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“Matsugen, By Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Asian	Tribeca	Moderate	Great

ge. The only leftover from 66, the spot’s former Chinese incarnation, is the fish tank swimming with arawana.
The crowd represented a keen cross-section of New Yorkers--Tribeca film types; suited-up bankers; daters; NYU brats with their parents--along with visiting Japanese professionals in-the-know. The service, and pacing, also authentically made the transition as each finely-crafted dish was presented in swift succession, one by one. But it was the cuisine that was the most spot-on, as if it were airlifted from the Tokyo kitchen.

We started with the tofu ($9), firmly creamy, with a subtle soy dashi bringing it flavor yet not muddling the terrific texture. Next, came the otoro tataki (M/P), rosy squares of seared tuna belly. We were daunted by the $48 price tag—for an appetizer—but our mouths watered at the quality the high price would bring. We were sorely disappointed, however, as the fish was too tendony and it carried a not-so-fresh fishiness. It was served attractively enough, on a plate balanced upon blackened driftwood. But we weren’t paying for its good looks.

Things picked up considerably from the sophomore course, thankfully, a tasty momentum building with each dish. Next, the best tempura ($12) I’ve found in New York arrived: light, crispy, virtually oil-free zucchini flowers, baby corn, squash, asparagus and leek. Then blocks of miso cod, sweetly shellacked, avoiding the slimy texture trap.

Soba is the main attraction here, however, and here JGV comes to the rescue of all the sad noodle heads still mourning the closing of Soho’s Honmura An. It more than adeptly fills that gaping hole, with an assortment of all types: cold, hot, soupy, sesame-laden. I want to revisit to try them all.

I did order a favorite from my Tokyo days: cold noodles ($15), milled from the center of the buckwheat husk, firm yet not annoyingly al dente, and toothsome enough to stand up to a rich, hot duck soup as a dipper. The hot broth hugged the cold noodles, and the combination was sublime.

Sashimi ($50 for 16 pieces) that far outshone the earlier otoro--a tender tuna, buttery salmon, mellow fluke and pleasantly chewy giant clam--was the penultimate course before a refreshing assortment of sorbet: lemongrass, peach/melon, cherry, and passionfruit. A lovely ending to a perfectly transporting meal. Who says you can’t go home again? During my meal in Matsugen, I w ... [more, click below]

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Posted: August 22, 2008

Other restaurants in Tribeca :
+ Lunchbox Food Company--Closed   + 66: THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED   + Ola-- Closed   + Bouley   + Dominic   + Landmarc   + Pace-- Closed   + EN Japanese Brasserie   + Centrico   + Cercle Rouge   + The Harrison   + Turks & Frogs Tribeca   + Devin Tavern   + Dani-- Closed Now   + Bacaro/Smith & Mills   + The Harrison   + Matsugen, By Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Forge   + Macao Trading Company   + Harbour   + Review text tbd...   + Mehtaphor   + Brushstroke   + Jung Sik   

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