20 years ago, after a great meal, De Niro tells chef : "'If you ever want to open a restaurant in New York, let me know.'"
By 2007, they've opened 19
Let's just say, "It costs 'money' " — Robert De Niro recently celebrated his birthday twice — yep, twice via traveling around the world.
De Niro first turned 64 last Friday. He celebrated in Melbourne, Australia, at grand opening of his latest Nobu restaurant. Then the baller flew in a private jet over the international dateline and had another birthday, Friday as well, in Hawaii.
The chain, long celebrated for its fancy clientele and a menu that mixes Japanese tastes with American edge, has 19 sites so far, with additional restaurants planned for San Diego and West Hollywood, Calif.
The Nobu chain was a result of De Niro meeting Nobuyuki Matsuhisa at the chef's first U.S. restaurant in Los Angeles more than 20 years ago.
"I thought the place was great. I told him, 'If you ever want to open a restaurant in New York, let me know,'" De Niro said. "A year or two later, he called me, said, 'I'm interested.'"
Nobu started as a business partnership in 1994 among De Niro, Matsuhisa, Richie Notar and Hollywood producer Meir Teper. The first restaurant opened in New York. The chain now has locations across the world, from Italy to the Bahamas.
