Gobo
$$$ - expensive
Chinese, Japanese, Eclectic (Fusion), Eclectic (Varied)
Gourmet Asian in the West Village
Gobo was recently opened by the sons of New York's famous Zen Palate owners. While Zen Palate is alcohol-free, Gobo has a great selection of beer and wine.
The food is absolutely superb. The best way I can describe it is asian-influenced gourmet vegan food.
The atmosphere is nice, although it can get a bit noisy.
Call 212.255.3242 for delivery and take-out.
between Waverly Place & 8th Street
Added by Nomad on Jun 24 03 (updated Jul 10 06)
Reviews
Gobo was a delight, right from the start. The restaurant itself has a sleek and elegant look although it is somewhat small (if you don't mind sitting close to people than it shouldn't be a big deal). We were seated immediately, and were then offered bread with a pumpkin spread while we waited for our order to come. The wait staff were friendly and polite and extremely accomidating. The food was simply amazing, I had sliced spinach and muchroom rolls along with a side of mashed potatoes and diced mixed vegetables. The food, which came in appropiate sizes, left my partner and I full and satisfyed. The prices, which at the low end started at about 9 dollars and went up to 20 dollars, was worth every penny in the end, due to the service and the wonderful food. This restaurant wasn't listed as being inexpensive, as in the case of a lot of casual dining restaurants (even though it is one), but I had no problems shelling out the cash.
we were starving in this particular neighborhood at one time, and since the menu looked alright we gave it a try. the moment we entered & were greeted by an entire troupe of goons i thought we would be dismissed for lack of fancy clothes, but we were not--i wish we had been! it was sleek and goony, you pay large sums of money for almost invisible portions of food. you practically have to sit in other people's laps, and subsequent diners are seated in your lap. as their unpleasant "conversations" descend upon you, a man approaches menacingly, clutching a trembling basket to his breast. the napkin is lifted, and the man makes grim gestures towards rows of bread. your lack of readily understanding his signals wins you two little pieces of bread like crumpled human ears. if you do dine here, be prepared to grab as much of this bread as you can, as it is the only really delicious and filling thing the restaurant offers. you will be coerced into ordering many different miniscule portions of food which taste slightly okay if you can ignore the fact that it must be eaten while peering through a microscope to see it! you are equipped with spoons & forks from dollhouse kitchen sceneries in order to wrangle these tidbits into your mouth. and it costs around a million dollars a plate. if you like your bill to include 50% more for goony posturing, go to gobo, but if you are actually hungry you should go someplace else.
I really like Gobo. I have been there so much that I always feel like "Oh great, Gobo, again?" when somebody suggests it, but I am always happy we go.
Their pine nut lettuce wraps are amazing (it's a hot, spicy pine nut mixture-not raw), and their pineapple fried rice is also very good (and cheap, relative to other items). Their "avocado wasabi tartare" was recommended as the best item on the menu but it pretty much just tastes like really expensive guacamole. Their soy protein spinach rolls are great but the butternut squash risotto isn't too spectacular (it's also a pretty small serving).
They also have good juices and desserts, although I generally go across the street to Lifethyme Natural Food for dessert.