Tribeca Canvas

Food is excellent
Service is great
Brandon our server was wonderful and gave us great suggestions.
Duck Duck Cous $ Mac & cheese were heavenly.

MORIMOTO’S asian fusion tapas joint that still has some kinks to work out
it was pretty empty during our 8:45 pm RSVP except for the one group at the bar
food was good but execution was off… a lot of the pairings just did not work
–lamb ragu buns: just okay… isn’t worthy of joining the top buns in NYC (comes w/​2 buns but they let us add one since we had 3 ppl, SCORE)
–lotus root chips: good crispy & oily BUT did not pair well w/​the guac
–shrimp nachos: the nachos were nothing special but the shrimp was good!
–crispy rice risotto: YUMMY definitely the savior of the meal. one Unilocaler said it kind of tasted like cheetos. & i have to agree, in a good way
–tiramisu slider w/​chocolate ice cream: interesting take, not bad
GRIPES: they didn’t have change for our bill & had to go next door to get change & THEN … we were supposed to receive 14.69 but they gave us 14 flat. honestly i don’t care about a few pennies but it was very unexpected from a upscale restaurant such as Tribeca Canvas. usu restaurants round up on change not down. ALSO the waiter kept trying to take away our plates when we were still slowly working at the last bites.
NOTE: scoutmob for a discount!

Deliciously inventive menu. Huge flavors without being overly salty.
Tried:
1) Spicy Tuna Duo — I guess I like macaroons done savory.
2) Lamb Ragu Buns — Savory and sweet and loved the pillowy bun.
3) Uni Carbonara — Definitely a favorite, sauce was perfectly balanced.
4) Mac n Cheese with Poached Quail Egg — Another favorite, done simply and the crust was nicely done.
5) Crispy Whole Fish — Sweet, Salty, Spicy. Would have liked a bowl of sticky white rice with it.

Great Spot! A for ambiance, service, and of course the food! Friendly staff too!
Came here for a date, but also good for catching up with a friend. Not so much of a group place though…
We ordered small plates:
Hamachi Tacos — my favorite of the bunch
Lamb Ragu Buns– another favorite
Arugula Salad– big portion and very fresh
Spicy Tuna Duo– I liked the rice cake ones more than macaroons, but both good
Dessert: Profiterols– AMAZING!!! This is a must get dessert!
Overall great place! I recommend!!!

I still think this place is phenomenal. We’ve been back since this review and the dishes that I love still don’t disappoint. We had the rice cakes, the fried risotto, the lamb buns, and a few others. Always a good time. This place gets a bad rap from some of the big reviewers, but I’m perfectly content with still giving them my business.
Sometimes, you just have to trust your gut… literally ;)

When I’m going to a restaurant by Yasumori Morimoto, I fantasize about the flavorful, light, Asian-​American fare/​sushi that the chef made his name with. Not the fat-​on-​fat, highly-​Americanized fare that he’s dishing out at Tribeca Canvas.
Granted, the Ddukbokki Rice Cake is a masterful little dish, but everything else, including the Chicken Pot Pie, Fried Chicken, and Ribs, show Morimoto’s conformity to the Asian drunk food fad introduced by chefs like Danny Bowien (Mission Chinese) and Dale Talde. And the truth is, chef Morimoto can’t, won’t, and shouldn’t be one of them, and that’s why I like him.
Nothing saddens me more than a high-​end chef trying his hand at ‘comfort food’, and unfortunately for me, that trend is just beginning. Tribeca Canvas happens to be the example in this case.

YES! When I found out this was a venture by Morimoto, I KNEW I had to try it. Even though the Unilocalers have been tough and the reviews have been mixed, I must say that overall, my experience was fabulous!
I made a reservation through OpenTable on a Saturday night for a party of 6 at 6:15, the only available timeslot for a party of that size. When we arrived, I was really surprised to see that we were the only party in the restaurant (other than a private event going on downstairs). It was like that for a good 30 minutes before other people started arriving. By the end of our meal however, the place was more lively, especially the bar area.
We were seated at one of the booths on the main floor. Décor-​wise, I appreciated the simplicity, however the lighting is a bit dark (not good for taking pictures of my food! Yes, I am one of THOSE people. But c’mon you guys appreciate my pictures don’t you?)
Anyway, on to the food! For appetizers, we ordered the following:
+ Tuna Tostada: probably the only disappointing dish of the night. The tuna was good but the tortilla it was served on was stale and added no value to the dish. You can pass on this unless they re-​think it.
+ Shrimp Nachos: The BEST appetizer of the night. This dish gets a lot of buzz already on Unilocal and I now know why!
+ Lamb Ragu Buns: Another winner of the night. I don’t like Lamb and I loved this appetizer.
+ Mac & Cheese: Nice spin on mac & cheese with the fried egg on top. It was good, and worth a try.
+ Duck Duck Cous: Perfectly cooked medium rare duck breast and duck dumplings served over a healthy pile of citrus cous cous. Some of my friends didn’t particularly enjoy the cous cous in comparison to the fried rice risotto, but I was the opposite. I like the cous cous better ;)
+ Braised Pork Ribs: served with the fried rice risotto, the meat just falls right off the bone! deliciously marinated, it just melts in your mouth.
+ Skirt Steak: perfectly cooked at medium rare, served with a pepper sauce that you don’t want to go crazy with, it can get quite salty very fast if you pour it all on your meat. It’s served with bone marrow mashed potatoes, which is also quite popular with the Unilocalers :)
+ Pork Belly Yakiniku: Served with a kimchi-​like mix of cabbage and seasoning, it was surprisingly delicious as well.
+ Brownie Sundae: Too much rum for my taste. The brownies were very dense and fudgey. Presented beautifully, but my least favorite dessert.
+ Tiramisu Slider: Interesting concept, also heavy on the rum.
+ Churros 3-​ways: Just churros with a dark chocolate dipping sauce.
+ Coconut Rice pudding: Dense block of rice pudding, more of a cake than a pudding. Passion fruit sorbet served with it was very refreshing.
+ Crème caramel: Looked puny but was probably the best dessert on the menu. It was light, tasty, and not overdone. Perfect cap to the night.
Overall, service was friendly and attentive. I even spilled water all over my cousin’s husband, and the servers were speedy with replacing our napkins for us. If you’re going to try this place out, go in with an open mind! It’s really not as bad as other have been saying.

Maybe I was expecting too much since it’s a Morimoto restaurant. I was expecting a 5-​star spectacle. Still, it’s a quality experience.
Reservation requires a credit card (on Open Table). Arrived at 6:30pm on a Saturday with a party of 8. Offered coat check. Friendly server. Got a great saki recommendation.
Started off with the Lotus chips and fried chicken karage. The chips had a wasabi guacamole that was delicious. Think it mixed well with the lotus chip — not sure if it would’ve been as good with typical tortilla chips, but the slight bitterness of lotus mixed well with the wasabi. Chicken karage was bone-​in; a little disappointing. It was juicy, but really tiny.
The appetizers were shrimp nachos and mussels, and this was definitely the highlight of the courses. Still thinking about the nachos — fried shrimp with a gochujang aioli and a lot of other herbs. Fantastic! The mussels were terrific as well; softest, most tender mussels I’ve ever had. Melt in your mouth. The broth was perfect for dipping bread.
For dinner, I couldn’t try most of my friend’s dishes since I’m on a no-​red-​meat kick, so I ordered the chicken pot pie. DIsh was good, but fell short of the «wow» factor. Pastry crust was super thin and flaky, big plus. Veggies inside were a little too firm for my liking, especially the potatoes (!). Chicken was a little bland, though I guess the point is for it to be covered by the thick cream.
Rice pudding is INCREDIBLE.
By the time our happy party left (around 9pm) there was a HUGE wait for tables. So reserve early (and for an early time period).

I read a scathing review in a magazine about this restaurant by chance in a magazine the morning before I came for dinner. This made me lower my expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. The décor was aesthetically pleasing. The staff was overall friendly, though there was a rude busser who was spilling water all over the place.
The food was nothing spectacular, but it definitely does not deserve the horrible reviews I have read elsewhere. Maybe it’s not as impressive as Morimoto’s other food, but at this price range, it was a good value.
I would recommend the rice cakes, fried rice risotto, and sea bass.
Skip the pork belly (too salty and sauced up), lamb buns (also drenched in sauce), and steak (cooked poorly and too charred).

Solid 3.5 Stars
Came here Jan 11^th with a group of 7 for my girlfriend’s birthday. The atmosphere is everything you expect a new and trendy resturant should be. It was packed on a Friday night with good music. Maybe because the resturant is still new, they were not as attentive as they should be. Maybe I as also expecting too much from Morimoto, but the food didn’t particularly stand out to me.
We tried almost everything: Escargot Takoyaki, Shrimp Nachos, Shrimp Nachos, Lotus Root Chips, Pork Belly Yakiniku, Fried Rice Risotto, whole fish, and Ddukbokki Rice Cake. Sad to say, nothing stood out.

Expensive but delicious. Went here for a friend’s birthday dinner, and spent much more than my budget liked, but alas, it’s for a friend’s birthday! Casual environment compared to Morimoto, with a cozy feel. They promptly offered coat check upon walking in, and sat us even though we were still missing 1 person in the party.
For the appetizers, the group shared shrimp nachos, which I was not frankly a fan of. It was probably the Ranch Dressing + Spicy Gochujang Aioli. In any case, I ordered the Braised Pork Ribs with Fried Rice Risotto, Fennel Slaw, which was AMAZING. The risotto was crunchy, haha! The meat fell right off the ribs, with very little prodding of my fork. My friends had the mac & cheese, arugula salad, Duck Duck Cous, which they attest was also divine. A great meal from the Iron Chef.

Great addition to Tribeca! As others have stated, the balcony area seems to be reserved for those without reservations, which is where we were seated.
The menu is mostly comfort food, and we ordered «family style.» Got to try a majority of the menu items, which were all great. Some of the favorites were: lotus root chips with wasabi guac, tuna tostada, lamb ragu bun, hamachi taco, and duck duck cous.

My 100^th review!
I haven’t yet been to Morimoto (going next week I think!), but my friend had and suggested we come to try Canvas. We made an 8pm reservation — I arrived early and seated myself at the bar.
Inquired about the Crimson Mimosa even though I don’t care for blood orange, and attempted to ask the bartender if it there were an appropriate substitute for the fruit. He just waved me away and said, «I won’t put that much in there.» I didn’t love the drink, but I also finished it /​didn’t feel like asking for something else.
Friends came in a minute after 8 and we were seated very quickly. Drink orders came quickly, and luckily we were ready to put in our food orders. Once we put them in, we entertained ourselves with conversation and a suppressed sense of worry as we waited an hour and 15 minutes for our food. I know the exact time because Canvas was reserved at 8 and drinks (at Atera) reserved at 9:30, and we got the food when we were supposed to get the check.
For an appetizer, I had the lamb bun, which was a solid lamb bun. Friends split the tuna tostada and the pork/​shrimp gyoza, which I don’t recall elicited either a specifically positive or negative reaction.
Meals:
Friend #1 — Sea Bass ($ 28). Said it was good; only one to finish her meal. Not a huge portion.
Friend #2 — Pork Belly Yakiniku ($ 23) — ate about half of the meal; took the rest to go. She expected the pork belly to be larger pieces, but really the plate looked like a bunch of bacon.
Me — Pork Ribs with Fried Rice Risotto ($ 22) — I ordered this because I wanted to taste the risotto without paying for an extra side. The ribs melted off the bone and the risotto was a little too hot to enjoy off the plate… plus I now had a headache from the blood orange, waiting so long to eat, and stressing about making our 9:30. So I had to take most of my food to go. It did make an absolutely scrumptious lunch the next day though.
The space is pretty small and a very tight fit — we sat at the first table by the host stand and constantly had people and food shuffling past us.
The employees were nice, but for just good food at those prices and with the kitchen backed up, unfortunately this lands at 2 stars for me. I would only come back if someone else suggested it (and were paying). But I am looking forward to visiting actual Morimoto soon.

Comfort food indeed.
Morimoto is a genius. His new spot that serves his take on comfort food has some of the most satisfyingly delicious food I’ve had in a long time.
We got there for a 6 PM reservation on a Friday, which was the only free spot I could get all night when I called the day before. It was nice and empty when we arrived for our early bird special, but it was hopping and completely packed by the time we left at around 7:30.
Now let’s talk about how amazing the food is. Before you judge me when I tell you that my wife and I ordered 8 things plus 2 desserts, know that most of the items here are pretty small and are meant to be shared (and disregard that a couple of the things we happened to order actually were huge). Also, we don’t waste ourselves on drinks, so we have that extra room for beasting on food.
Here’s what we feasted on:
— Lamb Ragu Buns ($ 5 each)
These were excellent. The buns were as fluffy and delicious as any other pork buns, and I loved the filling here even more, as it consisted of a nice portion of juicy pulled lamb meat instead of the typical tiny piece of meat topped with a thick strip of fat commonly seen in these buns.
— Ddukbokki Rice Cakes ($ 6)
These were excellent. They are served with nori, which our server instructed us we were to use to pick up the rice cakes and wrap it around them to eat. The sweet soy glaze on the cakes was addictive.
— Hamachi Taco ($ 5)
My wife passed on this one, but I got one for myself and I’m glad I did. There was plenty of fresh hamachi and guacamole in a nice crisp shell. This is an example of one of the tiny dishes, as it was gone in 2 bites (maybe 3 – 4 for a normal person).
— Kurobuta Corn Dog ($ 9 for 2)
I don’t think I’ve ever tried a corn dog before because they kinda seem like they might be the most nauseating things in the world, but I figured everything here is good, so why not give it a shot. I was right, this was delicious. The dog in the center of the delicious piping hot fried shell was not at all gross, and much better than your typical mystery meat hot dog.
— Chicken Kara Age ($ 9)
These were everything you could hope for in a fried food — incredibly crispy and so hot I burned my fingers every time I picked them up. The order came with 6 pieces, which was very generous.
— Mac & Cheese ($ 12)
Wow. Best Mac & Cheese I’ve had — c’mon, it comes with a poached egg on top, how could it not be. Also, I’m not into the overly cheesy variety, so this was perfect — you could actually see the noodles, and the lesser amount of cheese did well to allow you to taste the deliciousness of the egg mixed in. This is definitely a must order.
— Braised Pork Ribs with Fried Rice Risotto ($ 22)
OK, this is the definite MVP of the night. This was actually the only entrée we picked, and boy did we make the right decision. I can’t tell which part of this dish was better. The ribs were so ridiculously flavorful and they redefined the expression «so soft they fall off the bone.» And the fried rice risotto is incredible. So creamy and delicious like risotto, yet also crispy at the same time.
— Fish & Chips ($ 12)
Dear god, at this point we had enough fried dishes for 5 meals, and I was almost regretting ordering this. Almost. Until I tasted it. This was another incredible and unique dish, definitely unlike any fish and chips I’ve ever had before. The fish is vodka-​battered cod, and was again fresh out of the fryer and perfectly crispy and burn-​your-​mouth-​hot. The chips were fried sweet potatoes, and were very interesting and delicious. Thank god for the crisp, cool cole slaw that comes on the side of this dish, which provided some much needed refreshment from this sea of beige we were officially drowned in at this point.
Despite the fullness, we HAD to try some dessert since everything was so good. We opted for the Churros Three Ways ($ 9), which were surprisingly disappointing — after noticing how exceptionally fresh and hot all of the rest of the food was served, it was very surprising that the Churros were hot. They were still pretty good as was the chocolate sauce they came with, but it was a bit of a letdown. The other dessert we got on the other hand, the Tiramisu Slider ($ 9), is back in the other category with the rest of the food — amazing. The combo of the mascarpone on top of the slider with the cole chocolate gelato was the perfect way to end this massive, delicious meal.
Beyond just the food, everything about this restaurant was perfect from the moment we walked in. The hostesses, waitresses and bus boys are all super friendly and extremely polite and very attentive.
I’ll definitely be back here. The menu is huge and there are so many more good-​looking choices, but I think I can cover everything with one more amazingly memorable meal, just like the one I had tonight.

In search of a tasty new restaurant and impromptu photography lesson, I joined fellow Unilocaler Lori L. for dinner at Morimoto’s new Asian fusion /​comfort food joint. Tribeca Canvas deserves a solid four stars, but if I were to break it down, (a-​la Paul H.-style), it’d be as follows:
Food (taste) — ⁵⁄₅
Food (portion to price ratio) — ³⁄₅
Décor & staff professionalism — both ⁵⁄₅
Timing of apps & entrees — ³⁄₅
Morimoto sitting at next table and taking a post-​meal photo with us — priceless!
Per the feedback in other reviews, we ordered two lamb buns and two hamachi tacos, priced individually at $ 5 apiece. A shared order of lotus root chips completed our appetizer choices. The buns reminded me of the duck buns at Madam Geneva — Here, biting through a cloud-​like layer of bread revealed delicious slow-​braised shredded lamb with a tasty sauce. The tacos, while much smaller for the same $ 5 price tag, were tasty as well and wrapped up in a crispy shell. I was initially fearful that my first bite into the taco would shatter the shell entirely, but the shell managed to stay together in once piece as I nibbled my way from end to end. The lotus root chips were OK, but if I come back, I’d definitely give something else a try.
After a tough decision process between both pork entrees, Lori opted for the Pork Belly Yakiniku… a wise choice! The pork belly was juicy and melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious, and the accompanying sauce had just the right amount of kick to it. I ordered the Duck Duck Cous — seared duck breast (the best part), duck leg confit gyoza, and mole duck jus. The duck, while tasty, was much smaller than Lori’s pork belly portion. Thankfully, we pretty much split everything down the middle and both of us left satisfied — not overstuffed.
Although we were promptly seated at our 7:30 reservation time, and everyone was extremely friendly and professional, a few small hiccups keep this place from being a 4.5−5 star restaurant in my book. Our waitress was quick to take app and drink orders, but the appetizers came out a few minutes apart from each other. After all apps and drinks arrived, our waitress was nowhere to be found. A floor manager checking up on us ultimately decided to take our orders, admitting that our waitress was «very busy» at the moment. The entrees were also staggered in delivery, with her pork belly arriving on our table about five minutes earlier than my duck entrée. Thankfully, we were splitting both so I wasn’t left watching and salivating!
It’s hard to knock a brand new restaurant for the small service glitches above, but given the caliber of every other aspect of the meal, they should iron out the kinks in the kitchen so everything is ready and arrives to our table at the same time. Also, Tribeca Canvas was very busy for a Wednesday night, so again, perhaps a misstep in staffing for the evening left our waitress a bit overworked.
All in all, we both had a great time, and the icing on the cake was the photo op with Iron Chef Morimoto himself, who just so happened to be sitting at an adjacent table… SWEET!
Here’s the pic:

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Oh, hey, did I mention that I loved it?
Morimoto’s «casual» restaurant serves his version of western comfort food, that genius. Think mac and cheese, corn dogs, fried chicken, tacos, nachos, etc. Except all with a twist :)
The mini tacos were my favorite, but there wasn’t a single thing I wouldn’t love to eat again. Out waitress knew all of the food really well and made great recommendations. Anyone who went before they had their liquor license should go back, because my drink was amazing.
The space is a little on the small side, but nothing you haven’t seen before in New York. The vibe is cool but comfortable. Low lights, small-​ish tables, good music in the background. Soon they will be opening up a lounge area downstairs, as well.
They serve food until 4:00 a.m. for anyone who needs a midnight (or 3:00 a.m.?) snack.

NYE dinner here was wonderful! We had reservations at 9pm and were prompted greeted by the hostess and seated immediately. The restaurant looks bigger than it is. There were a handful of tables on the main level and probably only 2 tables on the second level (up a flight of stairs).
Our waitress was great and helped us make lots of important decisions. However, I was already made up on a few choices: lamb bun & fried chicken for apps. We also tried the wagyu and fried risotto. They were all delicious. My favorite was probably the lamb bun. It tasted very similar to the pork buns served at Ippudo. My 2^nd favorite was the fried chicken: a step up from a BonChon but the scallon ginger is my favorite and I usually only get that when I eat roast duck from Chinatown. Yummy.
The Wagyu was fun and tasted good but didn’t blow my mind. I think it’s more for show. The fried risotto was interesting I don’t think I would order it again.
For my entrée I decided to go with the Pork Belly. Wow. This dish was 5 star all around. Yes, it was a bit fatty and I felt like I was eating bacon but regardless it was delicious. My boyfriend ordered the chicken pot pie which was good too.
We tried the apple persimmon tart for dessert. I really didn’t taste any persimmon but it was pretty standard.
They definitely made a nice effort to accomodate us all night till the countdown… free champagne toast and party hats/​noise makers for all! I will definitely be back, thanks Iron Chef :)

I went to Tribeca Canvas during opening week. They did not have a liquor license as the time, so that was unfortunate. The cocktail list did look good though.
I really wanted to like this place, but was let down. Tribeca Canvas is the Iron Chef’s new restaurant. Right out of the bat, that should tell you that the food is going to be overpriced. I can pay for quality but this time it just wasn’t worth the price.
We ordered the Taco appetizer. Yes, its a single taco. This was the favorite part of the meal. I even ended up ordering a few after the first one came.
I ordered the Duck Duck Cous. While the duck was good, the portion was incredibly small and I left the restaurant hungry. My girlfriend ordered something else and while the portion was larger, it still wasn’t worth the price.
Opening jitters? Time will tell.

Very nice meal this past weekend with my boyfriend and friends. We mostly ordered appetizers and shared — the hamachi taco was a big hit, as was the fried rice risotto (YOU MUST ORDER THIS, only $ 5 and is crispy gooey goodness), lamb buns.
Fried chicken was good, but the ginger sauce stole the limelight. I surprisingly really liked the chicken pot pie (very tender chicken, and the pie was full of surprises (potatoes, sausage, onions). Duck couscous was tender and the carrots nicely spiced. Skip the tripe stew and the wagyu.
We got the coconut rice pudding for dessert, but I was too stuffed to eat more than a bite.
Drinks-​wise, I really like my coconut fraiche. Coconut vodka with lime — I was a little skeptical at first, but it was very refreshing.
Best of all, the four of us got a picture with Chef Morimoto, who was sitting/​standing unobtrusively at whatever free table there was. Yay!

Major bonus points for getting a table at 7pm on opening night. And an extra point for a Mr M sighting at the bar. Speaking of… the bar — no liquor license yet but another point for letting us know upfront via phone. I got my buzz on before dinner. :)
The place looks great. Black/​white décor, very nice bar, comfortable stools.
Tried 4 different things: lotus root chips with wasabi guacamole (good), rice cakes with nori (great), steamed mussels (great) and shrimp nachos (ok). I do think dinner is meant to be eaten with copious amounts of wine so I wish a BYOB offer was made (but it wasn’t).
Extremely friendly staff, very friendly hostess. I cannot wait to go back when the bar is fully operational and try some other things! The price point is great, the menu very extensive and they are open till 4am. I mean…