Hey nycistas--this is where I want to go next time I'm in town: Ninja New York!
Ninja New York is a $3.5 million dollar, 6,000-square-foot recreation of two 18th-century, mountainside Japanese villages, Iga and Kouga, the birthplace of Ninja warrior lore. Ninja New York's sister restaurant, Ninja Akasaka, located in Tokyo, is extremely successful, and this Manhattan follower promises to duplicate that popularity. For its novelty alone, it will score big here. "Ninja New York is a one-of-a-kind, Japanese dining experience in New York. The restaurant took two years to complete," says Toshio Kabe, general manager. "In Japan, sister restaurant Ninja Akasaka is one of the hardest restaurants to be seated in, and we're sure that Ninja New York will be just as successful with the excellent quality of food, amazing service, and unique atmosphere."
...as your eyes adjust to the cave-like environs, the incongruously black-clad Ninjas -- or at least Ninja wannabes -- begin to appear.
Would you like to follow the "easy" or "difficult" path to your table, they ask. Do not be faint-hearted -- there is really nothing thorny about the hard road. You will be whisked via elevator down to the subterranean dining floor, across which your guide will lead you along a somewhat labyrinthine path to your table. With his recitation of an incantation here or a secret pass code there, a drawbridge will descend from the heavens to allow you to traverse the River of Frogs or a wall will move to reveal an intimate dining area.
coolest. restaurant. EVER.