NOBURESTAURANTS

AREDESIGNED

FORVIPS

Duringmy10-daystint,I recognizedover

20 undisguisednamesonthereservations

roster,includingtwoOscar-winningactors,an

Emmy-winningshowrunner,a MarvelComics

actress,severalfamous-for-being-famous

socialites,a legendarysinger-songwriter,a

trendingfashiondesigner,a SuperBowlwin-

ner,a rapper,andJ-LoandA-Rodona date.

“Wefullyappreciatethatwe’rea cafeteriafor

A-listers,”a managersays.

About50%ofVVIPscomewiththeirown

security.Youcanexpectatleastonetable

a nighttobeclandestinelyfilledwithbody-

guardsactinglikeregularguests.Therestau-

ranthassecurityasanadditionalcourtesy,

thoughthein-houseteamis alsothereto

backupthestaff.

DeNiro prefers the “sake table” in an

alcove space at Nobu Downtown. But that

beautiful shelf of vases around it isn’t a deco-

rative accent—it’s a strategic barrier to create

what the staff calls “visual privacy.” Curtains

can be drawn to section off areas, and both

New York restaurants have secret entrances

for VVIPs—Nobu Fifty Seven has no fewer

than three. If you spot a notable patron at a

Nobu, it’s because they want you to see them.

T

he year was 1999, and a

flamboyant Italian man

dinednightafternight

atMatsuhisa,chefNobu

Matsuhisa’seponymous

Beverly Hills sushi

joint. He’d heard the restaurant

was lucky: Eat here before the

Academy Awards, and you’re

guaranteed to take home the

prize. The man in question was

Roberto Benigni, who, sure

enough, nabbed the Oscar for

best actor in Life Is Beautiful.

The recipe for success had

proved effective the year before,

too, when Robin Williams

snacked on its signature yellow-

tail sashimi with jalapeño, then

won the trophy for best support-

ingactorinGoodWillHunting.

Bythentheestablishmentwas

swampedwithA-listers.

OnesuchstarwasRobert

DeNiro, who spent four years

convincing Nobu that an enter-

prise in the actor’s native New

York City would be lucky, too.

Fast-forward to now, and Bob

and Nobu-san, as they’re called,

have expanded their restaurant

business into a global lifestyle

brandthatincludeshotelsand

condosandforecastsrevenueof

morethan$1billion in the next

five years.

To understand the unflag-

ging fervor for all things Nobu,

I happily accepted an offer to

maitre d’ at both New York

locations: Nobu Fifty Seven in

Midtown and Nobu Downtown

in the Financial District. The

position is usually reserved for a

staffer who’s clocked well more

than a decade with the com-

pany. From fetching deodorant

for fragrant patrons to shuttling

orders for black cod via private

jet, here’s everything I learned.

60

DINING Bloomberg Pursuits July22, 2019

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CYNTHIA KITTLER