So, a few weeks back I turned 30. And since 30 is kind of a big deal, I had a small group of friends come with me to Ninja in the Tribeca section of New York City (you can see their website at www.ninjanewyork.com). We took the train into the city and did a little touring first. We went to Toys R Us in Times Square, and from there decided we'd walk down to the restaurant.
Bad idea.
The iPhone map (we're still on the Edge, haven't upgraded to the new version of the phone yet) told us we were 2 miles away. So we all agreed that we could walk and see some more sights since one of the people with us had never been to the city before. Well, after an hour of walking, we finally hailed a cab. It would have been another 2 hour walk. SOOO glad we got the cab.
When you pull up to Ninja, unless you know what you're looking for you'll miss it. There's a big green door with black tinted windows, and in about 4 inch gold letters it says "Ninja". That's it. So we walk inside and it's dark, and a pretty small waiting area. The elevator was being serviced the day we went, so we took the stairs. It was only one flight. When you get into the actual restaurant, the look of it is amazing. The entire place is done up like an old ninja castle. The waiters and servers wear ninja-style outfits. No one tried making it seem like they were actual ninjas, and they talked to us like they would anywhere else. But it was still pretty cool.
I got one of their tasting menus, and let me just tell you how amazing the food was. I WILL go back there very soon for more of their sushi. Definitely some of the best I have ever had. And their portions aren't small, so by the 4th course of the 5 course menu I had, I was already pretty full. The drinks are expensive, but they're strong. Menu drinks were like $12, off-menu mixed drinks were $10. So, if you go, prepare to spend some cash. But definitely worth it.
Afterwards we went to some dive bar that seemed like it was in someone's basement. The furniture was all shit that you would find on the curb after a landlord emptied an abandoned apartment. And it smelled weird. But, it was fun most of the time because of the people we were with. All in all, a good night and a good celebration with people that were important to me.
