Look, I’m Carrie Bradshaw–with about 65 pounds packed on, of course. There’s no telling if art imitated life or the other way around when it comes to places like Tao. Did they shoot an episode of Sex and the City in Tao because it was so hip, or did it become hip because it was featured in Sex and the City? Since we here at The Survey never claimed to be on the cutting edge of “the hot scene,” (see our reviews for Taco Today and Taco & Tortilla King) we have no idea which came first, the chicken or the egg. In either case, this place was packed with enough hordes of spiked heeled singles and besuited slicksters to fill five seasons of HBO’s snob-fest. Honestly, I wish we could have hung out after dinner for a few hours just to people watch. Luckily, just looking at the decor of the place will take up most of your time. The huge dining room with its high ceiling and giant Buddha is worth the price of admission itself. The food is pricey, and not particularly plentiful, but what is there is tasty and satisfying. The Peking duck is crispy and addictive, while the rare tuna is soft and has a good accompanying sauce. I seem to recall a few people at the table ordering giant fortune cookies for desert, while a couple of us went some sort of parfait thing that absolutely awesome (I’d go back for the desert alone.) Tao is quite a scene. May we suggest taking out-of-towners here for a true New York viewing experience? [MF]
42 E 58th St.
212/888-2288
taorestaurant.com