Midtown Monster Zuma Is More 2002 Than 2015, Says Steve Cuozzo

Steve Cuozzo visits Zuma, the clubby behemoth of a Japanese restaurant from London, where the setting, he says, "could just as easily be in Las Vegas or Miami" as in Midtown. The restaurant's approach to food is more circa 2002 than the omakase menus of right now (think Shuko, Sushi Nakazawa), but Cuozzo doesn't mind:

Sushi is a Zuma strength, from plain-vanilla (but pristine) salmon and tuna to specials like rare Japanese barracuda....Miso-marinated black cod transcended the cliché — the fish is caramelized on the grill after marinating in malty saikyo miso, and the sweet and oily notes flatter the flesh with rare distinction.

Cuozzo's happy with the prices, but less happy with what it means in terms of his fellow diners: "Most choices are in the $20s or lower. Alas, the crowd can be low-rent too." Two stars.