Oceans

"Located in Union Square, Oceans offers a secret toro tartare. This dish features finely diced fatty raw tuna served on crushed ice with ponzu sauce, topped with crème fraiche and caviar, and accompanied by crispy wonton crackers." - Shivani Vora

"Oceans, with its sprawling and elegant dining rooms, is a hybrid restaurant that focuses on seafood, but also functions as a steakhouse. The appetizers run to shrimp cocktail ($24), Caesar salad ($22), beef tataki ($24), and crab cake ($29), which seemed a little steep to me for appetizers. Over in entrees, I spotted a selection of whole fish, displayed on ice at the rear of the restaurant the way Midtown Greek restaurants often do. These included sea bass, john dory, red snapper, branzino, and madai — sometimes known as Japanese red snapper and imported from Japan. I chose the latter, and had it carved into sashimi — one of many seafood preparation options at the restaurant. The fish ($60) was just over a pound and yielded a magnificent plate of fanned sashimi, about 50 slices in all, easily enough for four people to enjoy as an appetizer. At $15 per person, it made the most value-conscious starter in the place." - Robert Sietsema

"“They have a really fancy toilet, a fancy Japanese toilet with a heated seat and all the different functions. And the lighting is nice. It’s a really seamless transition from the restaurant to the bathroom. And I love the restaurant too. Everything is so high quality, and they’re also very accommodating. I can’t have gluten, and they can make most things gluten-free. Everything is just really delicious.”" - will hartman

"Park Avenue South may be brimming with restaurants—from expense account beauties to the massively trendy—but this dining room will stop you in your tracks." - MICHELIN Guide

"Toro tartare is the “shhh” item at Oceans in Union Square. David Schneider, vice president of operations for the restaurant, says that it’s a fatty raw tuna dish that the chefs are always ready to offer—that is, until they run out." - Shivani Vora