Rebecca at Ono inside the Gansevoort Hotel

Acclaimed Sushi restaurant Ono is still going strong with superb sushi in the meatpacking district! Inside the Gansevoort Hotel, Ono has the feel of a West Hollywood Sushi lounge. The oversized raw bar displays huge pieces of fish from which their sushi creations are carved. Gorgeous oversized murals of Japanese style tattoo art extend over the back semi private booths.My girlfriend and I were seated at a table for two on the lower level. (I prefer the upper level seating area as it is more private and overlooks the front bar) But we had a delicious meal nonetheless.

We began with the spicy crab sushi pizza (crab, avocado, radish sprouts & red miso: $16.00 pictured), and the ginger cream spinach ($6.00). Next we had the shrimp and chicken robata. This is a small plate that comes with two skewers and five dipping sauces (shiso pesto, spicy plum miso, sesame mustard, scallion ponzo and kimchee $12.00), not as delicious as the sushi pizza but the dipping sauces did add interesting flavor combinations.

As a huge carb-ophobe, I feel that one of Ono’s best features is the selection of riceless rolls. We shared the tuna yaba roll (yuba seaweed, chopped tuna, seared tuna and tempura flakes $16.00) and the eel avocado roll (crabmeat & cucumber wrapped in nori and soft crepe $14.00). Feeling rather full from all the small plates and rolls, we passed on dessert but they did have an extensive menu, including a citrus tart, miso cream and plum sake sorbet that sounded very tempting…

Though the prices are a bit high (rolls are around the $16.00 range) the ambiance and creative plates (ie the spicy crab pizza) make this sushi worth the splurge. Ono is great for a weekend date, especially due to the proximity to the Gansevoort’s infamous rooftop bar. If your dinner ends before midnight, you can access the hotel elevators via the restaurant’s side door and avoid the outside lines.

ONO

Hotel Gansevoort

18 9th Avenue (at Gansevoort st)

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