Tonight we explored Meatpacking district. It’s a relatively newly developed area packed with trendy restaurants and bars. Not too long ago it was full of meat packing warehouse hence the name ‘meatpacking’. We went to my first japanese restaurant in NYC, Ono. A little excerpt from citysearch:
Ono
Trendy Japanese is what’s for dinner at Jeffrey Chodorow’s sceney Meatpacking District debut.
The SceneSilk shades hang from vaulted ceilings, spilling warm, flattering light over the already dashing diners. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the bamboo-filled outdoor gardens.
The FoodThe menu is huge, listing traditional Japanese fare (tempura, dumplings), inventive sushi rolls and pieces, and robata (grilled meats and veggies), as well as full entrees. The best bet: Order as you go and share everything, starting with the Kobe-style beef, dramatically presented on a tabletop grill. For the carb-phobic, there’s the rice-less spicy crab roll stuffed with tobiko and avocado, and robata: grilled skewers of lobster, asparagus, clams and much more.
I was certainly impressed with foie gras with sweet-salty shiso and plum. It’s unusual to see foie gras in a japanese restaurant. The combination of melt-in-your mouth warm savory foie gras and the cold sweet plum is rich but not greasy, sweet but not overpowering, utterly out of this world.
Afterwards we went to Level V for lounging. It’s much nicer than the hippiest bar/club in Seattle, Bada Lounge. The whole lounge was dimly lit with subtle neon red light. Wooden floor and brick wall give it an industrial touch. I had the best apple martini there. The catch is that the ‘apple’ part is no regular apple pucker. It was chilled ‘apple foam’. I have no idea what exactly that was but the texture was a cross between slush and foam.
Level V
After getting our drinks, my coworker and I were walking around (somewhat intimidated by the nicely dressed crowd). Luckily we were immediately invited to join a small party (free booze!) and got to meet our first banker/lawyer NY friends. At this point, meatpacking is definitely my favorite part of the city.
