Pinot Noir.  The Cucumber Martini was the best I’ve ever had, made with citron vodka, cucumber puree and lychee juice…perfect.  The Spiced Apple was STRONG but good, rye whiskey, ginger cognac, fresh apple cider, bitters, lime and nutmeg.  

Here is our menu…

Fresh Yellowtail Sashimi with jalepeno was THE perfect start to this dinner.  We took one slice of cilantro from pile and put it on each bite.  It was kind of like our ordered amuse bouche.  19.

Next, we had Nobu Tacos which were a special that night.  Two were ceviche and two were king crab, the ceviche was amazing and “an explosion of flavor” in the words of D.  12.

Ah, we loved the Bigeye Tuna Takaki and Tosazu.  I had no idea what Tosazu was, but I liked it a lot, so I  looked it up, it’s a soy sauce, bonito and vinegar sauce.  Solid dish. 21.

It’s clear that we love our tuna, so we had Bigeye Tuna and Scallop on Spicy Renkon Chips.  Because we were a party of 4, I chose the scallop because A and M are the big tuna fans.  The scallop was wonderful. 14.

Recomended by A, we ordered the Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce.  It comes with the option of Ponzu as well.  As promised by A, the dish was so good we ordered another shortly after.   I was looking around, it was a clear Nobu favorite as it was on almost every table in the room.  20.

The minute I opened the menu, Halibut Cheeks with Wasabi Pepper Sauce caught my eye!  How could it not?  I had never had halibut cheeks, thank god I tried them.  We were all blown away.  So tender, and the sauce was unbelievable, the mushroom texture added so much to the dish.  My favorite! 21.

For our last dish, ordered by M, we had the Beef Toban Yaki.  Toban Yaki means cooked on a ceramic plate, again, had to look that one up.  I enjoyed the enoki mushrooms and the sauce was killer…I wish I knew what it was, I do know that it was the perfect combination of salty and sweet.  23. 

As our waiter said, we wanted a few more bites before dessert.  During the Spiced Apple, I forgot to take pictures of our sushi and sashimi selections.  A, of course wanted the Spicy Bigeye Tuna roll and D ordered Bigeye Tuna, Bluefin Toro and Hamachi for the table.  The quality was unreal, and at Nobu you get what you pay for.  Each piece was between 5-7.  

And now for dessert, I chose the White Peach and Jasmine Soup, ONLY because it came with Nobu beer ice cream and peanut crumble.  I was pleasently suprised with the whole thing, the jasmine soup was served in a tea pot which was poured, by Shane, I mean the waitress, into the bowl of beer ice cream and peanut crumble, it was fucking great.  I’m going to try and duplicate this for sure.  12.

A and M wanted the PB&J, which came with warm peanut butter and chocolate in crunchy balls, peanut butter ice cream and a plum wine gelée.  I usually can’t stand the consistancy of gelée or anything of the sort, but this complimented the peanut butter just like the classic sandwich! This was D, delicious.  14.

If you’re in New York, go to Nobu.  That’s all there is to it.

Thanks for dinner D! 

40 West 57 Street

New York, NY 10019

212.757.3000