BONDST

It may come as a surprise to learn that Bondst is one of NYC’s best restaurants if you only know if it by its reputation as a gathering place for NYC’s bright young things. If, however, you happen to have dined among the beautiful people that regularly patronize its three-story Soho-style brownstone, you know that the creative, sophisticated food is on par with the other Japanese heavyweights in the city, notwithstanding the casual, very loud and very trendy atmosphere.

The ground floor is the most intimate, a dim candlelit lounge with low-slung banquettes and pillows strewn about. The second floor has a larger, seventy-five seat dining room with a sushi bar, and the third has another dining room and a Tatami Room for private events. The overall vibe is minimalist and casually elegant and the restaurant makes a great downtown date destination.

Virtually all of the food is excellent, but the best way to start a meal is with the Big Eye Tuna Tarts, a creative transposition of a slice of pizza into a Japanese key. It consists of a thin, crisp tart as the crust topped with a thinly sliced carpaccio of tuna and micro shiso greens sprinkled on top. Like any great dish, you are never satisfied with the amount you are provided and crave more. The restaurant has an excellent omakase selection of sushi or sashimi but there are even better non-sushi options as well, including a sublime broiled chilean sea bass that has been marinated in miso. There are not many casual, uber-trendy restaurants in BONDST’s culinary weight class in NYC (Koi, Balthazar and Buddakan come to mind), so diners should be especially grateful for the void it helps fill in the city’s dining scene.