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All Reader Reviews of...

Soto

357 Sixth Ave., New York, NY, 10014
nr. Washington Pl.
212-414-3088

Avg. Rating

8
Food: 8
Service: 7
Décor: 7
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

67% would go back.

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Sublime, a gift if you know what to order

By MissMMM on 12/4/2008

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

Soto is a delight and a gift to be treasured! the Steamed Lobster with a cloud of creamy, rich, and pristine uni mousse, crisp lotus root, a piece of smoked uni rolled in smoked uni powder, caviar... HEAVEN! all the elements are so sparkling, I spontaneously started meditating on the flavors. Salmon Citrus (like ceveiche) MANY slices of the most buttery pristine salmon anointed with a delightfully tart and salty citrus bath, the flavors are futher blossomed by finely minced micro cilantro/scallion. So simple. ABSOLUTE GENIUS. it goes on and on. I can feel full (of happiness) on just those 2 dishes alone. quality over quantity. For some people, Uni Ika Sugomori Zukuri can be strangely textured/gluey?especially if you don't appreciate the subtleties of raw squid/quail egg yolk, similar texture goes for geoduck/raw ebi shrimp/seaclam even when they're beyond pristine, but I adore them! Soto's talent truly shines with fish creations and uni dishes "from sushi bar" and "from kitchen" menus...still yummy but my LEAST favorites: Broiled Lobster, Broiled Langoustine, Tempura, Toro TarTar are too rich/not as multi-dimensional as many dishes, but still scrumptious! Many true delights. Brilliant!

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191 out of 372 people found this review helpful.

WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE IN FIFTEEN YEARS

By None on 11/22/2008

  • Overall Rating: 1
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 2
  • No, I would not go back!

I have lived in Manhattan for 15 years and been to some bad and/or overpriced restaurants in my time, but this one absolutely takes the cake. It was, quite simply put, awful. The portion sizes are a total joke. I ordered the tempura for $20 and got about $2 worth of food. My girlfriend ordered tai for $16 and got less than $1 worth of fish. I also ordered two tuna rolls. The seaweed was stale; the tuna pieces were so small they were barely visible. They forgot to give me wasabi with my rolls. Since the portions were so damn small, I asked for a bowl of rice. They told me that they didn't have regular rice, so they gave me sushi rice that was cold and tasted old -- and they had the balls to charge me $3. My girlfriend and I were so hungry after spending $65 there that we went to McDonald's just down the street and ate a fillet of fish and a snack wrap for $8. Trust me, the McD's was more satisfying and tasty than Soto.

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163 out of 354 people found this review helpful.

Make sure you adore uni (and all kinds of Japanese food)

By food_is_amazing on 3/28/2008

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

I am a recent convert to Japanese cuisine (and, by recent, I mean since about 2006). But I fancied myself an enthusiastic, if late, convert, one capable of branching out beyond easy-to-enjoy Japanese food from restaurants like Bar Masa (which, incidentally, I like a lot)... Until I went to Soto. Now I cannot decide what I am. The reviews said to order anything with uni, which I like anyway, so I did (the uni and yuba, and the uni ika sugomori zukuri). Bizarre; unpleasantly bizarre. The easy-to-enjoy aji tataki and miso soup, by contrast, were mind-blowing (best miso soup that I have had outside of Tokyo). The service was excellent, and the space (once you find it) is pleasant enough. But, before you drop $$$ on food that will stop just short of filling you up, consider how much you like Japanese food to begin with. Maybe I am more of a Bar Masa girl than a Soto girl after all.

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133 out of 265 people found this review helpful.

Extraordinary

By jkempel on 2/8/2008

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

Soto is by far the most interesting and exquisite Japanese restaurant in which I ever ate. Sotohiro-san is an artist, able to combine and create flavors I did not even know existed. His work on the sushi bar is perfectly complimented by that of his wife in the kitchen (I apologize I do not know her name). The crew is professional and the restaurantÂ’s design a-la minimalism adds to the overall experiences. This is not the right place for standard sushi lovers; there is nothing standard about this place.

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191 out of 393 people found this review helpful.

Gems of New York or should I say one of world best.

By ken70 on 6/25/2007

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

Uni Ika Sugomori Zukuri” how can I say, the clean, fresh, and tender of the squid and refreshing aroma of shiso leave wrapped around the sweet, fresh, and juicy chunk of sea urchin sit over the tosa soy reduction the mild saltiness of the soy surprisingly compliment the sweetness of uni and freshness of aori ika plus the yolk of quail egg that increase the richness of uni. This clean approach let each ingredient speak itself out loud in harmonious way. There are more dishes that show his talent and I’m sure will make your palate happy as well. Steam Lobster with uni mouse is divine it like a brain kicker so many flavor is going on. This dish is beyond, beyond!! Shimaaji Capriccio, simply elegant. Fluke usuzukuri, clean...clean and delicate. What make his food achieve another level is the ability to balance flavor combine each ingredient to compliment each others. His food is a perfect combination of delicacy vs richness, simple vs elegant I cann’t imagine how much effort and dedicate the chef put to deliver you this level of enjoyment. Chef Soto my hat is off for you. Try this place!!

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267 out of 544 people found this review helpful.

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