spsolomon’s Profile

Recent Comments

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

Hi Ed --

Had dinner at Soto tonight. Fantastic! (Nowhere near Kuruma league, though). Sorry, dude.

spsolomon at 12:07AM on 02/20/08

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

Ed,

What would you guess is better.

[1.] This place:
http://www.barjamonnyc.com/aboutus_barjamon.cfm

OR

[2.] This place:

http://www.jamonisimo.com/


BTW, I made Dave Pasternack's tuna steak, mackeral, and pancetta bolognese sauce from your book, and it was incredible. Exactly like eating at Esca.

Now THERE'S a great restaurant. (Dave should go to Kuruma).

spsolomon at 7:36PM on 09/26/07

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

You're calling me on this? I actually have to go eat at this place to "definitively" describe why on its best night, in its wildest dream, its not in the same league as Kuruma.

Do I have to go eat at the sushi bar of Empire Szechuan as well to be sure it's not as good as Kuruma?

Before you make up your mind though, let me suggest the following. A couple of months ago, a woman for whom I hooked up a job at Lehman in London took me to Kuruma as a thank you (I was allowed to pick any restaurant in NYC, thus I passed over per se, Le Bernardin, Sushi Yasuda, Daniel, Jean Georges, etc.).

The meal lasted about an hour and cost $1,200 before tip. The only non-food expense was a $220 bottle of Minowamon sake.

Since the decor and rent at Soto couldn't possibly cost less than the decor and rent at Kuruma, there exist only 2 possibilities:

[1.] Somehow the Soto guys are able to spend a fraction of the money Toshi Uezu does on ingredients yet magically produce finer cuisine than he does.

[2.] The Soto guys get better stuff than Uezu, but Uezu has had New Yorkers heepnotized for the last 30 years and is able to charge five times the price the Soto guys charge.

spsolomon at 6:36PM on 09/26/07

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

There's no way this place is even in the same league as Kurumazushi.

spsolomon at 3:37PM on 09/26/07

See more comments by spsolomon ยป

Recent Posts

spsolomon hasn't written a post yet.

Recent Favorites

spsolomon hasn't favorited a post yet.

Recent Polls

spsolomon hasn't answered any polls yet.

Recent Quizzes

spsolomon hasn't taken any quizzes yet.

Recent Comments | Response to Comments

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

Hi Ed --

Had dinner at Soto tonight. Fantastic! (Nowhere near Kuruma league, though). Sorry, dude.

spsolomon at 12:07AM on 02/20/08

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

Ed,

What would you guess is better.

[1.] This place:
http://www.barjamonnyc.com/aboutus_barjamon.cfm

OR

[2.] This place:

http://www.jamonisimo.com/


BTW, I made Dave Pasternack's tuna steak, mackeral, and pancetta bolognese sauce from your book, and it was incredible. Exactly like eating at Esca.

Now THERE'S a great restaurant. (Dave should go to Kuruma).

spsolomon at 7:36PM on 09/26/07

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

You're calling me on this? I actually have to go eat at this place to "definitively" describe why on its best night, in its wildest dream, its not in the same league as Kuruma.

Do I have to go eat at the sushi bar of Empire Szechuan as well to be sure it's not as good as Kuruma?

Before you make up your mind though, let me suggest the following. A couple of months ago, a woman for whom I hooked up a job at Lehman in London took me to Kuruma as a thank you (I was allowed to pick any restaurant in NYC, thus I passed over per se, Le Bernardin, Sushi Yasuda, Daniel, Jean Georges, etc.).

The meal lasted about an hour and cost $1,200 before tip. The only non-food expense was a $220 bottle of Minowamon sake.

Since the decor and rent at Soto couldn't possibly cost less than the decor and rent at Kuruma, there exist only 2 possibilities:

[1.] Somehow the Soto guys are able to spend a fraction of the money Toshi Uezu does on ingredients yet magically produce finer cuisine than he does.

[2.] The Soto guys get better stuff than Uezu, but Uezu has had New Yorkers heepnotized for the last 30 years and is able to charge five times the price the Soto guys charge.

spsolomon at 6:36PM on 09/26/07

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

There's no way this place is even in the same league as Kurumazushi.

spsolomon at 3:37PM on 09/26/07

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

Hmmmm....is it worth the effort taking on spsolomon? As regards Sotohiro's excellent food and keen ability probably not, for even sp, after finally having put his mouth where his pen hastily went first, acknowledges Sotosan's outstanding quality. "Fantistic!" was the word he used.

His going on to make comparisons and his suggesting that there is a great world beyond fantastic doesn't really merit any attention more than to say that he was clearly prejudiced beforehand and emerged, well-fed and presumably content, still as prejudiced as before. Ah, consistency...

Regarding sp's price prejudice I only wish to recall that a fave comedian of mine, Jackie Mason, did a routine wherein Jews got off getting things only when they could be had for under wholesale, whereas Gentiles only got off by paying full price. From Jackie's perspective sp would have to be a Super-Gentile.

Now tomorrow I am off to another fine meal at Soto. It will be fantastic; I have sp's assurance as well as my own past experience. And, based on that experience I can safely say that like as not it will be such that I wont be tempted to compare it to the meal I had at Karuma, for it will be sufficient unto itself--an experience of absolute value, whole, complete and, as such, transportation to a level of being wherein the spirit is exalted in seeing, as God once did, that it was Good.

joe bruno at 8:58PM on 03/08/09

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

Soto is amazing. Certainly in contention for best in the city.
He does things with Uni that boggle the mind and palate. As far as spsolomon's comment that the ingredients in a 1200 dollar meal are better than a 300 dollar menu... it may be the silliest thing I have heard. (That would mean Le Cirque is waaaay better than Momofuku Saam)

cafin8ny at 3:12PM on 12/08/08

From Serious Eats: New York

Soto: Best Japanese Restaurant/Sushi Bar in New York?

Do tell. What did you eat at Soto?

Ed Levine at 4:25PM on 09/26/07

Recent Posts

spsolomon hasn't written a post yet.

Recent Favorites

spsolomon hasn't favorited a post yet.

Polls

spsolomon hasn't answered any polls yet.

Quizzes

spsolomon hasn't taken any quizzes yet.

About spsolomon

Website:

Location:

About:

Favorite foods:

Last bite on earth: