LAN - Review - Aramis

Intro
Lan - Highly Recommended
56 3rd Ave, New York 10003
Btwn 10th & 11th St
Phone: 212-254-1959

After the upsetting experience at Sushi-Ann, the experience at Lan really delivered. We've been to Lan multiple times and it's always been solid. I'm sometimes wary of going there, since we've been there so many times and NY has so many new restaurants to try. However, Lan is so great and has never disappointed. My overall rating is 85/100.

My Menu (shared by 6 of course)
Organic Chicken & Scallions, Skewered & Grilled - highly recommended
Sweet Simmered Berkshire Pork Belly "kakuni" - recommended
Crispy Warm Red Snapper Sashimi - recommended
Aged Black Angus Strip Loin -recommended
Prime Rib Eye Beef Shabu Shabu - highly recommended
Toro and Charred Toro - highly recommended

Dish
Usually, I'll try to break down each dish completely, so you get a real feel of what the dish is really like. However, after a bottle of sake and a bottle of shochu I don't remember all the little subtleties from Lan. Here's a brief rundown though. Chicken was ridiculously juicy and tasted like chicken. Not supermarket cardboard chicken, but what poultry probably tasted like 100 years ago. Pork belly was solid - nicely flavored and super tender. The beef shabu shabu was spectacular. There's something very primal about cooking your own meats, whether it be grilling steaks on the barby or cooking it shabu shabu style. Toro and charred toro was great. After going to Sushi-Ann where the toro tasted like tilapia, it was great to see what toro really should taste like. However, there was sinew in the toro which prevented the toro down from being exceptional. Sushi Yasuda may have ruined me for sushi, since his is the only toro where there is no sinew.

Overall Restaurant Experience (85/100)

• Food 8.5/10 - Everything is generally very solid, with some items being exceptional.
  
• Service 8.5/10 - Very accommodating service. Waiter was nice. Typical great service from a Japanese restaurant. (same comment as my review as Sushi-Ann I know, but these Japanese restaurants have great service)
  
• Atmosphere 8/10 - I like the atmosphere here. Exposed brick wall and a nice energy to the place.
  
• Price 8/10 -For the quality of the food, the price is well worth it. Definitely a little pricey, but you won't be disappointed.
  

Closing Comments
Although there are plenty of new restaurants to try in Manhattan, LAN is a good old stand by. LAN is a place where you can take family, buddies, and the ever-important significant other to impress. There is something to be said about consistency in a restaurant. Many restaurants have off nights which I feel is sometimes unacceptable (e.g. Babbo, Bouley). At Lan, you can always expect to have a solid experience.