Brushstroke

Love it. You won’t be disappointed with the sushi here. It’s every bit as good as some of the best and it’s in a great location

Wow, that’s all I have to say. Lots of fresh fish. Different than most sushi restaurants. Amazing food. Try the tasting menu and the pairing menu after. Worth the money!

We went there for anniversary dinner. Service was ok. However, our waitress was kind of arrogant lady. Food was just not up to par for Michelin restaurant. After dining I can’t say that it’s hot and miss food. Some dishes were ok (not great) but some like homemade tofu (we had summer kaiseki menu) was just disgusting I felt like I was eating the mud. Now I really feel that it was given a Michelin star just to make a certain number for nyc fine restaurants. I’m not a food critic but I’ve dine in 2 and 3 Michelin stars restaurants all over the world but brushstroke really disappointed me. We’ve paid $ 600 for our dinner and were not satisfied. How sad is that?! Will not coming back there.

My husband and I came in for a Tuesday dinner after work without a reservation. The place seemed packed but a lovely hostess patiently answered all our questions and showed us the menu-​very knowledgeable of the restaurant and Japanese cuisine.
We chose to sit at the counter and ordered from the set menu, from which I highly recommend the duck breast as well as the sashimi! Everything from the service to the food was spectacular although we did wait a while for the last course and the dessert.
My husband definitely plans to bring his Japanese clients for the lunch menu.

I feel sorry for all the people on Unilocal who rate this place. Clearly you have never been to or experienced true kaiseki in Japan. That being said, and with lowered expectations despite the Bouley pedigree, I ventured here with my wife here for our 1^st yr anniversary. To say it disappointed would be a vast understatement.
To begin with, the night we went, they should have renamed the restaurant Heatstroke given how uncomfortably warm it was. This despite politely asking them to turn up the A/​C and despite several times when we were visually fanning ourselves in front of the staff. You may think I’m exaggerating but my wife is Japanese and if you don’t know Japanese women, they would consider the Sahara in the middle of August a «mildly warm place» so for her to complain as well was a huge 1^st strike.
Next, the sommelier when I asked for recommendations from their extensive sake list, went straight to the bottom of each section. You know what that usually means. He picked out 4 bottles from different pages, none less than $ 250. Since it was my anniversary, I didn’t mind. But I guess when they asked me during my reservation phone call if it was a special occasion and I replied that it was my 1^st yr. anniversary, I guess it was solely to arm the sommelier w that tidbit of info. so he could trap me into agreeing to a high end bottle or look cheap in front of my wife. Otherwise, I’m still curious to this day why they would ask me if it was a special occasion since there was nothing really extra or special that they did for us through the entire dinner. Not that I would expect it but then why even ask if it’s for a certain occasion?
(Advice: If you’re asked the same question during your call to reserve, I would recommend refraining from divulging)
But most importantly, the food. I mean it should be all about the food right? Well the tasting course was reasonable enough price-​wise except for when you added the supplementary items, it ramped up fairly quick. Again, if the food was worthy of such high praise, price would not even be an issue. But it was very quickly apparent from the get-​go that we would be in for a major disappointment. The dishes were scattered with boring tired flavors and techniques. Where was the flavor? Where was the creativity? I’ve had better tasting dishes simply sprinkled with a dash of sea salt. And I mean foam, really? Are people still doing that? Didn’t that fad go out along with Marcel Vigneron from Season 2 of Top Chef? As for the rest, the soup and chawanmushi were ok for NYC standards I suppose. The sashimi was about on par with your local neighborhood take-​out joint unless you elected for the supplementary $ 40 sashimi assortment in which case you got 5 different types of sashimi on par with your local neighborhood take-​out joint. The main course I elected to try the Miyazaki Wagyu Sirloin. Pretty hard to screw that one up right? Wrong. Not only did it not come close to being tender like a true Wagyu should be, by the time the dish came out, it was luke-​warm. Overall the service was ok, nothing that stood out. But if the food is going to be off, at least the other aspects of a meal, especially the service, should be top notch to justify the high rating.
Overall an incredibly sub-​par evening. Greatest lesson since being back to NYC is to take Zagat, Michelin, and Google restaurant ratings with a grain of salt. Or sea salt in this case.

Pretty décor, pretty people, pretty food, but very plain flavors.
Unilocal wouldn’t let me leave it at that, so I’ll comment on the service. (this sentence alone added 14 words)
Service is very attentive but what’s the point of having 4 servers converge on your table to try and deliver the food all simultaneously, only to continually fuss with the plating just to ensure the soup bowl is at 10 o’clock? Oh, to get a star?
I see.

The star of brushstroke is the kitchen. Décor is minimal… No white table cloths. Everything is wood with potted plants and Edison bulb light fixtures. They have an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs prepare the food meticulously. The kitchen is DEAD silent. No Gordon Ramsay type situations here. Watching them work was beautiful. Like a symphony orchestra playing a master Vivaldi concerto together. The chefs all had lazer sharp focus. I could’ve watched them all day! There are many pros and cons of the restaurant.
The food is the star of Brushstroke. All the flavors are very clean, light and beautiful. None of the main ingredients are masked by heavy sauces. The main ingredient in every dish shines. I think that’s the beauty of Japanese cuisine. The ability to let the main ingredient be itself. If you can manage to eat 8 courses try the kaiseki menu. The ingredients used are a mixture of local and pure Japanese. The sashimi option from the kaiseki menu was phenomenal. Otoro just simply melts in your mouth. Another memorable dish was this savory egg flan. The broth was a beautiful dashi. I wasn’t a fan of the local duck breast as the main course option I chose. Duck skin is what I always look forward to because it’s so crispy and works delightfully with the fat but the entrée had very little skin. Disappointing. The crème brûlée was amaaaaaazing. You will be tempted to order the matcha option but don’t snooze on the crème brûlée.
The problem I have with Brushstroke is the service staff. For a Michelin star restaurant the service was underwhelming. After watching Burnt with Bradley Cooper, my significant other and I questioned «how many points would they have lost if we worked for Michelin?» And the answer would be a LOT. We have been to a few Michelin starred restaurants and this by far had the worst service. The service is very slow. The sommelier forgot our sake order because he was in the middle of a tasting. They gave us the sake complimentary but that’s unacceptable to forget an order ESPECIALLY for a restaurant of this caliber. That’s why you shell out extra $$$. For impeccable service with memorable food. When asked about the ingredients used in the dishes I was given very abrupt answers with a tone that said, «don’t bug me anymore.» It isn’t a personal experience like at Del Posto where they refer you by name (same amount of Michelin stars mind you) or the amicable vibe from Eleven Madison Park. The service here is very stiff and cold. They made us wait about 35+ minutes for our dessert. While the couple next to us only waited 15. I couldn’t understand why our dinner took nearly 4 hours to consume. On top of that we had to ask 3 times for our check. Even at the Olive Garden they don’t make us ask more than once. Unacceptable.
For the amount you are paying at this restaurant I was very underwhelmed. I think this restaurant needs the service staff to work on their communication skills with each other. There is absolutely nothing wrong with their food. It is perfection. I think I would come back but just for lunch.
3 stars.

I had one of the worst dining experiences at Brushstroke, the service was terrible and although the food was fine, the lack of care and detail made dinner lackluster and unpleasent. There are plenty of omakse restaurants in the city, I would never recommend this one.
My husband took me for my birthday dinner and I was really excited because I love omakase. As soon as we arrived we could tell the service was not on-​par with other nice restaurants. The hostess was very clueless, did not offer to take our coats and shuffled us quickly into the dining room.
After we sat down, It took a few minutes for the sommelier to come over, and once he did he was less than helpful. We decided on a wine/​sake pairing. With each pour the sommelier did not explain the wines/​sake nor did he explain why they were picked for each course. He was extremely rude and did not seem interested in educating us. His bad attitude left me feeling as though I was bothering him.
After the meal, we were a little full for desert but thought they might bring something special for my birthday as they do at ALL other nice restaurants, but they just handed us the check and it felt like they were throwing us out because they wanted to close up.
The food was good, the sushi was fresh-​and normally that’s all that matters to me-​but if I’m going to spend hundreds of dollars on omakase, I expect the service to be good as well. You can go to many sushi restaurants in NYC and eat for significantly less and still get the same quality fish. This was a true disappointment.

Wonderful! What a treat to be able to have eaten here on my last (rainy) night in NY. Located in a tranquil neighborhood in Tribeca, this lovely kaiseki spot is busy so make rezzies. I was lucky enough to get seated at the bar to watch the chefs and his sous chefs in action the whole night.
You HAVE to go with their tasting menu which is expensive at $ 135 pp by why else would you come here? You ain’t going to order chicken teriyaki, I can tell you that. I was treated to such a lovely Japanese tour and I was beside myself with delight. I guess the chef sensed that so he put a little extra in my chirashi course and I got to sample for free a lovely after-​dinner drink that the smart sommelier thought I’d enjoy. It was a all these little things all night that made this the best dinner I’ve had in NYC.
I can’t pick the best dish of the night because everything was delicious and surprisingly filling. The chef played with hot and cold, and soft and hard textures. But the loveliest presentation was the tea-​lighted tray with the leaf-​wrapped salmon and the snail and all these other lovely little treasures that left an amazing memory on your palate.
And the staff were all super attentive and amazingly helpful. I wanted for nothing. After my dinner, the manager helped me with my coat, opened my umbrella, and walked me out the restaurant to point me to the safest route back to my hotel. I was a princess that night and I was royally smiling the short jaunt back to the W, while it drizzled softly and I took in the lights of the city.

Decided to come back and try the Chef’s omakase tonight, which was unavailable last time.
Spend the extra ‘Benjamin’ and order the omakase, well-​worth the extra cost over their standard kaiseki option.
A lot of food; You will leave very full.
After trying kaiseki at other well-​known NYC restaurants, Brushstroke comes on top for me.
All the courses were excellent, and the pacing here was perfect (about 5 min wait in between courses). I don’t need to spend 3 hours for kaiseki, like other places.
Excellent service (No surprise; It’s a Bouley restaurant).
Highly recommend a seat at the counter, facing the open kitchen.
No need to look anymore; Brushstroke will be my kaiseki destination from now on.
: A+

A meal at brushstroke is not just about food, it’s an experience. The flavours and textures that the chef plays around with, create a riot in your mouth and leave you wondering about what you just had!
There was not a single course we did not like, with my favourite being the appetiser– pacific Jumbo Oyster, Uni, Scallop with Fresh Green Seaweed, Lemon Foam. It created the perfect first kick for me to look forward to all the courses that followed. The only dish that I would probably skip would be the octopus entrée, which was perfectly cooked but a bit too salty for my liking.
Our night was made better by stellar service by Steven, and the entire team that created magic on our plates and taste buds. Thank you!

Excellent meal.
Great service.
Rotating seasonal menu will have me return.
All the flavors were incredible and well balanced.
Great dining «experience» in addition to it being a
«meal»
Portion sizes were appropriate.
Chef Bouley was here and was nice enough to take time for a picture and even sent over a couple drinks for our anniversary.
Class act.
This is a really great dinner.

I came here in Summer 2014. I wanted to like this place. I really did, especially as I am a huge fan of Bouley. However, I left with a bad taste in my mouth from both the lackluster, uninspired food and the straight up awful service. The food in the tasting was not innovative, and the taste definitely not worth $ 185, or in my opinion, even half of that price. I can not recall for the life of me, anything memorable that I ate.
But oh, all of that played second fiddle to the SERVICE. I experienced the worse service I’ve ever received in my entire life. My server was a tall, brown-​haired man in his late-20’s to early 30’s, and he not only rushed us through our entire $ 185 tasting meal, he was coercive and downright nasty to us.
For example: I eat slowly, as I like enjoying my food (especially when I’m paying $ 185 for it, I think I’ve earned the right to take my time), but at one point, this server came up to me while I had only half of my dish eaten and my friends had finished. He very curtly and impatiently asked if I was done yet. I clearly wasn’t, since I had half my dish left and had just shoveled another bite into my mouth. He also cleared a dish that I was still working on after that course.
He also kept hovering right by our table and, once my friend finished her cocktail, asked her 7 times within 2 hours whether she wanted another drink, even though she said «no» the first time he asked. This server clearly seemed into intimidation, because I certainly felt under duress. Never again.

I took my girlfriend here for Valentine’s day. The place had a special menu just for the occasion. For a restaurant with 1 michelin star, i was very impressed with the customer service here. My only negative are the tables. Our table and another table were quite wobbly, and they weren’t able to fix it. For a 1 michelin star restaurant that charges an arm and a leg for tasty food, I would think you can afford new tables that don’t wobble.
It was a multi-​course meal and we opted to go with the wine/​sake pairing. The sommelier was knowledgeable of his drinks. The food was top notch. Everything was clean, simple yet complex.
The star of the show was the wagyu during the meat course. Was also a huge fan of the oyster/​uni app. Must come back to try their regular menu as well as try Ichimura

We came here (as a group of four) for my best friend’s birthday on a Saturday. The tea was delicious. I had the Kawane Hon Sencha (very light, very delicate; highly recommend). We ordered the lunch tasting menu (and also a couple of extra dishes to share): Golden Crab Chawan-​Mushi Truffle Ankake (amazing! my favorite dish of the meal, by far), the sashimi plate (nothing special about this, would not recommend), Tasmanian Salmon (very tender, well-​cooked), and then Blue Shrimp and Golden Crab Soy Milk Risotto (delicious, but quite heavy).
Initially, we were concerned that the portions would be too small (which is why we ordered the extra dishes), but the portions are actually very generous.
In terms of the service, the waitress was especially thoughtful and kind. They had originally seated our party at a rather large table, but immediately moved us to a smaller, more intimate table once it was available.

We went here for my best friend’s birthday, and had the lunch tasting menu. Food was very good, and I would probably come back again! Must have the truffle egg custard (forgot the fancy name) if you like truffle– we all loved it. The rest of the dishes were also very flavorful, but not the most common flavors you would imagine. I also had one of the best grilled octopus dish I’ve ever had (including my week in Greece!) so highly recommend that dish as well. The waitress who helped us was also super nice. However, they did get our order wrong (and added $ 30 to the bill)… :/​
My (somewhat harsh) standard for giving stars (for consistency sake): 1, absolutely do not come. 2, not the best but not revolting, probably won’t come again if I can help it. 3, decent food, may or may not come again. 4, very good meal, will likely come again! And 5, AMAZING experience, reserved for special occasions.

I went to Brushstroke yesterday with my coworkers for our Christmas dinner.
We had 7 courses! We stated with a butternut squash soup and 2 crackers with guacamole and paté. The guacamole was amazing and the butter squash soup was delicious. I did not like the paté. I thought that it did not have its place in the menu.
After that we had a soup with mushroom and scalliops and it was probable the highlight of the night! As a big fan of raw fish I was very happy with the sashimi dish and was surprise wth the fat white fish! Usually white raw fish are not that fatty but this one was amazing! The plate with the beef was also amazing. It was so well cooked and the beef so tender!
then we also Tile Fish with a kind of Teriyaki sauce. The last dish did not wow me as I thought it was missing some salt: the rice and salmon dish.
We finish dinner with a matcha ice cream, red bean on the bottom and white chocolate on it!
A MUST (if you like matcha flavor)

I had the best tasting menu experience ever in NYC here at Brushstroke. Just to give you context, I find most tasting menus to be too long (Eleven Madison Park killed me at over 4 hours). Brushstroke has a $ 135 8 course tasting menu (Kaiseki) that changes seasonally, and we were there for just over 3 hours. Japanese cuisine lends itself well to tasting menus because many of the foods are more clean-​tasting, fresh and light… which is perfect for multiple courses.
We had the Winter Kaiseki Tasting Menu. Seven out of the eight courses were phenomenal. I felt that each course was just the right amount of food (again, another EMP comparison is that theirs were unsatisfying bite-​size courses). Plus, everything was served in a timely manner. A few minutes after finishing each course (time enough to talk about it and relax), the very efficient servers whisked everything away. The courses ranged all different styles: soup, rice, sashimi, fish, etc.
The one course that fell flat was the one that just had a lot of stuff going on – there were oysters, battered cod and oysters, salmon covered under foam (?), two slices of duck, and some kind of roll. Visually, the oyster was off-​putting given it’s huge size and the pink sauce it was floating in; meanwhile, the duck seemed out of place amongst all the seafood. The cod and the salmon was the best part of the course.
By the end, we were all stuffed. The last course is dessert, and while I always have room for dessert… I was struggling here. If you want to end on a refreshing, light note, go with the whatever sorbet option is on there. We had the lime sorbet and it was delicious.
My friends got the $ 100 wine and sake pairing and LOVED the choices made by the highly educated and clearly-​passionate-​about-​his-​job sommelier. Next time, I’ll go for that choice.
I’d highly recommend this place for:
People who love Japanese and are looking for something delicious that isn’t sushisushisushi
People going on dates. That place has a very warm ambiance and isn’t terribly big.
Special occasions that won’t break the bank

Run, don’t walk and try the affordable bang for your buck $ 45 lunch tasting @ Brushstroke!!!
Service — 5***** :My server, he has a very refined palate; I preferred most of his recommendations over the crowd favorites. His colleague, she was also super personable.
Ambiance — 5*****: very Zen-​like and calming.
Two standout dishes included:
1. oyster uni
2. crab chawan mushi
If you have room, give the dessert a try despite it being a supplemental add-​on:
3. hojicha pudding
All in all, a very enjoyable light lunch! Was almost tempted to go back again on my short trip. Wish I did instead of going to Boulud Sud or Bouley.

Lunch Tasting
I had a lot of fun here the space is beautiful, open, and filled with natural light. There is attention to detail from the bathroom (more on that later), the woodwork, to the utensils they place on the table.
1. To start we had a unique summer dashi with taro, okra, and tomato served with a cracker and truffle sauce.
2. Jumbo Pacific Oyster: wow it had scallops and uni with a lemon foam
3. Golden Crab Truffle Chawan-​Mushi: delectable
4. Seasonal Sashimi: loved the tuna (I had been deprived of good seafood since I had moved to TX)
5. Salmon (Trout): with celery root purée, mustard seeds, trout roe, shaved horseradish winter ingredients in a summer dish, very bright and beautiful
6. Octopus: spring butter green salad, very simple, pickled mustard seeds on this one as well
7. Washyu Beef Suiki Yaki: good meat, wild rice, served with watermelon radish and cucumber
8. Blue Shrimp and Golden Crab Soy Milk Risotto: creamy, light, creative, yummy
9. Dessert: Roasted Green Tea Pudding, Mirin Ice Cream, Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream
Highly recommend the lunch tasting for only $ 45 (warning we did get a whole lot of extra stuff but the base price is reasonable).
Service is impeccable, for a table of just two, we always had two sets of hands clear our plates, present dishes, and set us up for the next course. Gold is very professional yet has a big smile and is amiable. She’s got a great way of talking to people and has a sense of humor. And Paul the General Manager, made sure we got the right wines and were happy during each our meal, he took very good care of us, I felt so special.
Now for the bathrooms… they’ve got the toilet seats with the buttons to do all these different things. I’m being vague here so you’ll go check it out yourself. BUT come for the food, service, ambiance, the Michelin star, not just the toilets.