Serious Sushi thats not Masa
My brother is in town for our yearly Sushi Gorge.
We usually go to Sushi Seki but alas, they are closed for vacation this week (!)
Where would YOU go for great omasake; nothing too outrageously priced (aka Masa), with good atmosphere (no stuffiness)?
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21 Comments:
Yasuda or Soto would both be great choices.
Alaina Browne at 11:10AM on 08/11/08
Yasuda rules, it's the best sushi in NYC. Also excellent are Hatsuhana, Nobu, and Blue Ribbon Sushi. All are pricey, but not Masa pricey. You probably can't get in to Masa on this short notice anyway.
simon at 11:21AM on 08/11/08
Score another one for Yasuda. No one does tuna like he does! Everything else is fabulous too.
CookiePie at 11:39AM on 08/11/08
The shrimp tempura there are insane. OMG want.
simon at 11:41AM on 08/11/08
I'll meet you at the sushi bar, simon! :)
CookiePie at 12:33PM on 08/11/08
Ok! Shall I make the rezzy, or would you like to do the honors?
simon at 1:34PM on 08/11/08
Blue Ribbon Sushi would not be up to par with the other ones mentioned here, at least from my last two visits. Ditto for Nobu.
Usual suspects: 15 East, Yasuda. Have heard good things about Shimizu but I haven't been. I really like Kanoyama in the East Village but if you sit at the bar and order by the piece, it can get quite pricey, very quickly. Le Miu is good, but not top tier good. Overall, it's a nice value. The tasting menu only has a single sushi course though.
kathrynyu at 4:40PM on 08/11/08
I agree with kathrynyu.
15east (overpriced though)
yasuda (prob the best and my fave)
Kanoyama (for a step down not expensive sushi)
I poopoo Blue Ribbon Sushi and Nobu
Have yet to try Soto.
pickle at 5:34PM on 08/11/08
meh, to each their own. I certainly wouldn't put Blue Ribbon on the same level as Yasuda but they have always had excellent, fresh and special selections when I've gone. And their rock shrimp tempura appetizer is soooo good. It is fusiony I guess. That automatically knocks it down a notch or two...
simon at 5:48PM on 08/11/08
Are we talking omakase like chef's tasting menu, with a mix of hot and cold dishes, or sushi omakase, where we're comparing nigiri against nigiri?
I really like Blue Ribbon Sushi but their nigiri sushi isn't as good as some of the other stuff on the menu.
kathrynyu at 6:16PM on 08/11/08
For my birthday my brother took me to Sushi Azabu, its located under Greenwich Grill and you have to go through Greenwich Grill to get to it. But it was amazing and the food was spectacular in terms of variety and flavor. We had the omasake and the chef was great - he explained everything the hot dishes we had were quite unique as well. You need to call ahead and request for the omasake.
arathi at 7:18PM on 08/11/08
kathrynyu, you are right. I misread the intent of this thread, Blue Ribbon is not "serious." Very good at certain things, but not serious. I would love to expand my experience of the most serious places, but am worried that my expectations, based on what I had at Yasuda, will lead me to disappointment. From this thread, it seems like Soto is the way to go...
Off topic, but I'm curious: has anyone had the kaiseki at Rosanjin?
simon at 9:38PM on 08/11/08
Japonica is usually really good, and has been even better recently!
avideater at 10:51PM on 08/11/08
Kanoyama!!!!! Get the omakase and you'll be blown away.
BestFriendBrit at 10:09AM on 08/12/08
i went to japonica last month with a friend who lives in texas but used to live here and looooves it. i had been there zillions of times but stopped because i thought the qualiity of the sushi had deteriorated. i must say that the dinner we had there, composed of specials i had never heard of before, was some of the best food i had ever eaten.
i've never tried ordering omakase there. i wonder if they would do it.
cybercita at 10:29AM on 08/12/08
thanks for all the suggestions. We are gonna try for Yasuda but if we cant do that then I'll look into Soto
pdqfruitbat at 3:02PM on 08/12/08
Let us know how it went!
simon at 4:19PM on 08/12/08
I'm a little hesitant to post this since I am not sure if they even have an omasake and the atmosphere isn't really that great. However the sushi at Hatsuhana is fantastic. You can spend anywhere between 50 - 100 per person for a good meal. I would suggest sitting at the sushi bar and speaking to the sushi chef about what's good and fresh that day. (But don't leave without trying the Uni or Torro... it's awesome) The chirashi is also far better than most places in Manhattan. Don't go to the Park Ave location. The one on 48th between 5th and Mad is def. better.
sushiburger at 9:39AM on 08/13/08
well we ended up on a whim going to Lan on 3rd ave and we loved it. (more because we were feeling casual) got the chef tasting menu and ordered a ton of sushi a la carte and downed about 5 bottles of unfiltered sake. a wonderful place, fabulous food and the sushi was damn near perfect.
pdqfruitbat at 12:41PM on 08/15/08
One word/name: Gari. Especially if you like Sushi Seki, the cjef there trained under Gari. I've been to both and think Gari's better. There are several locations. They're all good but there's something about the tiny original that I love. Be sure to try and track down Gari himself if you can. He's not always around.
AfterTaste Sherry at 8:02PM on 08/15/08
Ive been to gari a few times ...like it...but its kinda out of the way for me.
pdqfruitbat at 12:29PM on 08/18/08