RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: Into the bounty of bars and restaurant options at the revamped Hotel Chelsea (El Quijote, Lobby Bar, Café Chelsea) comes Teruko, a sexy subterranean sushi den and Japanese restaurant that debuted last month.
The Vibe: Dark, moody, and maybe haunted. Down a flight of stairs and a long hallway where an enormous wooden door awaits, there’s a speakeasy feel on arrival. Inside, low brick barrel-vaulted ceilings, salvaged wood-paneled walls, and scuffed limestone tile floors set the scene for a backlit black marble front bar, and a dining room with an omakase counter, dark turquoise velvet banquettes, and polished tables. Like much of today’s Hotel Chelsea, the space feels au courant while retaining its historic character. On a recent Thursday night, a stylish crowd filled its low-lit romantic corners.
The Food: My dinner date and I sat at the counter and opted for the omakase ($220 per). A gorgeous parade of flavorful nigiri arrived: fatty toro, kanpachi, unagi, uni. The meal started with aosa miso-shiru soup and a strange, yet not unpleasant pairing of chilled tofu topped with caviar. The meal ended with a spicy tuna handroll and kuromitsu jellies, a mélange of sorbet, jellies, fresh fruit, and black sugar syrup.
Helmed by executive chef Tadashi Ono, formerly of Matsuri at The Maritime Hotel, with Hideaki Watanabe as head sushi chef, there’s delightful range in the à la carte offerings as well. Beyond nigiri, sashimi, and makimono rolls, there are also hot appetizers, like the tori kara-age fried chicken thighs with black vinegar sauce and green yuzu mayo, rice and noodle dishes, whole fried Dover sole in ponzu sauce, and a robata grilling everything from jumbo head-on prawns to wagyu.
The Drink: In addition to an extensive collection of sakes and Japanese whiskies, there’s a sublime cocktail list. I had a hard time choosing between the Gari Martini made with Haku vodka or Roku gin, pickled ginger, sherry, and white soy, and the Kome Bamboo made with sake, sherry, toasted rice, plum, and charcoal oil. I went with the latter; served up in a sharply angled martini glass, it went down incredibly easy. There’s also a Lychee Vesper made with yuzu vodka and green tea shochu and a Kinoko Old Fashioned with both Japanese whiskey and bourbon.
The Verdict: Beautifully executed Japanese food in an immaculate setting, Teruko has the makings of an (only slightly) hidden gem. –Shayne Benowitz
→ Teruko (Chelsea) • 222 W 23rd St • Tue-Wed 530-10p, Thu-Sat 530-11p • Reserve.