WillC

Great, modern Yakiniku restaurant. Go during happy hour on Monday through Friday with a group for 2 for 1 offers on certain plates.

Can’t get enough of this place. Great food and great value here. Despite the “hook” being that it’s owned and run by a Japanese couple, the food is not “fusion” oriented (I believe there are only 2 or 3 dishes on the menu that would really be considered fusion-y), which is kind of a relief.

However, I can’t recommend highly enough their Uni Pasta.

Aji Sashimi. Lobster Sashimi Platter.

You MUST get those two dishes when you go to this reastaurant. That is all.

Great food and really stellar service. If anything differentiates this restaurant from French Laundry, it’s the almost obsequious waitstaff.

While the menus at the two restaurants are almost identical, they do make some specialty cocktails at Per Se that you won’t find at French Laundry. The Gin and Tonic is surprisingly unique.

Overpriced. Cafe Gray is in my opinion one of the worst dining options in Columbus Circle. Not only was the food mediocre, but the decor of the restaurant is really tacky. I went there with three friends, and I don’t think any of us were impressed by the food or the decor.

I went to Del Posto and I was horribly disappointed. I’m a huge fan of all of Batali’s other New York restaurants, and I had gone to Babbo, Lupa, Esca, and Casa Mono and been tremendously satisfied. However, I found the food at Del Posto to be overpriced and oversauced. Definitely not as enjoyable as Babbo, and much more expensive.

On a side note, I also thought the decor here was distractingly awful. I felt like I was eating in a casino lobby.