A NYC advertising exec introduced me to Nobu's extraordinary Japanese cuisine and exceptional service in the fall of 97. Based on past experience I jumped at the opportunity to attend a friend's Birthday celebration at Nobu last week. Unfortunately my friends, all highly successful, professional gay men (an Ivy League oil tycoon, a flight crewman for a charter airline catering to the ultra rich and famous, a prominent Las Vegas show dancer, and an e-Commerce exec) experienced much attitude from the moment we walked Nobu. The hostess rolled her eyes when we asked to add an extra guest (who would arrive later). We offered to make up for any inconvenience. They reluctantly added an extra seat to our adequate table after we seated. The waiter incessantly blabbed as if high on speed, scoffed at a request for Chardonnay instead of Sake, and ignored us after somebody mentioned a seafood allergy which prevented him from following the traditional Japanese course sequence. We hailed him for drinks after 30 minutes, and reminded him of our request about 25 minutes later when our food arrived. He forgot us but meticulously attended to his other tables? needs. In the meantime our wheelchair bound friend arrived and laboriously wheeled through the restaurant tables, finally reaching us, only to have the hostess tell him to leave because she noticed his foot (the one which was not in a cast) had a sandal on it. Consequently he had to wheel all the way back out. All friends except the Birthday boy wanted to leave even though he voiced great disappointment in the events to that point. We noted the abrasive vibe of the staff, the haughty attitude, and agreed it had been the worst dining experience any of us had EVER! Was it because we?re gay? Who knows, but it certainly wasn?t a ?gay? experience, we?ll let our friends know about it, and won't be returning. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa should be ashamed of this staff. No, Boo!
Pros: Decent Sushi
Cons: Rude staff, too loud, neglectful waitstaff...
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