Tao Downtown- Turning it Up to 11

After dinner one Saturday night I texted someone that Tao was “beyond.” Boyfriend was a little confused by my choice of desciprtor, but it was really the only word I could think of.  Tao Downtown is beyond big, beyond crowded, beyond beautiful, beyond just a little bit ridiculous, and yummy beyond my expectations. This place is Vegas in NYC, wrapped up in a Buddha bow just in time for the holidays.

Let’s be clear: Despite the celeb sightings and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show after party, Tao Downtown on a Saturday night is mix of B&T and T&A.  The skirts were shorter and tighter than even a Miami crowd, and somewhere Herve Leger and Rent the Runway are counting their cash in big old Scrooge McDuck piles.  The girls were out and bringing it.  The space is huge- when you enter (passing required not friendly doorman), you are quickly greeted by a coat check (note: this is poorly placed- the employees in there are clearly overwhelmed and everyone waiting for their coats is greeted by an arctic freeze every time the door opens.  The restuarant is 22,000 square feet, find a more efficient spot for this), and then you start walking.  And walking.  And walking down the hall to the host stand.  There is a decent amount of chaos but if you have a hostess’ attention don’t lose it- if you are sent to the bar to have a drink, you might get swallowed into the ether and never return.  Walking to the bar, you pass a nice little lounge area (PACKED!!! by the end of the night), and the view of the dining room is really awe-inspiring.  The scale of the space, and the well-constructed stairs as dining space design is really something very cool to take it.  The Hindu (?) statue at the other end of the room is pretty and features some LED effects, no less impressive or imposing than the original Buddha uptown.  The private dining rooms practially hang over the rest of the space, and the seating on the stairs is really inventive and cool (please seat me there next time.)

Once you are seated, you can relax.  Tao is a well -oiled machine, with a lot of staff, including managers with ear-pieces.  The service is professional and adept at serving volume in a timely manner; I would love a peek inside the kitchen here, it has got to be nothing short of a factory. The music is fun and the noise is never unbearable, you can still have a conversation and bop along at the same time, Saturday night multi-tasking at its finest.  Now about the food: I think that as long as your expectations are managed, you will be pleasantly surprised.  The dumplings (pork and chicken)  starters are all well prepared and meant for sharing; the now almost ubiquitous tuna on crispy rice was a delicious rendition. Also on the crispy  front, the crispy bbq chicken (on some other part of the menu) is especially good; almost like a crispy peking duck, but chicken.   Several things (especially the lobster fried rice) were over-salted.  but overall everything was a pretty reliable version of Asian staples.  There is a whole sushi/raw bar situation that we did not get into that much.

There is a bar by the bathrooms, which are a show in and of themselves. Tao is a “wow” on many levels, especially on a Saturday night.  In a few months, during the week, I imagine that the whole process will much more manageable and less crowded.  Everybody needs a little Vegas in their lives, and this is a perfect place for groups.

Note: The buttons undone designation in this case refers really to the whole experience, not necessarily the food specifically…