TAO

Nothing fabulous about this place. If you want to go for the ooh ahh factor, I wouldn't recommend spending your money here. Food-wise, expect to get yourself a snack after dinner, because you will need it.. My friend got the steak and it was barely enough for one.

O.K. I'm a jade'd New Yorker....I just took my two nephews from Dululth Minn. there to wow and impress...and yes the food was good. the salad is big...but the appetizers and the entree...Kobe Steak....small portion ...yet very tasty.....I walked away still hungry ..(which I prefer over stuffed or filled feeling).....the bill for three drinking sodas and entres came to $103.50 which I thought was fine....not unexpected....the only thing that disappointed me was the room was not that OOh and Ahh ...looking for me... O.K. a 18ft statue with goldfish get's borring....real fast....the openness of the room is what bothered me even though I was in a banquet off to the side....maybe being on the second floor would have been more interesting....Oh well....I'm hard to impress or be wow'd.......so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt....I'm sure most people are impressed with the decorum.....especially tourists which I saw a lot of!

Knowing a bit about Japan and Kobe beef, I decided to ask the waiter - um.. is this really Kobe beef from Kobe Japan? "Yes, Yes, of course" he replied - then I said - no, it's not - you cannot import beef from Japan because of mad cow. The waiter quickly said - oh well, it's not raised in Japan- it's from Texas. Kobe beef on menus in the USA is half Wagyu breed mixed with more common breeds. Japanese genuine Kobe is more than just the breed- it is beer fed and massaged daily. Do not waste your money on American Kobe beef - just get a marbled rib eye... After that exchange - I ordered the filet mignon with wasabi crust - it was not a very good filet. The waiter was rude, and the Kung Pao chicken my friend had was subpar.

We've heard so much about Tao and how great it was, so we took advantage of restaurant week to check it out. The atmosphere is fabulous, I must say. however, the food was not so good. The peking duck spring rolls were mushy inside and came with a honey mustard sauce. Then the "kung pao chicken" came and it was basically sweet & sour chicken with peanuts sprinkled on top. Even the dessert wasn't good. I would recommend going for drinks for the experience but not to eat!

We decided to try TAO and we were disappointed. The prices are way too high, the portions were very small (I was still hungry after we left), and the service was subpar. Our waiter was unfriendly and surly and he kept insisting we get appetizers and the same thing with the desserts. He never smiled once. The place is loud, too crowded and as a New Yorker, way too touristy.

I was visiting New York from Toronto, and I booked a reservation a week ago. Coming from a restaurant entreprenuer background, the experience at TAO was remarkable and outstanding.. First we were greeted by the host which were very well coordinated and friendly and fulfilled our specific needs to have a table right next to the 18 foot buddha statue. As expected a busy friday night we waited at the bar upstairs enjoying a couple of Lychee martinis, a must try....plus enjoying the techno fusion jazz music. We got our table although the music was a little loud, the ambience from the chinese writings on the ceilings and restaurant layout upstairs facing the buddha statue. There was a gentleman playing a saxophone with the music walking all over the restaurant...and the desserts GIANT fortune cookie with white and chocolate mousse for $10 a MUST TRY TRICE...As well get the TAO double CD, breath taking comparison to any night club. Make sure you have a fat wallet but for exquisite taste of sushi, dimsum and entertainment its worth every penny. TAO, 2 thumbs up....a new era in fusion asian cusine with a touch of lounge techno jazz. ....feels like a night club while fine dining....will definitely come again....should have more special events of food testing or theme nights. Thanks for the unforgettable experience.

This is the best restaurant in NYC! The food just melts in your mouth. I've been here a few times now and ordered a few different dishes and they were all to die for! The whole experience is superb!