Mega Megu

Note: Megu in Trbeca closed in October 2014, as did a second outpost in midtown, across the street from the United Nations. A new Megu opened in late 2016 in the Dream Hotel, in far west Chelsea.

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Call it the Law of Unintended Consequences. In today’s Post, Steve Cuozo railed against restaurant menus that are “less comprehensible than the federal tax code.” As Exhibit A he cited Megu, the 13,000 sq. ft. Japanese destination in TriBeCa.

Cuozo is absolutely right. But because Megu is on the way home, his non-review prompted me to stop by anyway. In a word, Wow! This place is designed to the hilt. At Nobu prices it’ll have to be good, but the place is spectacular.

I dropped in just to have a drink. I wound up having two, plus a couple of pieces of sushi, and that set me back about $45. However, it is not busy yet, at least not at 6:30pm on a weeknight, and the bartenders treated me like royalty. They conceded that the menu is a work in progress, and they admitted the version they showed me was half the size of what they started with.

You can see what Cuozo was getting at. As he put it, “What it lacks are such basic facts as which items are suitable for starters and which for main courses; which dishes are best shared — to say nothing of what ‘mysterious vegetable’ might be.”

But Megu astounds with the gorgeous modern Japanese fusion decor. To judge the food on two pieces of sushi would be unreasonable, but the menu certainly competes with the best of high-end Japonoiserie. For now, two stars.

Megu (62 Thomas Street between Church Street and West Broadway, TriBeCa)