Matsugen

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After giving the deep-six to 66, his Chinese-influenced outpost in Tribeca, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has turned Japanese and transformed the space into this soba-intensive mod-minimalist spot. It’s the chef’s long-awaited collaboration with the Matsushita family, Japanese restaurateurs whom JG has been trying to bring to U.S. for several years now after sampling their homemade soba noodles in Japan. Soba is the centerpiece here, served hot or cold depending on which dish you go for, such as yamakake (with grated yams) or the inadvertently named bukkake (a medley of scallion, bonito, yam, sesame, okura and nori, among others). The noodles themselves are made in-house until 1 a.m. the day of service. For non-soba lovers, there’s sushi, kamameshi rice pots, tempura and grilled selections like Wagyu rib eye. The new digs echo 66’s sharp, minimalist aesthetic, with black Eames chairs and banquettes, metal mesh partitions, and Bertoia high chairs flanking the runway-length communal table. A crisp, precise backdrop for Matsugen’s crisp, precise flavors.

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Tribeca restaurants, New York restaurants, Asian restaurants, Japanese restaurants