Matsugen

There are those three words that ring loud and clear in many instances, "location, location, location".  That might be one of the major problems behind Matsugen, a Jean-George restaurant. 

We were there on Friday night.  It was empty.  Located on Church Street, outside of the busier areas of Tribeca.  The restaurant itself is serene.  Beautifully designed.  A long communal table in the first room with an open kitchen behind it.  The other spaces are chopped up into smaller intimate settings which is so smart.  The place flows elegantly.  The food is quite good too, expensive but delicious.  The service, well they could let you sit there for eternity but why not, nobody else is around.

We followed the instructions on how to dive into the menu.  We shared everything.  Started off with a few appetizers, then had something from the grill menu, some sushi, a few soba soups and dessert. 

Kampachi sashimi with a spicy radish, wasabi and ponzu sauce.  A nice mixture, crunchy too.  All the fish was fantastic and fresh.

We had two tatakis which is sliced raw fish lightly salted and and charred on the ends sitting in a sauce.  The toro was like butter. 

The salmon was outrageous.  I could go back and order 10 pieces just for myself.  Intense flavor with the soy rice vinegar.

We also had the asparagus which was blanched, sliced and served with a sesame paste over the top. 

For the grill, we went with the miso cod.  Almost fell apart when you sliced into it, charred on the outside and full of flavor. The sushi was excellent. 

The soba soups are their signature.  We had one hot and one cold.  Hot duck broth with snake like noodles that fall apart when you eat them.  Absolutely delicious.  The cold, I really liked best.  Special of the house.  Scallion, bonito, yam, sesame, soft boiled egg that made the dish sticky when you mixed it up, okra, wasabi, cucumber, myogi, sushi and nori.  Awesome.

Dessert was the gooey chocolate cake with green tea ice cream, similar to the one they serve at JoJo and then a green tea creme brulee.

I will definitely go back.  No need for reservations, the place is empty.  Maybe the cost, maybe the location but I hope for the neighborhood, they remain open.