NYC’s Tao
When I was 22 my dad and I went to Las Vegas for business. Being my first (and so far only) time to Vegas I wanted to take advantage. One night I headed to the lounge area at Tao all alone. The doorman let me skip the line since I was by myself, and I hopped on the elevator with my heart racing. I had enjoyed plenty of dinners alone in Italy the previous year, but I had never gone out for a drink without at least plans to meet up with friends shortly thereafter. Tao was happening and hot. The music was blasting, beautiful people were everywhere, and the drinks I ordered were sweet yet strong, just the way I like them. I ended up meeting two Calvin Klein models (a guy and a girl) and they took me under their wing in their VIP section. It was a night to remember.
Our friend Jon is turning 30 in a couple of weeks, and his wife planned a fabulous surprise dinner for him at New York’s Tao. Needless to say I was really excited. Although our reservation was early, the place was already packed full in both the bar area and restaurant. The whole venue is dark and every detail adds to the overall vibe of the place. It feels mysterious and warm and overall exactly what you would expect from a hot Manhattan restaurant.
Surprisingly, our table was ready just minutes after we arrived, and we sat in the main room at a large round table. We immediately ordered some appetizers, opting for the chef’s choice of a sampler. I still can’t decide which dish was my favorite. The chef chose to present 4 dishes to us, and we added a few to round it out. Some of the apps included the rock shrimp special of the night, satay of chilean sea bass, vegetable dumplings, squab lettuce wraps, and vegetable spring rolls. Every ingredient in every dish is carefully selected, and the incredible burst of flavor in each dish displayed that. I personally really enjoyed the rock shrimp and vegetable spring rolls.
For dinner I ordered a sand pot of lobster, scallops and shrimp in a black bean sauce with a side of jasmine rice, but I had food envy. PB had the pad thai with chicken and it was the best pad thai I have ever tasted. Fortunately he doesn’t mind me taking forkfuls of his food because I did that a lot!
We all finished the night off with a surprise dessert sampler that the birthday boy shared, sent by our friends who couldn’t come.
Pros:
-delicious appetizers
-cool vibe
-fresh ingredients
-knowledgeable and efficient service
Cons:
-they were trying to give us the hint to leave when we weren’t ready to leave yet
-lobster wasn’t cleaned well (lots of shell everywhere in the dish)
-a few mistakes with orders
If I went back I would share edamame and rock shrimp with friends and then order the pad thai with chicken… I can’t wait to go back!
Tao
42 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022-1910
(212) 888-2288
Good choice on PB’s part. Pad thai has been my special “birthday” food since I was 14. YUM.
ohmy gosh, i haven’t had pad thai in FOREVER! way too long, and this one sounds out of this world 😉
I could totally see you hanging with the Calvin Klein models!
I adore TAO in Las Vegas – it’s one of my fave spots. Haven’t checked out TAO in NYC but will have to put this on my radar for the next NYC trip.
Glad you liked Tao! We almost went there for dinner last weekend too, haha. I’ve been there for lunch and although it gets busy, I think it’s much quieter. I’ve been meaning to go back for a while, maybe soon 🙂
I have never went out for a drink alone. So brave. Maybe I need to add that to my New Years resolutions. 🙂
@Kelly, It’s actually a little scary at first but I have learned incredible social skills from dining alone, and later eating alone. When I lived in Italy (for almost a year) there was a period of 3 weeks where I didn’t know a single person. I went out to dinner almost every night and learned how to be social and make friends even though I felt so awkward at first!
Def put it on your resolutions list!
I don’t know if I could ever go out for a drink alone. I’m so impressed by your confidence. I’d love to read a post that offers tips and suggestions for dining alone. Do you think it was different in Italy than here??? In my experience, I’ve found other countries to be warmer in personality than here.
I loved Vegas Tao when I was there last summer. We also had the huge fortune cookie for dessert. The whole dinner was magical and amazing, although I did find the club very crowded and crazy… I would go back in a heartbeat!