Soto

Exquisite japanese cuisine, likely will not appeal to those who judge their food by weight, the chef does not suffer fools lightly.The hot dishes prepared in the kitchen are in the same league as the raw fish, in a category of its own, The tempura, as an example, is so light and translucent as to defy description, just as is the shima aji prepared by Soto himself.This is not the place to fill up on sushi rolls - come and be wowed if you're interested to see what's out there beyond Nobu and the like. Pros: imaginative, ethereal, visually stunning dishes Cons: service can be slow, price reflects the quality more

I have had many divine meals at Soto, amazing dishes like Steamed Lobster with uni mousse, Salmon Citrus, miso soup, shima aji, fluke, many more delights, its not cheap and probably not for unrefined palates. I just read an article that asked many chefs their best meal of 2008 , and no less than 3 chefs gave props to Soto: Pros: chef driven genius Cons: a bit pricey, you have to know what to order more

I'm not sure which is more annoying: the fact that the restaurant doesn't have a sign, the fact that the restaurant only had one waiter, or the fact that the food is ridic expensive and so-so at best. This place will go out of business in the next few months.... Pros: good location Cons: TOO MANY TO LIST more

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. Cons: You name it, they have it. more

You would think that on a Tuesday night in May, any NYC restaurant Pros: Wonderful Sushi Cons: Terrible Service more

I've been a fan of Sotohiro Kosugi for quite some time, and this NYC effort has somehow managed to eclipse his previous Atlanta eatery, one of my all-time favorite restaurants. You could order tempura, sushi, or a small selection of other Japanese food fixtures, they're delicious, but then you're missing out on the reason to visit Soto: the masterpiece creations from the sushi-bar section of the menu! His most whimsical creation, an egg in its nest: a quail egg, atop a nest of uni, surrounded by calamari covered with shreds of shiso and flavored with a soy reduction, will rock your world. The geoduck salad is often praised, and I will too, but the lobster with uni-mouse is my favorite dish on the menu. The presentation of the dishes is exquisite--they are small and delightful. For the two of us, we ordered 4 dishes from the sushi bar, 1 dish from the kitchen, and a few pieces of nigiri. It left us room to split the menu's only desert, a selection of forgettable mochi, my only complaint with the food at Soto (go somewhere else for desert, like the nearby P*ONG). Atlanta Soto fans, the NYC location is a smaller space with a smaller menu, but the service is much faster, and Soto is much happier! A server misheard my order and we were presented with the wrong dish. Soto took back the wrong dish, prepared the new one, and handled the entire event with aplomb. Of all the Michelin starred, James Beard awarded chef, fine dining places we visited in Manhattan, Soto had the most consistently delicious food and the best taste/cost ratio in my opinion. You should check it out. Pros: taste, presentation, consistency Cons: decor (a bit spartan), service (well meaning, but made a few mistakes) more

The service was horrendous. We waited over 2 hours for 4 appetizers that would have made Nicole Ritchie go hungry. The food was OK, but there are several superior high end Japanese restaurants in the city. Chef Sotohiro's antics may fly in Atlanta but not in the Big Apple! The insect under our table was rather unsettling. Nobu and others have nothing to worry about. Pros: you stay thin Cons: you go hungry more

Went here with my wife - the food was excellent, although the portions were small and it was quite expensive. The sake menu is only so so but overall a nice experience. The staff was wonderful - prompt, courteous, etc. what you expect from a Japanese restaurant. Pros: Great food and service Cons: Small portions, expensive more

Service was extremely slow. Each dish took about 25 mins to come out. Dinner was almost 2 hours for only 4 dishes. Pros: Parking, Courteous & Attentive Service Cons: Slow Service more

With so many great Japanese restaurants in Manhattan, there's no reason to go to this one. Pros: If you're lucky enough to get served, the food's good Cons: Sushi chef with an iron fist, service takes foreeeeever more

Soto is a genius!!! My partner-in-gluttony and I descended on Soto about a month after it had opened. We... more

Soto is a genius!!! My partner-in-gluttony and I descended on Soto about a month after it had opened. We scoffed at the prospect of sititng at ... more

After reading all the fantastic reviews (with a few bad reviews about long waits despite a reservation), I was very excited to finally try Soto. With a party of five, the first available reservation time was 9:30pm, so my friends and I got there early at 9:10pm and was told that the table was not ready yet, but they would try to get it ready by our reservation time. We came back at 9:30pm, ended up waiting until 10:05pm with no hope of getting our table anytime soon. We had to leave or faint from hunger and went next door to an excellent mexican place. We got a call at 10:25pm (almost to the hour of the original reservation) for an available table (which we politely declined). No matter how sublime the food would have been, waiting an hour DESPITE a reservation would ruin anyone's dining experience. Pros: great food Cons: seating problems more

I guess this place hasn't been open for too long. When I decided to dine there 2 weeks ago, there was not even a sign outside the restaurant. I assume it will stay this way since it does give patrons a sense of mystery and anticipation upon entering, but don?t be fooled ? the interior is bright, simple, and minimalistic ? hardly an ideal choice for a romantic/intimate occasion. The menu prices are ridiculously high for the portion sizes. I spent about $140 for 2 (no wine) and had a selection of appetizers, mains, and ala carte sushi. Every dish is meticulously prepared and neatly presented, though this is precisely what I felt I was paying for. Nothing really stood out apart from the lobster sashimi ($18), which in all honestly, doesn?t take a genius to prepare. Pros: Good service Cons: Everything else more

My friend and I went to Soto last night. Beware, they do have their sake and beer license, so you can not bring that to the establishment. Wine, however, is allowed. The menu is small with some nice tartares to start, a variety of entrees, and some sushi. There was one special roll, tuna tartare roll, which was delicious. The fish was fresh, the pieces were a decent size, and the rolls were tasty yet unimaginative (with exception of special roll). The lobster with panko was out of this world; the flavor of the lobster with truffle oil and mango perfectly offset the crunch of the panko. The citrus salmon tartare was decent but the fish was overpowered by the flavor of scallion and cilantro. The portions were quite small and expensive. The waitress (great service by the way) recommended that we each eat two main courses per person. That would have been an outrageously expensive meal. Overall, it was a great experience, but it was pricey and the portions were small. Pros: Fresh fish, yummy lobster, great service Cons: Expensive, small portions more