NIKO


Artist Appreciation // Baron Von Fancy

If you’ve been to Niko, you’re familiar with this piece of artwork by our friend Baron Von Fancy.

We asked him about his approach to art:

“I have always loved old signage being born and raised in New York City. Sadly, a lot of
the old hand painted signage is slowly but surely disappearing. Like most things made
today, cheap fast production has become more important than quality and I see this a
lot in signage. Nothing is really hand painted anymore, but instead made computer
printed vinyl using generic fonts. That personal touch that made signage so unique and
interesting to see is disappearing, so my sign work is an ode or way to honor the
demise of something that had a profound effect on me. I work on the signs with a
master sign painter who has painted signs since 1960.”

Be sure to visit Baron Von Fancy’s website or gallery on Ochi.

Mark Pastore Knows Meat, Loves NIKO

We walked across the street to Niko, which is Coby Levy’s place on Mercer. And you know, it’s hip and swank, and a good-looking crowd and he doesn’t let anyone in. I was just going there to go see who was there, you never know what’s going on there. Of course you get stopped at the door. He has a very strict door policy. We got up to the top and of course he’s there waiting, dressed like something out of Mad Men. The place does look like some sort of swanky nightclub. I was drinking a honey vodka, which I absolutely loved. I got kind of lit on that; I was drinking about three of those.

Of course, you get hungry again. He sent out some fried chicken — he makes this amazing fried chicken. I don’t know what he does to it. It’s not really bone-in chicken, it’s strips. It’s an Asian version; it’s just great. The tuna rolls he sent out — there was a raw tuna roll he had that was absolutely amazing, it was a hand roll stuffed with crispy kampachi, pickled onions, coriander, and avocado. He has some really good sushi. I’m not a big sushi guy, but if it’s put in front of me, I’ll eat it. After that I went home; I was exhausted.

Source: New York Magazine

NIKO on 10 Best New Restaurants of 2011

Source: Complex

With its oversized windows, high ceilings, and brick walls, Niko’s décor feels hip, but the food is an unqualified success. Name drop 30-year sushi vet Chef Hiro Sawatari, formerly of the Sushi Yasuda, and now we’re talking high-end. Previously a semi-pro baseball player, Hiro now serves up paper-thin hirame sashimi (sliced raw fish) and custom omakase (chef’s choice) dinner options rather than home runs.

No cream cheese or mango in the makis here—instead Niko’s menu puts a spin on the expected by using ingredients like fried sweet potatoes in their tempura-salad or watermelon radish and macerated cucumbers in the Soy Burnt Octopus.

Non-sushi lovers have no fear; Niko offers an array of hot plates sure to wet your palette including their take on southern cuisine with a seasoned Tokyo style fried chicken. The dessert, mochi (rice cake), is free, but don’t skip out without trying their Japanese margarita with jalapeño infused tequila.

If seated at the intimate eight-seat sushi bar, guests can kick it with Hiro himself and if among the selected eight, be sure to bare gifts, preferably Asian baseball player bobbleheads to add to Hiro’s collection.