Tao

New York, New York, United States

Inside Tao

Tao is a classy Asian/American restaurant in midtown Manhattan. The restaurant is located inside an old movie theater. It is quite large for a Manhattan restaurant, with tables on three levels. The interior decor is modern. The main feature is a two-story Buddha sitting by a reflecting pool full of fish and water lilies. The restaurant webpage boasts that they are frequently visited by celebrities.

The menu is designed for sharing. Some of the plates are larger than others, so we had a hard time judging how much food to order and ended up with a bit too much for 4 people. In general, I think the entrees are appropriately sized for one person (although there is variation amongst the dishes).

The restaurant is a bit pricey for Asian food, but the food was all very good. If you want to a nice Asian dinner, I would recommend this restaurant.

Dress

Smart casual - dress varied quite a bit. Some people were more dressed up, but jeans and a nice shirt was fitting for the environment.

Cost

Entrees range between $25-$40. Small plates and appetizers vary from $4-$20.

Reservations

The restaurant can be quite busy in the evenings, even during the week. Reservations are recommended.

Items Ordered

Pork Potstickers Dumplings

Dumplings, Springrolls, and Tempura

The dumplings were fairly typical. They were lightly fried.

Imperial Vegetable Egg Roll

The egg rolls were unusual. They were very large. We received two egg rolls, each cut in half. They were tricky to eat with chopsticks because they were so big. The outside layer was thicker than usual, and very crispy. The inside was pretty typical

Sweet Potato Tempura

The sweet potato tempura was made with purple sweet potatoes. They were delicious, and very nice with a light dough.

Salmon

Eggplant, salmon, and green beans

They salmon had a delicious sauce that coated the spinach and noodles as well. The noodles were very thick.

Spicy Hoi Yin Eggplant

The eggplant was only mildly spicy. The sauce on them was really very flavorful.

XO Chinese Long Beans

The beans were cooked until soft. They had a really good sauce on them.

Udon Beef

Udon Beef

The beef was very different from what I was expecting. The beef was cut up in strips and mixed into a stir fry. There were a few pieces of vegetables mixed in with the beef and noodles. I found the sauce on this dish very salty.