TAO

I recently had my birthday celebration at Tao. This restaurant is all about the scene and people watching. There's a huge buddha in the main room and servers are dressed in asian-style uniforms. There was also house music playing. Walking into the restaurant feels very much like being transported to a temple/club in Asia. The food is on the pricey side and tasty, but you can definitely get much better food for far less of a price in other areas of the city (namely Chinatown, Koreatown, etc.). The entrees are certainly not the reason to go here. Also, another thing to mention is that the music is rather loud, so conversation is rather difficult. In sum, Tao is a fun restaurant if you're in the mood for a combo of the Vegas/Asian experience.

I recently celebrated my birthday at Tao on 12/30/06. We had reservations and were promptly seated on arrival. The Chilean Sea Bass was wonderful as well as the Pad Thai with Chicken. The Pad Thai had a spicy flavor which was nice although a bit different from the traditional. Our waiter was wonderful! He was very knowledgeable about the wine selection and recommended some great dishes. We topped off the evening with the Fortune Cookie desert which was nice as well. I do prefer the atmosphere at the Las Vegas location although the NYC restaurant is beautiful as well. We will be back!

I have been to Tao several times and have enjoyed the food on every occasion. I usually order the sea bass appetizer. It tastes great, the sauce is unbelievable but the portion is extremely small for it's price. The pad tai noodles are my favorite- the sauce is a bit spicy which gives it all the flavor. The sushi is good also. However, i was not a big fan of the salmon main course. The only problem i have with the restaurant is the wait but you should get seated in about 10 minutes if you have a reservation on a weekday. Weekends are completely packed so reserve early. Prices are higher than an average restaurant but the quality of the food is worth paying for.

True New Yorkers would have to be out of their minds to go to this tourist trap. Our waiter and dinner were very pleasant (semi-expensive, very hyped up) until 2 different managers told us that the tableÕs next party had arrived and was waiting to be seated. (let them wait the same way I had to.) We had to finish our coffee and dessert in their dark, loud and cramped bar/lounge area. Bottom line, in the city that never sleeps, theyÕre plenty of other restaurants that serve delicious fare and are a better bang for your buck.

To feel a bit rushed can be expected of most trendy New York City restaurants. But to be asked to give up your table during your meal is a whole different beast. After only 1 hour & 15 minutes of a so far pleasant dining experience at Tao, my party and I were pushed off our table to finish the dessert portion of our meal in the crowded, loud and uncomfortable bar/lounge area of the restaurant. I am a native New Yorker with family in the New York City restaurant business and have never heard of anything that could compare to this! I understand that the holidays are a busy time, and the restaurant was crowded with people waiting to be seated, but I don’t think another 15 minutes for us to finish dessert at our table was too much to ask!. All in all, the food and service/wait staff were good, but I can't say the same for the management. I wouldn't spend my hard earned money at this place - the scene just isn't worth it. Fortunately for us, our dinner was paid with holiday gift certificates.

I have been here a couple of times. The chicken dumplings are amazing, the main courses are not bad, I had the kobe beef which was quite large. While I didn't find the entrees outstanding, everything was good. On another occasion I had the filet mignon with noodles which was not bad. The bartender I had was very nice, great service. I would go again, though I never picked up the bill.

Tao's has a great atmosphere. The food was a little on the pricey side, but tasted great.