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Uni is admittedly an acquired taste, but -- if you love it as I do -- Soto is a must-try. Here, it is served in an amazing variety of ways, and is always pristinely fresh. My friend, who is familiar with Soto, did most of the ordering, so I can't remember all of our dishes, but at the end of the meal I tried to pick my favorite and could only narrow it down to three. Uni tempura, lobster with uni mousse (topped with smoked uni and caviar), uni wrapped in thinly sliced squid and white kelp! I suspect you can't go wrong, no matter what you order. As for the atmosphere, I found it clean and soothing. Very minimal, with blond woods and lots of white. And the noise level, even with a crowd, was mercifully low. Strongly recommended. Be aware that it is somewhat hard to find, as there is no sign outside, and the small windows disguise the fact that there is a restaurant inside.

the two appetizers my friend and i ordered were fantastic, but my sashimi omakase was the most overpriced dish i have ever had at a restaurant in new york, and i eat out a lot (particularly sushi). the quality of the sashimi was fine, but there was no way the small 15 pieces on my plate were worth $60. the restaurant is small so you can't really have a private conversation with anyone, not that it matters because i will never be back. great appetizers, ridiculously overpriced fish.

Went to Soto with my boyfriend. Definitely NOT great for a date! Even though it was a weekend night, the restaurant was only half filled. The room is too bright and too flat for this kind of NY high-end restaurant. Still we were trying to be hopeful about Soto's signature uni dishes but then we heard somebody insanely shouting over the sushi counter. A sushi chef (I guess he was Soto) was barking at his staff in Japanese. After that he was gone for a while. Our server explained that Soto needs a little time to cool himself down. We had to wait for our food until he came back. We stared the bright white wall, feeling like we were in a newly build asylum. Soto's famous uni sugomori zukuri looked even grotesque and scary for us. Don't bring your date to the sushi asylum!!

Upon entering a sleek environment, it remains very bright throughout the evening. Had a nice bottle of wine and the service was attentive. We stayed away from the sushi and ordered a mixture of appetizers and one main course. The portions were very very small and overpriced. On the flip side, however, the flavors were eclectic and everything was fresh and light.

I went out to dinner at Soto with my fiance for my birthday and we tried a variety of dishes. His favorite was the spicy tuna roll with pine nuts wrapped in white kelp. My favorite dish was either the aji carpaccio or the tempura. I would agree with everyone who says that the sushi isn't necessarily the reason to go to Soto and to order from the parts of the menu "From the Sushi Bar" and "From the Kitchen" more than the actual sushi offerings. Everything we ordered was totally delicious (including the geoduck clam salad and a scallop and shiso roll) and I would go back again in a heartbeat.

I first went to Soto just after it opened back in May with 3 of my friends, we all loved it! We split a few of the small dishes and then did the sushi tasting menu. I was blown away. The lobster with uni mousse was incredible, flavors were delicate and the uni was as good if not better than Hatsuhana in midtown. It's so rare to find uni of this quality in the states. Since then I've gone about once a month. Our typical bill for 2 people including a couple beers is about $150-$200 (depending on how hungry we were - I also typically prefer beer with my sushi, sake with cooked food...but that's another story). Soto himself is very gracious and it's a joy to sit at the sushi bar, have a conversation with him and watch him work. The location seems a little off for the restaurant (it doesn't really match anything else in the area). Soto also doesn't serve dessert but the solution is just around the corner P*ONG is a great late night dessert place for your sweet tooth and makes for the perfect date. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city for the food quality and friends that I have sent have agreed. It's creative, a little different but it's a not a place to go if you want to omit ingredients and create something of your own. You just have to trust Soto-san and jump in and enjoy!

Having read great reviews, a group of friends and I tried Soto on a Saturday night. What a disappointment. The food, while perhaps beautiful to look at, is not all that great to eat. The portions are ridiculously small and quite expensive. The wine list is short and expensive (they do not offer wines by the glass at all). The service is rather brusk and quite slow. All in all, four of us spent $360 on a dinner that none of us liked. The real shame is, for that kind of money, we could have an exceptional meal at so many other good New York restaurants.