Maisono

I never ate here but I just wanted to write about this establishment itself and the club below. I DJ’d here and never got paid. I went a few times to ask management about it and they said oh the manager who does checks isn’t here. Come back next week and she’ll be back. All my calls, visits and emails were ignored. And the money wasn’t worth the trouble of taking to small claims.
Anyway, I hope this place goes out of business (I think it was last time I heard) so yeah what goes around comes around!

Disclaimer: I’ve been craving ramen for four days…
The only way to describe the vibe is: cool, relaxed, laid back. It’s on point. The dim interior is embellished with many Christmas lights, wound around fixtures and also piled above the ceiling panels, muting the brightness. I love it. The music is loud, as with most trendy, fun places, but not so loud that you’ll go deaf or hoarse from shouting.
I came by on a very windy Wednesday evening and sat at the bar, where I could journal and people watch. Chatted a bit with the guy doing the grilling– turns out he’s the owner. Very friendly, and super cool, so get to know him!
I had the:
–Tokyo Ramen (roasted pork, spinach, soft boiled egg, soy broth): it was simple, simple and delicious and exactly what I needed. I like that it came with the perfectly soft boiled egg and that the noodles tasted CLEAN. I’m not sure how it is in Japan but this is how I would imagine it. Some of my favorite ramen places can be described as «simple» but comforting. I’m sure it’s partly because the ambience is awesome at Maison O, and it’s a convenient location, but I will probably be back to get ramen again…
–simple cocktail of Hakushu 12 and soda, garnished with mint. It’s served on the rocks with a straw and I’d recommend you pushing the sprig of mint down to really get that freshness into your whiskey. :) Never had Hakushu 12 before– quite good; smokey but not dirt-​y like scotch or bacon-​y like American whiskey.
I also had the pleasure of trying the Green Tea Tiramisu which was the bomb. It was a little minty and the cream layer had just the right hint of green tea. The cake is soaked in some liquor and on the bottom there’s a layer of strawberry sauce (?). I feel like I’m missing something, but in any case, it was light, refreshing and delicious.
Definitely seems like a fun place to bring a group of friends (though maybe not a HUGE group since tables seem to be best for parties or 4 – 6?). They also have a club/​loungy area downstairs which should be fun to check out.

Hipster izakaya.
The food is average but way over priced.
I think there are better Japanese izakayas with better food for a much better price. However, it’s a convenient location for those who are in the area.

This place was ok, not bad. Nothing I had I would write home about but all of it was pretty decent. I actually think one of the best things I had was the drink. There seemed to be a wide range of Japanese Whiskeys.
Basic fare of sushi, yakitori and small dishes. The kalbi and chicken meat balls were good. Sushi was just ok.

When you walk by this place you would never think it is what it is and I love everything about it. love the Christmas lights tangled in the ceiling, the light fixtures, the alphabet magnets on the pillars, it’s just great. Fantastic music, we sang along (maybe too much) and had excellent service. Our waitress was Christina, she was SO helpful, accommodating and entertaining. I was so grateful for her help in figuring out what to eat.
We shared the black edamame, pretty standard but loved the way it was served. I had the house salads which was not just a generic salad, it had an amazing texture and dressing. I had the fried rice which was perfectly sticky and flavorful. We shared the side of asparagus and sweet potato fries and loved both of them.
One of my friends had the veggie ramen, the other had the salmon and the other had sushi. Everyone loved their food.
Loved the vibe, loved that we sat there for hours and nobody gave us a hard time and of course, loved that they were on opentable. Great great spot.

This place had everything to be a great experience. Nice ambiance, music and crowd up until the point when a ‘douche’ that looked more like a swiss explorer in the alps who claimed to be one of the ‘owners’ came into our table and kicked us out; we had to leave so quickly that I did not have time to collect all my stuff. 5 minutes passed after I came back for a sweater I left behind and it was gone. Nobody saw or did anything. Hey. If you ever need personnel to clean up something after you, discreetly and super fast, come here. Highly recommended. Make sure you talk to the douche.

The coolest of the cool kids go here but if you don’t like that — ignore them — and go for the food. But not the sushi. Do not order sushi here. You’ll just be sad like me.
What IS good however is:
–mushroom soup
–shishito peppers stuffed with chicken
–miso black cod (so good we ordered another after finishing the 1^st — every time)
–fried rice
The grilled skewers are tasty but not the best in town. Ah well. You can’t always win.

Dined here this past weekend, was pretty odd to see the place empty on a Saturday night but it did get crowded as the night progressed. Food was quite impressive even though the menu was fairly limited. Tried the Fluke Ceviche (great dish that has a surprise kick to it thanks to the red ponzu dressing), Stuffed Shishito Pepper with minced chicken (Decent dish), Lamb Gyoza (quite tasty/​kind of like an empanada). We also tried a couple yakitoris (Chicken Breast and Pork Belly — both cooked well and served with a side of spices yum). Ended the meal with couple sushi cut rolls (Spicy Tuna and Yellowtail Yuzu — sushi menu is quite limited but no complaints about the fish or the rice). I would definitely go back to have some more of that Fluke Ceviche and try more of exotic cuts on the Yakitori menu

The atmosphere is pretty cool with old posters and a dark interior. I love dark restaurants! The service was really good and the food was pretty good. They didn’t have super fancy rolls or anything, but I really enjoyed of the simplicity of the yellow tail yuzu kosho rolls. Everything we tried was good. Great little date place!

Excellent atmosphere. Sushi basic standard sushi. Low key hipster place — good music — you come here for atmosphere not the food. On the expensive side and the sake selection is ordinary. Despite the food and the price the atmosphere is so good I gave it four stars. I am obviously shallow !

Went to Maisono to meet a friend at an event in the downstairs area. Friendly bar staff, funky decoration and atmosphere an a good standard of food made it an awesome night,

Lots of potential. Came here for a light meal on a Monday night, and it was pretty packed. I liked that it was a diverse scene – older and younger, hipsters and suits, etc.
I was excited about the stuffed shishito peppers, which were just OK – the chicken stuffing lacked flavor. The cold soba wasn’t great either – the sauce was a little off and the noodles were a little gummy. We were planning on getting the octopus dish, but went for the squid special after the waitress told us about it. That was the best dish we had there, and it was presented very well.
Not the best food based on these dishes, but I did like the overall dining experience and vibe of the place. Definitely would return to try other menu items (especially the meat-​on-​a-​stick items) to see if the food improves.

Fun atmosphere that’s a cross between a casual French eatery, a Japanese restaurant, and a pub. The food is good (try the miso cod), and the service is amazing! Very friendly staff gave me a phrase listing for my upcoming trip to Japan, which was above and beyond.

Food was good not not amazing. The Fluke appetizer was the best of everything we ordered and was quite good. The black cod was good but for 20 $ not really worth it. WE also had the sushi combo — also solid but nothing special.
Their other rolls are very simple and small.
The service was very good and friendly. The atmosphere was kind of dead at least at 8:30 on a Saturday night. The inside of the restaurant has an interesting design.

I was unfortunately too many drinks deep when I got to this place, however, the décor was amazing. Pork skewers very tasty and block cod, from what I remember, was very very appetizing.
Went as a group and it was a late night meal. No rush, no fuss and so comfortable.
Not very packed, so take advantage before this place blows up and becomes a pain to get a table.

3.5 Stars (when Unilocal will offer the half star feature :(
I am on a mission to try out all the Izakaya in the city. Heard about this Tadashi Ono’s new spot couple weeks back. Finally got a chance to check it out today.
I came in a bit early on a Friday, around 7pm. Pretty empty, which shall not be surprising for a couple weeks old restaurant. Plus, it could not be identified as a restaurant from outside — there is a big doorman standing outside :/​
Once in, greeted by the hose and seated at the counter by myself. The space is way bigger than you typical izakaya (if you ever been those in Tokyo or some of them in downtown). So it did not really give me an izakaya feel but more like a real restaurant. The décor is dark and red; playing jazz in the background.
On to the food. Although it was all small plates — from yakitoni to sashimi to sushi, I could not fit in much in my 95 lb body :(I ordered
— Agedashi Eggplant (very good, savory!)
— Octopus salad with seaweed and cucumber and wasabi dressing (skiptable)
— Sea urchin from the raw bar (good, but i just went to Ichimura two days ago, incomparable; but i love uni, so I ordered twice)
— miso black cod (my fav of the night, can’t miss!)
The sake option is ok, don’t expect too much. I only ordered wine.
Service is fine, not too attentive not too neglected. Again, the place was only ¹⁄₃ full when i was there the whole hour. The wait people were a bit bored and just chi-​chatting. But food and drink did come pretty quickly. So no complaint.
The damage: 2 drinks (sparkling rose and Sancerre), 5 small plates, total $ 75 before tips.
Will I come back? Likely. But not super eager — only when I am around the hood or with friends. This place is missing the essential of an Izakaya — dim light, interaction between client and the chef or bar tender, more intimate vibe. These are the most important elements for an izakaya, IMO.
I have better place to go.

This place is legit. I love the décor in here and the food is just as good. There were 6 of us that ate here last night and everyone had a good time. We had rounds and rounds of sake along with a whole bunch of different appetizers, rolls and main entrees. One of our favorites dishes was the black cod which was delicious. When the bill came we were all happily surprised it was only 60 bucks each. This is a place I would love to come back. Don’t wait too long as I think this place has some positive momentum and will be filling out all the seats in no time.

Chaotic, funky and very tasty.
A group of us took a friend out for his birthday last week. As you walk in, you’ll see the old Kenmare supper club has been covered in an décor that looks like Chinatown and the Lower East Side got drunk and had a baby. Vintage toys, posters and magnetic children’s letters sit beside sake bottles and red lanterns. It is a small tight space upstairs, so it’s a good idea to make reservations.
The cocktails are small in size but normal in price. It’s not much different than a boozy cocktail at other cocktail lounges, but the ingredients include more shochu and sake variants. The food is tapas style and a group of four can quickly become disoriented when plate after plate start flying by at random. We didn’t order a lot, but at some point the wait staff lost track of our orders too. They tried to serve us several things we didn’t order and forgot whether they delivered everything we asked for. I don’t think they missed anything. I lost track halfway through the meal and I didn’t know that there was going to be a test at the end. I do know that the scallops and the cod were outstanding, so if you do go, make sure you grab that when it flies across your table.
Have fun.
Gamal

Came here last week with friends and had a blast!
It’s a brand new Japanese place that is a little hard to find from the outside, but once you get inside it has a really cool looking retro vibe. (You can even see old school video games above the yakitori bar.)
The food here was amazing!
I especially loved the Black Cod Miso and Bronzini fish; both were to die for! If you come here, you should also definitely try the shishito stuffed peppers with tsukune (chicken meat), lamb chops, and fluke ceviche. All were great! We ordered a lot more, but can’t remember all the names since we were drinking a lot. (Thanks Sake!)
I didn’t quite care for the oyster pancake myself, but to each their own I guess.
Their menu had a lot of items on it including yakitori, sushi, seafood, meats, vegetables, drinks, and desserts. It was a little overwhelming at first, but our enthusiastic server explained everything easily and gave us his personal recommendations. He also chose the sake for us as well, and we drank a lot of it throughout the night, since it was really good. I don’t remember the Japanese sake name or the server’s name (sorry) but I remember him mentioning a cool sake I wanted to try next time called «Dreams come true.» Just ask for that guy and I’m sure he will take care of you.
As a note for non-​traditional Japanese cuisine eaters: The portions here are on the smaller side, since it’s Japanese Izakaya style, and also probably the mysterious reason why Japanese people stay so skinny. So you may have to order a lot if you come in a group, but that’s what also makes it more fun; like eating cute sized «family style» portions. LoL =)
Overall, i had a great time here, the staff were friendly, the food was amazing, and the sake was awesome! I will be back. Cheers!

Super interesting place. The sushi is good — but it is the grill and kitchen dishes that make MaisonO really good. The lamb, black cod, tofu salad and shortribs were very unique and fantastic.
Being not too expensive and having a great vibe will make for repeat visits.