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Went for lunch and would not return. We arrived for our noon reservation, and as noon passed, they weren't ready to seat anyone. A bunch of people were milling around waiting. Then, when we were seated they just brought the prix fixe menu--not the other offerings. I guess no one wants to order beyond the cheap ($28 for 2 courses) deal of the day. The food was decent, but they moved us so fast that we were done the appetizer and the main dish in about 30 minutes flat. I found the bum's rush to be rude and unnecessary. Even with the low prices, the place was half empty. There was also a fairly snooty tone to some of the wait staff. In a city filled with excellent places, why bother with this.

After hosting another lunch with clients at SHO yesterday, one wonders why a sophisticated eating public does not overwhelm this treasure. The three- course prix fixe lunch could hardly have been improved. The poached organic egg starter surrounded by small accoutrements, followed by a main of fork tender organic chicken breast, presented as two slow cooked cylinders of tender meat wrapped in parchment thin rendered skin, accompanied by a small pile of wild mushrooms, frothy, tasty (slightly too salty?) gravy and creamy mashed potatoes. A fine chocolate mousse/ice cream + freebies and the best expresso ever brought the curtain down. $33 before sparkling water and coffee! Formal but unstuffy ambiance were also perfection. C'mon down, folks, to the best kept secret in FiDi: three Michelin-starred courses for the price of a single unstarred plate midtown.

A lunch and a dinner this week prove that Chef Hergatt continues to maintain the highest standards. In spite of our ordering neither wine nor sparkling water, he comped us with sips of heavenly chilled cream of pea soup; crunchy bites of of potato(?) encrusted foie gras pate; later, a generous plate of creamy corn chowder and, still later, a small plate of petit fours. Of the apps, the best was the cold "salt cooked" sea trout: a generous, cool, briny, cylinder of alternating discs of tender, mildly cured fish, tiny orbs of red caviar bursting with flavor, and paper-thin glassy disks of slightly crunchy material, the source of which I couldn't place. Of the mains, the small cylinders of veal and lamb could not have been improved. We believe that fish is at its best when steamed and should not have been disappointed when the "crispy" branzino triangles, otherwise acceptable, arrived having been lightly pan fried. We barely had room but polished off the house-made finely crafted milk chocolate/ ice cream desserts. Service was unobtrusive and professional. We look forward to returning very soon.

As much as I went in, wanting to hate this place chosen by my girlfriend for her special b-day dinner, by the end of the meal I left thoroughly impressed by one of the finest dining experiences of the last few years. I did not find the design or decor to be that high end or impressive, just subtle, dark and somewhat moody, as my date turned out to be as well. The place was pretty empty for a Thursday night which does not bode well, and the crowd was, as you would expect, older finance men and company dinners. The cocktail list was inappropriately hipsterish for the locale (are we in Brooklyn?) but a superb and reasonably priced wine by the glass list more than made up for it. The meal service was second to none, begging with an array of small bites followed by a delish vegetable puree. Although it is billed as a 3 course dinner, you really end of being served five courses plus an additional gratis post-dessert dessert cart sampling. I never though I would say this, but I left feeling rather full and content that at 250 dollars including tip for dinner for two, I had actually gotten more than my moneys worth. The apps were great, the food is not only delicious and of the highest quality but so thoughtfully and artfully presented; even the bread basket rocked my world. The mains were equally stellar, and the highlight of the meal was when Shaun himself personally presented my entree and came back later for my thoughts on his newest creation! This place will be getting a Michelin star if it doesn't already have on so enjoy it now.

My girlfriend and I went to SHO with another couple. At first, given the price and ambiance I was expecting a 5 star meal equivalent to the Moderne, Per Se, or Del Posto. I had never heard of this chef but that didn’t taint my opinion at all. The starting course, which comprised of a few small bites of things were very good. I was impressed at the explosive flavor that was packed in such small pieces of food. From then on I was expecting a stellar meal. However, this is not what we got. My girlfriend ordered the tuna sashimi appetizer, which was actually quite good. For our entrees I ordered the lamb. It came out in small rolls with black pepper on the side. The meat was of a nice cut but absolutely tasteless. I had to salt it myself. My friend ordered the rabbit, which sounded good. When it came out it didn’t look too appetizing. It looked more like a terrine than a piece of loin. The texture wasn’t too appetizing at all either. The service was very good though. It was definitely 5 star service but not 5 star food. The bill was $600 and felt that the food wasn’t worth paying even one-third that price. The décor and ambiance were very nice though. If you want to spend a lot of money I would suggest going to the Moderne for impeccable food.

There not much else i can say. The entire experience at SHO was absolutely flawless. The food was beyond reproach, the service was attentive without being overbearing, the atmosphere made me not want to leave. It is very unusual that I can not think of one negative critique to make about a restaurant; SHO has done it. There is nothing I would change. Yes- the prices are high, but it is far more than worth it for such a rewarding experience. Leaving SHO elicits 2 emotions; the feeling of privilege from having such a great experience, and the strong desire to return as soon as possible.

My wife took me there to celebrate my birthday. Very friendly hostess provided a very warm welcome and sat us down in their beautifully decorated dinning room with a view of their open kitchen. Everything was great until our head waiter showed up and presented himself as if it was beneath him to take our orders. Never explained the menu and took our order with an arrogant snort. Maybe our ordering of tap water turned him off but the guy was rude even before we ordered. He really epitomized the rude French waiter that we have all seen in movies and sitcoms. Food was good; their prix fixe lunch was a great deal - not your typical ubiquitous three course selections: salad/soup, hangar steak with frites/chicken breast, chocolate mousse. Selections were all original and inventive if not all delicious. Tomato Coconut Soup was superb. So was the Long Island Duck. Orange Sorbet was extremely refreshing and citrussy. Hamachi carpaccio was better than average; Red Chili Hawaiian Shrimp tasted like it was on a long delayed flight from Hawaii - too briny and lacks sweetness and freshness. Banana Millefeuille was only ok. Other staff that filled our water glasses and replenish the bread were efficient and very friendly. If only they could wipe that smirk off of our head waiter...