Chanto

Chanto has been closed for a while.
A friend told me that Chanto served his favorite ramen in NYC, so I tried it. I disagree.
They also served Kobe beef burgers. I didn’t order it, but my friends I was with were not impressed.
The place was overpriced and the food was subpar, so that’s probably why they couldn’t attract enough business. They tried to focus on their extensive sake collection.

Went here to try out the Kobe Beef Burgers.
They were disappointing… even the difference between the teriyaki and the normal burgers wasn’t too significant. They were larger than expected, but they were overcooked on the outside because of that, and the inside wasn’t nearly as juicy as expected.

I think they’ve closed down???

We were in the upstairs area. The unimpressive interior took away somewhat from the experience of the quaint location of the restaurant, it had an unfinished apartment/​loft feel but in the sloppy/haven’t gotten to it yet way. The well sized space has potential for so much more. We had a sashimi combo, a handful of a la carte sushi, and a couple of entrees and appetizers. The sashimi was fresh (the uni was excellent) and there was nothing extraordinary or different about the sushi (rolls). I’ve had better tasting sushi for much less elsewhere, it wasn’t too memorable. I would go back once more, only to try the more «casual dining» menu. If sushi (rolls) are what you are craving I’d go to sushi samba down the street.

I really wanted to give this place 5 stars… I really did… I have heard such great things about Chanto… But it just didn’t make it all way way to five…
I was a bit early for my dinner so I sat at the bar on the first floor and had a beer… Plus one star for having Echigo beer… Haven’t seen Echigo at any other places in Manhattan… The DJ was setting up his equipment… I wish I would have reserved a table on the first floor. I would have liked to have hear him.
My dinner companion arrived and we were taken upstairs… The first floor and the second floor are completely different… 1^st floor is painted red with black tables and booths… More relaxed. And the menu is more japanese bar fare… Upstairs is painted a dark blue… Gold and crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling… tables are big and round and covered with white table cloths… Cushy leather chairs… I love the ambiance… Great place for a fancy japanese dinner.
I had the Fried Kurobuta Pork Belly w/​ponzu dipping sauce… The pork was juicy and tender… 4 HUGE pieces… I mean HUGE pieces… with a nice grated daikon mixed with something spicy… put that in the ponzu for a nice kick…
For dinner I had Giant Prawn Risotto made with a miso broth… The risotto was cooked to perfection and the miso sauce flavorful and delicious… Just a tad bit too salty… But still good…
My dinner companion had the sashimi appetizer… At $ 32, you’d think this was an actual main course, but it’s only an app. It comes out in a HUGE bowl. I’m serious when I say HUGE… So yeah… comes in huge bowl filled with crushed ice… there are only about 7 – 9 pieces of sashimi… The bowl was just too much…
For a main course, he had Kurobuta Pork Hirekatsu… This was so good… Juicy… Fried… Came in 4 thick pieces… GOOD…
Service was great and very attentive… There’s a super cute waiter is a hapa like me… We chatted for a bit… I love meeting other hapas!!!
I want to try the 1^st floor next… they serve kobe burgers and hirekatsu burgers… yummmm…

You can choose either the upstairs or downstairs (bar) and the hostess will give you a seperate menu for each. It’s slightly pricier and fine dining upstairs of the restaurant. We went for a more casual dinner, and opted for the first floor. There’s a jazz band playing near the entrance, but the volume never got loud and distracting. It’s very cozy and an ideal date place.
Now for the food, you have your average rolls and dinner specials ($ 20-​$ 25). The specials offer various sushi rolls or Kobe Beef Burgers with your choice of salad and dessert. I got a regular kobe burger and I paid $ 9. I was expecting a TINY white castle size of a burger but it’s a good portion. It had good flavor, but it wasn’t satisfying. I really couldn’t tell if it was really Kobe or not and I had it medium well. I was really disappointed in the quality. I didn’t think it lived up to the hype.
In short, if you want a cozy place to grab drinks and a quick bite, then Chanto is really great. They have super cheap drinks during happy hour. $ 4-​$ 6 mixed drinks and discounted beers and wine.

I had my 19^th bday here on July 7^th~
We got a round table and there were about 8 people present.
We got bunch of different stuff and shared.
like, 2 big plate of sushi platters (in the pictures)
and for appetizer, we got sashimi, some kimchi lettuce roll, croquettes, etc…
It was good but now that I look back, I think it wouldve been better if we went to a restaurant that serves BIG portion cheaper. so we can share stuff. like Italian restaurant wouldve been nicer…
They served waters (FUJI waters), and we all got desert.
sobacha’s crème burre were really good. I got this chocolate green tea fondant and they put a candle and my name on it and sang for us.
It was really nice~
the bill, that turned out to be REALLY REALLY expensive…
so thats why i dont think ill ever go back…
I thought they had an earlybird prix fix, but when we went there, they only had 45 dallers and up prix fixes…

(CLOSED???)
Two weeks ago (03÷28÷08, Friday), my husband needed of Chanto burger fix. I had my usual Sushi set (Utage). Before we were leaving, our usual waiter told us that they close form next week for while. He didn’t tell me why or how long. Then, few days later, my husband ran into the manager and was told that they are going to look for a job.
We knew it would happen soon or later. Not to miss their burger and fries, my husband was very dedicated to go to have his fix once a week. He has not regret but he miss his burger sometimes…
Care is in the service and foods. Service is good. My husband goes back only for their burgers and perfect French fries. I like their burger too but not every time we go. I need variety.
Ramen;
The noodle soup is in the huge-​earthy-​Japanese bowl. I love the visual. It’s beautiful and bold presentation. The noodle is always cooked perfectly al dente. The soup is bit thick for my taste. The sliced pork and nicely chapped green onion on the top of the soup are well balanced with the soup. Though I liked to… squeeze fresh lemon or something acid over it but I think of that Ramen often…
Dinner (Upstairs);
We were escorted to upstairs — a space more like upscale hotel lobby… with high ceiling with huge chandeliers. Soft light coming into the room from the street window (floor to ceiling) and reflection of crystal lights from the chandeliers hit our faces was priceless — great for date.
We had set menus. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I didn’t know what it was but something was missing. I don’t think I would go back for that dinner but I will be back to the Bar (downstairs).
Sushi;
I used to have not good quality sushi here but that all has changed. I don’t know what happened but the sushi is really good. I order mostly always the same «Utage» (5 sushi, 1 roll and about 4 sashimi). The fish is so fresh that gives a nice glow but that is IF the sushi chef is at the counter. I had not that great Utage when the chef was not at the counter. When the sushi chef isn’t in, I order something other than sushi.
Love casual but great service at the Bar and the food downstairs (ground floor).

If you love 5 course or even 7 course meals… here is the place to go. Went for Japanese restaurant week. The only downside is they require everyone at your table agree to eat the same course in one sitting. No other selections are allowed. Good thing my group are troopers and we love to try new selections especially raw fish: P…but if it’s not your thing… choose to pick from single entrees. Five went and all five loved it… myself included. Lovely atmosphere… chandliers did the trick: D

Despite the nice, lovely décor (upstairs, not downstairs), polite and professional service, and decent food, my prediction for Chanto is that it will last for maybe another 6 – 9 more months. Why? The place is missing something… can’t put a finger on it but it could be any of the following: no buzz (case in point: no Unilocal nor NY Mag reviews/​listings), lack of a distinctive ambiance (pretty reminiscent of Japonais or Sushi Samba), and bad jazzy music that belongs in a stuffy restaurant in suburbia.
As for the food, I wasn’t impressed except for one of our desserts, which I will cover later. We started with a few apps: pork stuffed chicken wings (strange to bite into a chicken wing and taste pork but it was strangely good) and a rainbow roll (nothing special here). For main entrees, we had the miso cod (nice buttery fat pieces of cod but I wasn’t a fan of the sweet creamy miso sauce that drenched the green and white asparagus on the side) and the BBQ short ribs (I liked this but realized that it’s b/​c it tastes pretty much just like kalbi, the Korean style short ribs… right down to the entrée coming out with leafy greens for wrapping the beef (ssam) and the spicy red bean paste on the side). They even cut the short ribs with scissors… just like at Korean restaurants. I did love one of our desserts! The chocolate fondant with green tea was alright… a bit too rich for my taste… but the buckwheat crème brûlée was amazing. Such a unique great taste… and went perfectly w/​the caramelized bananas and home-​made ice cream. Simply delicious!
I probably would not choose to go back here… but if I found myself here again, I’ll definitely just skip straight to the dessert!