Nobu and Nobu Next Door

I can’t remember exactly when Nobu opened but I believe Nobu Next Door opened up around 5 years ago. Same concept as Nobu but no reservations.

We wandered into Nobu Next Door last night. The place was jammed. One hour wait for a table at 9pm. That is pretty impressive after 5 years. We tryed our luck at Nobu (next door) and they said 15 minutes so we took a table. It was jammed over there too. We actually saw Mary Kate or Ashley walk in with some friends. It has always been a great place to see a celebrity or two.

Years ago we had gone to dinner at Matsuhisha in Los Angeles. A true religious experience. We had the chef just bring it on. One of the most memorable meals I have ever had. I have also been to Sushi Yasuda which in my opinion is the absolute best sushi ever.

I know Nobu is rated top dog among the Sushi experts in the city. I had sushi last night and I also had their array of appetizers. The hamachi with yellow tail is always delicious. The white fish with ponzu was really delicious. You can’t go wrong with the tiny shrimp tempura with the spicy sauce. But, it is not as good as I remember. The last time I went, it was very disappointing. This time I went it was good but not Sushi Yasuda and not Matsuhisa. I admit it, I’m a sushi snob. I used to go anywhere for sushi but no more. I hate that feeling of waking up the next morning and feeling like I ate sushi the night before. Bloating, soy saucey etc. I don’t do the soy sauce anymore but there is something about the neighborhood sushi joints that don’t sit right with me.

Regardless, we had a great time with our friends. I love the bamboo pieces they serve sake in. The atmosphere is great. But, in terms of a top 10 food experience, I can’t give it the nod.

Comments (Archived):

  1. Brad Feld

    Amy and I are having dinner at Matsuhisha in Aspen tonight. I’ll tell you how it goes, but we are going to play the “bring it on” game.

  2. Brad Feld

    Matsuhisa Aspen was awesome. It lives up to the Nobu standard. The physical space is cool – it’s basement space so no windows – they’ve made the place hip and lively, but not overwhelming so. In addition to the typical sushi restaurant stuff, there are Nobu/Matsuhisa specials. We had Tuna Tataki, Rock Shrimp Ceviche, Black Cod with Miso, and Sea Bass with Truffles (amazing). We finished it off with a Bento Box dessert (chocolate souffle, vanilla ice cream, and strawberries in a bento box.) Yum.

  3. Jenny Lawton

    For a fun Japanese food experience, the next time you have an hour or so to kill and you’re in the Fort Lee area, you should check out Mitsuwa in Edgewater. Mitsuwa is a very large Japanese supermarket, surrounded by little foodstalls. It’s kind of like going to a Japanese version of Chinatown moved to a strip mall. I take my Asian-obsessed 10 year old there to shop every few weeks and we always have a blast.

    I’ve always wanted to go to Nobu, but maybe not now!

    If you’re ever in London … Yo Sushi! is the way to go. My younger son placed a call to Brad (when he was, unbeknownst to us, in Hong Kong) to brag about the number of plates of sushi that he ate there, considering Brad the king of sushi consumption.