Super Fab: Dining Like Jay-Z

"How many times can I go to Mr. Chow's...? Tao's... Nobu..."

- "Success" Jay-Z featuring Nas

Well Mr. Carter, you can go to these restaurants...a lot probably! But The Professional feels you... How many times can you really frequent these high-end, high-profile places before they become played out to you? What is it about them that makes them fodder for rap lyrics? The Professional weighs in...

Mr. Chow is about as Hollywood as Hollywood gets. She even rates it above The Ivy in its Hollywood-ness, because Mr. Chow is a hot lunch and dinner destination. The Ivy, though open for dinner, is much more well known for the lunch crowd. But The Professional digresses... In her own blog dated October 24, 2006 and titled "The Professional's Best & Worst of Los Angeles," she wrote:

Sure, the last time The Professional was there she sat next to Rick Rubin. But besides the trendy Hollywood crowd, The Professional is again not impressed. Tourists may want to try Mr. Chow in order to say that they've been there, but be forewarned: everyone will know you're a tourist if you ask for a menu. At Mr. Chow, the waiters decide what you'll have for the evening.

So, um...yeah. The Professional doesn't get pumped when the group dinner is at Mr. Chow. Its just not impressive to her. Rick Rubin was impressive. But Mr. Chow...not so much. Still, if you're looking for the "experience," by all means... saunter down to swanky Tribeca or Beverly Hills and order up! Have that Black Card ready my friend, because even before drinks and dessert, you will certainly run well over $100 per person.


Is Tao fly because of the uber-Asian decor? Because of the cuisine
that takes you on a tour through China, Japan and Thailand? Or is it because many a celeb-u-taunt has parlayed at the establishment(s), as memorialized on the front page of the Tao websites (tacky!)? The Professional laughed literally out loud in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, at the pomp & circumstance that Tao performs in effort to make its patrons feel as if getting in is the end-all-be-all of Vegas nightlife. Puh-lease. But she did have a bangin' Wasabi Encrusted Filet Mignon as her dinner after starting with some Chicken Satay that was the true business. **Funny (depending on how you look at it) Sidebar: Out of a group of ELEVEN diners at The Professional's table, six of them ordered Shrimp Fried Rice. As their entree. We must teach The Cousins to do better. We simply must.


Ahhh.... Nobu. Does it get any more beautiful than your 57th
Street locale in New York City? Actually, come to think of it... you make The Professional feel relaxed and at peace within the ambiance of any of your locations: super chic in Miami at the Shore Club, trendy and "in" on North LaCienega in Los Angeles--and she isn't even mad that your Las Vegas location isn't exactly convenient to get to (read: off the strip). There's something to be said about dining amongst atmosphere, and Nobu has got that covered, for sure. Perhaps that's why Hollywood and Gotham A-Lister's flock to Chef Nobu Matsahisu's establishments to both eat and be seen. Cuz you will certainly be seen! Finally, The Professional loves that Nobu is co-owned by the swagger-licious Robert DeNiro, Honorary Black Man. You absolutely cannot be mad at that!

All of the restaurants named above are definitely the business. All of them are in only the most fabulous of cities...Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, etc... And yes, all of them have premium star power. You won't "maybe' be seated in close proximity to a big name--you will be. And you also will be spending that dough. Cuz fame ain't cheap, Player. Especially at dinner time.