Sushi Noz on UES Transports Diners to Japan for Hefty $300, Critic Says

A sushi show on the UES

Sushi Noz delivers omakase in a space meant to transport diners to Osaka or Tokyo, with traditional Japanese decor like noren flaps over the doorway, writes Grub Street critic Adam Platt. It’s here that Platt finds the high-end culinary tasting menu of sushi omakase at its “purest, most obsessive form.” He says chef Nozomu Abe — known for using elements of kabuki theater to dramatize the dining experience — expertly delivers fatty tuna grilled on hot coals and “flavorful” scorpion fish served with bottarga. Platt also finds “warming” and “luxurious” snow crab soup but at $300, he finds the affair a bit too pricey. For $175 instead, diners can grab a seat in the newly opened Ash Room, an extension of the sushi bar where the chef’s assistant will be the one preparing the sushi portion of the menu.

Coming attractions and a closure

The East Village gains a new bar tonight called Joyface at 104 Avenue C on East Seventh St, EV Grieve reports. The bar has a basement area with 1970s decor and replaces the Alphabet Lounge that used to operate from the space. Designer Elizabeth Ingram, who is Atlanta based but has an NYC apartment with her husband celebrity Alton Brown, built out the space by thrifting everything, according to Architectural Digest.

Meanwhile, jazz lounge Rue-B has added daytime coffee service a few blocks away at 188 Avenue B, between East 11th and 12th Streets. The cafe will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, according to EV Grieve. LES restaurant and cocktail lounge Louie & Chan, located at 303 Broome St., between Forsyth and Eldridge Streets, is closed for maintenance work, owners announced on Instagram earlier this week.

A breakfast sandwich collaboration between Manhatta and Black Seed Bagels

Danny Meyer’s Manhatta restaurant is partnering with Black Seed Bagels to create an everything bagel sandwich made with ham, Gruyere cheese, mustard, and Mornay sauce, then topped with melted cheese and cornichons. Black Seed executive chef Dianna Daoheung and Jason Pfeifer of Manhatta are calling it the “Manhatta Croque Monsieur Bagel Sandwich,” and it’ll be available for $9.50 at all Black Seed locations starting January 1.

Alex Ostroff [Official Photo]

Free beer and pizza at Speedy Romeo

Diners can get free beer, wine, and pizzas at Speedy Romeo’s LES location this weekend, at 63 Clinton St., between Stanton and Rivington Streets. The pizza shop will be celebrating the debut of Cold Beer & Soda, a clothing brand, on Saturday, December 29, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., during which the free drinks and food will flow.