Shuko — Restaurant in New York

Having made a reservation for a Saturday night quite a few weeks ago, I was doubly excited to eat at Shuko after Pete Wells gave this place 3 starts in his review. Who wouldn't right? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but for me, the way this place is run and the experience that is ultimately given to the diner warrants a much lower score-- Shuko in its current state, is very undeserving of such high praise.

When we first walked in, the ambiance seemed just lovely--the decor was refined, elegant, but not stuffy, a physical manifestation of the tone that Nick and Danny wanted to reflect in their establishment. We were seated a table to the side of the sushi bar so visibility was great as well.

The problems started when, within 10 minutes of our being seated, three different servers came and asked us if we were ready to order. We had a few questions about the menu and each server basically gave us a different answer to the same questions... Firstly, don't these guys communicate with each other at all during service? And more importantly, given that this restaurant is the product of two Masa veterans, shouldn't the waitstaff have some sort of training about the menu itself? How on earth does management allow for their servers to run around from table to table with what seems like absolutely no knowledge of the food that they are serving??

This latter issue is my main gripe with this restaurant. We were having a hard time choosing between the omakse and kaiseki menu and asked one of the servers if he can ask if uni was part of the kaiseki? The server let us know that he wasn't "entirely sure" but would first check and then let us know if it was not. Since within 5 minutes of that conversation, the food that started arriving at our table was part of the kaiseki menu, we assumed that uni was good to go, I mean, who wouldn't right?

Lo and behold, after some 10-12 courses, the meal had ended and no uni had been served...This might seem like a really paltry thing to gripe about, but the fact of the matter is that when you are dropping $500 on dinner for two, clear communication about what a person is to expect is a must. Had the server just come and to us and let us know that uni wasn't on the menu or it wasn't available, then our expectation for that particular item would not have been let down and that would have been the end of that story.

But it wasn't. The worst part of all this was how management handled the situation. On the evening that we went, the floor manager/GM(?) seemed to much rather schmooze with her friends that were dining there than to bother checking up on other diners. We know this because her friends were sitting right next to us and she would periodically come over and talk to them, rather loudly and bumping into my partner, disrupting our meal completely. This was the last straw.

By the time dessert rolled around, we took a few quick bites out of courtesy and started looking around for someone to ask for the check. No one came to us and soon, our "looking around" become glares cemented onto our pissed-off faces. 20 minutes later, a check was handed to us and it was only as we were leaving, that the manager asked how our dinner was. Our response was terse but polite and her feigned concern about our disappoint was well noted.

In short, Shuko is a gleaming, beautiful ship, carrying wonderful treasure suffering from wood rot. What is the point of having good, if not potentially, great food if the management is a disaster and your service staff is laughable unknowledgeable? For me, it's too soon for Shuko to be resting on its laurels, and I will not...

BEWARE: AS OF 2020, SHUKO NO LONGER OFFERS THEIR OMAKASE MENU. THE KAISEKI IS THE ONLY MENU OPTION.

I have always LOVED Shuko and have been a very frequent visitor ever since it opened and was still flying was under the radar. However, a new year has brought about some terrible changes. Shuko has always had a great Omakase (sushi only) but their Kaiseki has never been on par with the better sushi places in NYC. Unfortunately, the Kaiseki is now the only option available and with an increased price point at that. At $225 per person not including tax and tip, $275 per person if you want to substitute your meat course for Wagyu beef, Shuko is now batting way out of its league. Aside from the sushi and Wagyu beef, the rest of the Kaiseki menu is nothing to write home about. With the fantastic Omakase, which was originally priced at $135 than somewhat reasonably raised to $185, you got the best of what Shuko had to offer, plus if you wanted did want to add some Wagyu beef or special pieces of Sushi (like my personal favorite, the charcoal brushed toro, Kama Toro), you could add that on for an additional charge. This evening, my dinner for two, which included a $210 bottle of sake (a middle of the road price point for their sake/wine menu) came out to $1100 with tax and tip. For that amount of money, I much rather just go to Masa, Ginza Onodera, or Ichimura where that extra money is actually worth it. Worst of all, nothing about the Kaiseki has actually improved at all since the very first (and only) time I had it at Shuko... my very first visit when I quickly learned what exactly it is Shuko excelled at. It still features a bland slice of apple pie for dessert, toast with tuna tartar, a small bowl of broth, and two other unmemorable appetizer courses along with the meat and palate cleanser. My previous Omakase bills would be in the $600 - $700 after tax and tip (including cocktails and bottle of sake) for two people, and I left a much more satisfied customer looking forward to my next visit. I actually wouldn’t mind paying even more than that if it meant getting what is good instead of being forced to pay for courses I’d rather not have at all and just leave me too full and unimpressed by the time the sushi course does come about at the very end.

Until Shuko returns to offering its Omakase course, even if that’s at an increased price point, I absolutely won’t be returning (and neither will several of the other guests I spoke with or friends and colleagues that used to enjoy their Omakase as well). The jump in price now has it in direct competition with other much better sushi restaurants that also serve at that price point (or less!!). It’s actually pretty mind boggling that they the chef and owners don’t even realize what actually made Shuko stand out in the first place.

Save your money and go somewhere else if you are looking for a great, or even just good, Kaiseki. Shuko is now wait out of its league and has lost the one menu option that made it worth frequenting. ...

MY WORST DINING EXPERIENCE AT A RESTAURANT. CHEF IS RUDE, MAKES YOU LOSE THE JOY OF EATING, NEVER COMING BACK.

I will NEVER be coming back here again because the chef is beyond-belief RUDE. He interrupted us 3 times.

The 1st time was because my boyfriend was using the camera and he wasn't even using flash, it was just the orange light when you focus on the food which is already subtle and not that distracting honestly. And we were sitting beside the kitchen counter not even directly facing him?

The 2nd time was when i put my chopsticks on the my sushi plate and he said it was rude to put your chopsticks facing the kitchen? I was just innocently placing my chopsticks on the plate instead of the mount and he made me feel like i just committed a crime. At first, out of respect i even apologized. But hello? Its just chopsticks placed on a plate. Get over yourself please.

And the 3rd time, he interrupted us before serving us our food by suggesting that we shouldn't use our phone when eating because it is disrespectful to him and we won't be "enjoying the moment" and he goes on to give more unnecessary remarks. Hello? Are you my father, why is a chef lecturing me when i just want to enjoy my meal. I believe that everyone should have every right to use their phone however and whenever they want. What right does he have to dictate how to enjoy my dinner? I wasn't even using it all the time. It was truly RIDICULOUS. I have NEVER encountered something as ridiculous and preposterous as this.

This is even my first time writing a Google review because this is the first time a chef spoke to us so rudely and self-righteously to me or us. What are we? In school? We pay to enjoy our food however we want, with or without using our phones.

I was really enjoying my time and moment there before he kept interrupting and the last one was THE LAST STRAW. After he said that, i lost ALL my appetite and had NO MOOD to eat further. They had to throw away all my food from then on. I suggest if you REALLY want to enjoy the food in your own way, DO NOT EVER COME HERE. It is never a good idea to eat in ANGER AND trust me, you never want to. Unless you want to waste your money or worse, LOSE YOUR JOY to enjoy the food.

Lastly, I write this from the bottom of my heart and believe me, i always try to see the best in people but what happened tonight totally shocked me and felt VICTIMIZED by a chef who has made me waste my money, time and RUIN my precious dining experience & memories for me & my...