Todd36

Salmon has to be frozen for sushi, parsite issues. Any fresh water fish must be frozen for sushi. Also, salmon isn't a major tradition sushi fish, so it could have been her taste buds.

Picked up some fresh, wild sourced morals today at the Union Square Greenmarket. From the mushroom farm place, althoug these were wild according to the gentleman manning the booth. $48 a pound. From somewhere in upstate NY, I have visions of somewhere along railroad tracks in the Bronx..... Cooked with butter and organic pork loin chops from Fairway, served over kasha and with a salad and cucumbers from Yuno's farm at the same greenmarket. It was a pretty tasty combination. Now if I don't wake up in the morning.....anyone have any idea where they really find the morels...not sure how short the season is...better hurry if you want some.

At a very famous Japanese restaurant, they twist the claws off of live lobsters right in front of you..... We were at the bar, but it is a small restaurant, only about 20 or so table spaces, and perhaps 30 or so total seats. Not sure bar verses table matters that much, although serious customers are usually at the bar. They usually serve this 5 pieces at a time...although this time the cooked eel was served alone at the end. By the way, what they list as the special fish of the day on the blackboard is usually most of what shows up in the chef's special sushi, another reason I like the place. $49 for 15 pieces of good and unusual stuff. On Friday, three Japanese business types next to us were getting omakase with no set budget according to checf-owner, seemed to be an upgraded version of what we got, with many shared pieces. Japanese friend guessed the budget was probably really about a $100 a head, but they were regulars, not sure everyone gets the same treatment. They were also sharing a $120+ bottle of sake, which I'm sure also helps.

I've had dinner there about 4 times in the last few months and it's quite good for the money, and some of the food is quite good by any standard. It's a time warp place, and not operating at four stars like it did in 1965, but I haven't had anything really bad there----and with a three course dinner at about $27 to $40, its really hard to complain.

Our lobster was chewy. By the way, as one of the first people to write that Per Se did not appear to be what it was cracked up to be, and for my honesty (and perhaps my taste buds), I was rewarded with quite a few posts questioing whether I had even eaten at Per Se, I'm wondering why no one is saying "gee, Todd Might have been right."

Had dinner tonight at Ushi Wakamaru, and took notes this time. Hoping to at least provide some frame of reference as compared to Yasuda. Started with the chefs 15 piece sushi selection, which does not come with soup or salad or any rolls, for $49. Selection varies from time to time, and its seasonal. About half of tonight's customers were Japanese business men and many customers were regulars. 1. Pike 2. Half Beak 3. Medium Fatty Toro 4. Yellow Tail 5. White Shrimp, Shio, this is a cooked chopped shrimp that is not the typical red shrimp. 6. Baby White Sardine. This is an almost jelly like mass of several very small fish, served on top of rice with nori, same style as uni often is. Strong flavor. 7. Uni 8. Salmon Roe 9. Baby Sea Eel. Similar appearance to #6, but different flavor. I liked it. Short season they said. 10. Eel. Made fresh, not the packaged stuff. Quite different than Yasuda's version, bigger piece, no bones, less rich I think. 11. Raw Octopus. Good. Not as chewy as last time, which was too chewy for my taste. 12. Live Botan (Sweet Shrimp). Killed in front of your eyes---quite good but not for the squimish. 13. Red Snapper (Tai) 14. Kanpachi 15. Japanese Mackeral. Was told this was like Spanish Mackeral, but imported from Japan. Richer than usual Spanish Mackeral, almost like matjes herring. A couple things missing that you would normally find in a sushi deluxe (they offer that too, its somewhat cheaper). No rolls, no salmon, no tuna except for toro, no white fish like fluke, no boiled shrimp. I think its quite good for $49, that is about $3 a piece for some non run of the mill things. I asked and they said about half the fish was imported from Japan (doesn't mean it originated from there). In prior trips, its included, among other things, mastake mushroom, several types of crab, lobster, adult sardine and various mackerel type fish.

I've never heard anyone say Sushi Yasuda was an inexpensive restaurant or an inexpensive place to have sushi. It's not outrageously priced, but it's always seemed on the expensive side, especially if one is eating a la carte. This isn't news. I don't understand the point about getting a bowl of plain white rice anywhere. I've always assumed the vinegared rice was central to sushi. In fact, there is no sushi without it. People who seem to know and understand sushi better than I have made extremely positive references to the rice at Sushi Yasuda. ← If a restaurant is serving expensive sushi, it's now in competition with high end sushi restaurants. At first glance, Yasuda doesn't seem as expensive as some other highly rated places. Once you factor in what you get per dollar, Yasuda is in competiton with almost every other place in town. Sushi has a very long history, but a recent one in terms of what we would recognize as sushi. Sushi started off as preserved fish in a barrel. Take a fair sized barrel, throw in fish, salt, rice and vinger, in layers, let it fermit a bit, and you have sushi. You're right, rice is a traditional part of the mix. This kind of thing originated in mainland China, and has probably been around for more than a thousand years. What we recognize as sushi is a Tokyo regional thing, and it didn't start until mid-19th century. You need access to fresh fish, and a good transportation system, to make that kind of sushi. And you're not going to offer 20 kinds. You're going to have whatever is in season, which probably means 2-3 kinds any given day. Places with big fish selections are a post-WWII thing, it requires modern refrigeoration and transportation. I've been told by Japanese friends that a true traditional sushi place in Japan might have only 6 kinds of fish in any given day, unlikely for more than that many to be good and in season on any given day. The modern customer demands more of course. I thought the rice at Yasuda was very good. I usually prefer sushi to sashami because of the rice. But if you're really Japanese, and I'm not, a plain bowl of rice is perfect. Japanese meals traditionally end with plain soup, pickles and a plain bowl of rice. It's a cultural thing. Even I have gotten to the point where I know cheap and bad rice. Many, perhaps most inexpensive Asian restaurants serve cheap rice, in particular cheap lunch places. They have to save every penny.

I've had fair sized bones in eel before, I think this has nothing to do with prepared eel verses store made. And my friend pulled it out before even touching it, it was obvious to her eye. They made a mistake, which everyone does I admit. I didn't say I had kanpachi. I had 4 different types of yellowtail, they also had kanpachi on the menu. If you like very thin fish that in my opinion doesn't impart much flavor, that's fine. Just remember that your 20 pieces of sushi to feel full is going to set you back $100, and were not talking about Toro. That makes Yasuda an expensive restaurant, and I'm not sure how well it does against other super end sushi places. To some extent, that is my point. It's good sushi, but its expensive sushi. If you like rice, you can get a very nice bowl at Sugiyama as part of your dinner, for less than Yasuda is going to cost you to feel as full. I admit its not vingered rice.

People have their own dislikes and likes about sushi. My regular sushi dining friend is Japanese, Tokyo native, Waseda graduate, worked in a major professional firm in Tokyo, is very food oriented, and spends about three weeks every year back in Japan. I'm describing her as a frame of referernce. My other friends all think she is right about sushi. And of course we order in Japanese. I don't like giant pieces of sushi either. But the stuff we got at Yasuda was small and thin. Unusually so for NY, and for Tokyo too according to my friend. And they do sell fish by the pound. Try asking them to cut your yellowtail (any of the five kinds they offer) thicker than usual. If you ask in Japanese, I bet they do it. And I bet the price gets higher. Yasuda charges prices per piece that look reasonable, heck, probably cheaper by the piece than say Blue Ribbon Sushi or Neo or Gari or any of a number of places. But you get little fish. You can say Yasuda thinks it tastes better that way. Might be true, but I also would need 20 pieces for dinner, to be full, and that gets expensive. I would also still be eating lots of rice compares to other places. Trust me, Yasuda is selling fish by the pound and his low by the piece prices for first rate sushi are directly related to the small amount of fish per piece. Yasuda's menu is big, almost too big. They claim to be buying only the best at market. I have my doubts that the market has 50 kinds of fish every week that are at top of market. There may be reasons why no one else has a fish menu that broad. I tried 4 kinds of Yellowtail at Yasuda. They were hard to distinguish and in general, the fish did not have much of an impact. The uni was downright not good. And the bone we found in a piece of tasty eel was big enough to make it clear someone was careless. Like I said, I would eat there again. But I was not impressed. I haven't eaten in Kuruma in a long time, don't like to spend that kind of money, but I think Kuruma has better fish by a significant amount. I know Sugiyama and Seki and Uwakamaru (assuming it hasn't closed, not well run) all have better fish than Yasuda, in similar or cheaper price ranges. I'm not sure if Seki is my standard, but do try it. During my trip to Japan this summer, I ate at Miyako Zushi, a modest, traditional sushi-ya regarded as one of the best in Tokyo. The pieces I had there were, and I was surprised at this, quite large. I'll try to post a few pictures later. To me, though I valued the experience, the size was not at all ideal. It's clearly a matter of preference; I find the pieces at Kuruma too large for my taste and am happy Yasuda has chosen to innovate as he has. The price argument doesn't make the cut with me. If someone wants to be stuffed for very little money, there are countless places other than Sushi Yasuda he can go. If you're anxious to compare this sushi to that in Tokyo, you'll find that at many of the top places, you'll pay a minimum of $200 for dinner. At Yasuda, you can pay this much if you'd like or less than half as much for a similar experience in terms of quality, if not luxury. Further, his a la carte prices are clearly scaled down, either to account for the smaller size of his pieces or out of blessed generosity. Many of his pieces are under $4--that's a bargain. Plus you can get a set of 12 pieces and half a roll for $34. Your complaint about variety surprises me too, not only because I'd be thrilled to eat just eel, tuna, and uni all night, but also because Yasuda offers more variety than I've seen on any other sushi menu in town. The only potentially valid argument, to my mind, is your comment on the quality of fish. I have only once eaten a piece of fish there that I felt was not top-notch. The uni, which I order whenever it's available, is particularly outstanding; I've eaten there often enough to be sure that this is the rule. Todd, perhaps I should try Sushi Seki to see where you're coming from, assuming that it is your standard for sushi in New York. ←

It's slipped. Not what it was. I eat there about every three weeks, for brunch.

When it first opened. Thought it was expensive for what it is. I think everything is still ala carte, at premium prices. Don't know about current qualtity, it doesn't get much buzz.

It is a step down but if they are still doing the $20.04 lunch deal and cash is a strong consideration, its pretty good. Current "lunch" bargin is brunch at LCB Rachlou, where the $18.95 brunch can consist of an app, close to full size main, including boned lamb loin as an option, and dessert are quite good for that price. Perfect no, but its a lot of good food for $18.95.

Did your friend mean that in a complimentary way or as derogatory? I say that because a Japanese friend told me that another place in NY served fish pieces that were too large and too thick. ← Bad way. She thinks its a tad bit overpriced for what you get and that she was still hungry. It's true that most of the better sushi places in town serve smallish pieces, but these were smaller and thinner than usual, even compared she thought to Tokyo.

Tried Yasuda tonight in a quick stop. 1. Rice is very good, among the best in NY. 2. Eel is very good, among the best in NY. 3. Fish is of high quality, but variable and not all of it is first class. Uni was quite ordinary for example. Tried 4 kinds of yellowtail, all of which were good, but none of which really impressed. 4. Ordered ala carte, dining friend is Tokyo native, got about 20 pieces which we split. 5. Nice room with efficent service. 6. Fish pieces are small and thin, even by Japanese standards according to my friend. 7. I've had better and more interesting fish for about one half to two thirds the price at Usiwakamaru on Houston (can never spell that right) and better and more interesting fish at Sushi Seki for about the same price. 8. It is very good sushi, but not clearly any better than several other places in town. Nicer room though. 9. I would go back again.

The BLT Fish thread has its first report on Jan 18, so I think it must have been open for longer than you think, at least 3 months it would appear.

Thin body, probably doesn't have any gums in it, not sweet, a little tangy, not spicy. Struck me as mild. Probably not being used for cooking, at least on the ribs, brisket, pastrami or sausage.

Not sure (don't have a bottle handy) but I think the small bottle stuff has something like sodium benzonate in it. In any case, bottled stuff from a factory is likely to taste different than fresh. For example, fresh sauce may be made with fresh garlic and may be consumed shortly after production, while factory sauce might be six months old and might have been made with pre-peeled garlic. Process is also very important. Does an expresso taste the same at every place that uses Lilly's? Pre-made bottled stuff can be good. But if I'm walking into a BBQ place that is famous and prides itself on its food, I expect them to be using a made from scratch sauce, it is a critical part of what they are serving and its not time consuming, difficult or expensive to make. It looks like RUB is using a made from scratch sauce, but don't know for sure. I see 5 gallon pails of Kraft's Open Pit BBQ sauce outside of BBQ chicken places in Manhattan, and Kraft's own website notes it can be straight as is or as a base for your own sauce.....

Dino, Virgil's, whatever the Pearson's place on the Upper East Side is called. Not Blue Smoke. I would say the ribs and sausage at RUB are good by any standard. The brisket need to be more consistant, most of my order tasted like dried out brisket from a bad diner, whith a couple of pieces that were very different and very good. The pastrami tasted fine, but it was like, ok, so what's different about this from the standard stuff. The waiter said not to order the pork BBQ, which made me wonder. There are some good things about their menu. The combo plates are a good value and the ability to add extra meats for I think around $4 is nice, although I wish they served less than half a duck (couldn't eat the whole world). They don't serve any apps, which I found unusual.

I thought your issue with Dinosaur's BBQ sauce was that it wasn't fresh, not that it did (or didn't) come in a squeeze bottle. RUB's is fresh, then? ← Dino's came in a factory pre-pack glass bottle and it clearly wasn't freshmade. RUB's is in a plastic filled bottle that would seem was filled in the restaurant. First point is that when I said real BBQ places don't serve pre-pack sauce, people disputed that and claimed they hadn't seen squeeze bottle sauce ever in a aBBQ place (shades of the Per Se thread), well, RUB"s a real BBQ place and the sauce is in a squeeze bottle. Based on flavor and texture (doesn't seem to contain gums), I think RUB's squeeze bottle sauce is made fresh.

Had dinner there a few nights ago. 1. The ribs are quite good, very meaty, not salty, good flavor, much better than what I had at Dino. 2. Sasuage was excellent, might have been the best dish. 3. Don't understand the pastrami. Salty, cut two different ways, some dry (which was better), some was not. This wasn't bad, just didn't set my heart on fire. I think I'd rather go to Katz's. 4. Brisket. 90% of what they gave me was tasteless and dry. Two pieces were fantastic, with a great smoky flavor. 5. Sides were OK. Green were OK, beans looked like canned with very good meat thrown in, cole slaw vinger style was good. Overall, I think its the best BBQ I've had in NYC. And re my Dino comments, sauce comes in a generic squeeze bottle at the table........ In general, they don't season things that much and its not salty. I think there are consistency issues.

Nice thin skins on the dumplings. I suspect good recipes but poor execution. It's overpriced for what you get and not worth the trip.

Their windows were still covered in paper yesterday.

Yes, I vaguely rembered that article from somehwere and wondered if someone would mention it!!! The dish was fine, but it wasn't memorable, and I can't rememeber what it was served with, not much. You can give credit to Keller for making the dish popular, but as the article you point to notes, the dish was known before him. Again, for over $200 in what is supposed to be one of the 6 best restuarants in NYC, I expect something a little more than a dish that can be widely matched elsewhere. Jean Georges chocolate cake, for which he is also given credit, always seem to better than what you can find elsewhere.

There's a war going on in the Japanese grocery store business, and JAS Mart has really increased what it carries. They are are at least partially owned at Mitsua, the place in Edgewater. There are now three JAS: Near St. Mark's, 110th and Broadway, and 23rd near Madison. Near St. Mark's is the largest. They will be opening a store on the upper east side at some point. Sunrise Mart recently opened a store in I I think Tribecca (or maybe SoHo). Sambok, the Korean owned Japanese store that was midtown has closed, so I have been told. The JAS Mart's are probably the best managed of the stores now. The JAS places do all carry raw fish. But, very few of my Japanese friends make their own sushi or sashimi for home. They view it as a restaurant or catered thing. They may not trust the fish, even at a Japanese store.

Sunrise Mart is not my first choice. With respect to fish markets, you may be talking about Pink Salmon Pink Salmon Sushi And Fish Market 1163 Madison Ave, New York 10028 Btwn 85th & 86th St My japanese friends shop at JAS Mart, although they tend not to eat raw fish at home.