Monday, February 28, 7:00 pm
Members $100, guests $125

“Asiate could seat folks on the Time Warner Center’s loading dock,” claims New York magazine’s Hal Rubenstein, “and [Noriyuki] Sugie would still rank as the most exciting new chef in town…Asiate is as close as any new restaurant gets to shooting the moon…diners will never have to look out the window to feel as if they’re floating on a cloud.” Rubenstein’s words might sound like so much hyperbole, were it not for the nearly unanimous praise that’s been heaped on Sugie and his eclectic French-Japanese food since Asiate opened on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the fall of 2003. The New York Times’ William Grimes said that Sugie’s cooking is “…at least as good as the view out the window,” and Wine Spectator gave the restaurant an Award of Excellence.

Sugie, a native of Japan, was a budding teenage musician who took a part-time job in a Tokyo restaurant to support his guitar habit when he realized his passion for cooking. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Tsuji Culinary School in Osaka, and continued his education at the school’s branch in Château de l’Éclair, France. He cooked at L’Aubergade, Le Moulin de Martorey, and Hostellerie de Vieuz, all in Burgundy, before coming to the States in 1996 to work as chef de partie at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. Two years later Sugie headed to Tetsuya in Sydney, Australia, where he was sous-chef. During his tenure, Tetsuya was named Restaurant of the Year by the Sydney Morning Herald. Sugie went on to open Restaurant VII, also in Sydney, as chef and partner, and earned the Herald’s Best New Restaurant designation. After cooking promotional dinners in Bangkok, Hong Kong, London, Bermuda, and New York (at The Mark) for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s guest chef program, the company chose Sugie to open its signature restaurant at its new Manhattan property.

“Like music,” Sugie has said, “cooking is all about harmony. Orchestrating a meal is like creating an unforgettable score: classic dominant ingredients are the bass chords and accents of unexpected spices, with flavors providing the high notes. Presentation is like a mesmerizing solo. Like any performance, you have to put on a good show.” From the dramatic views and sumptuous decor to the exquisite cuisine, Asiate is one of the best shows in town.