jg488

The Brooklyn Pigfest takes place tomorrow afternoon. Details: http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/events/?id=431 Tickets are $85/person in advance, and $95/person at the door. I know it's a benefit for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, but the price still seems really steep. Has anyone been before? Is it worth it?

What happened to Jewel Bako? It was one of my absolute favorites from about 1999 to 2003. Then it somehow went downhill, but I'm not sure why. Was it the expansion? The change in chef? Did the owners extend their empire too far? I'd love to read your thoughts on the reasons behind JB's decline. This also raises an interesting general question about why and how great restaurants lose their edge. JR

Thanks for the explanation. What restaurant is the photo from? There's more going on there than some blowtorched fish. Is it some sort of mayo-based sauce?

This is a great suggestion -- an 8-piece omakase order, then additional orders from there. This gives you the flexibility to steer the meal in different directions depending on what you enjoy, and avoids having a ton of sushi sitting there waiting to be eaten, with the fish drying out and the rice getting cold. What exactly is aburiengawa? And where is a good place in NYC to get it?

Thanks for the replies. Luckily there was a last-minute cancellation at Yasuda, so we were able to go there. Delicious as always, although I was a bit let down sitting at a table as opposed to the sushi bar. Any suggestions on how to make the most of a sushi meal at a table? I'm sure there's no substitute for getting it piece-by-piece from the sushi chef, but what about ordering several small courses of sushi, so that you don't have lots of pieces sitting on a platter waiting to be eaten? Next time I can't get into Yasuda, I'll give Sushiden or one of the Hatsuhanas a try. Finally, am I right in thinking that Kurumazushi is way more expensive than Yasuda?

I'm looking for a excellent sushi spot in Midtown on the east side. I'm planning a business lunch, and my standby, Sushi Yasuda, is fully booked. We'll be expensing it, so cost isn't a big factor --- except that Kuruma Zushi is out of our range. Any thoughts on Sushi Ann (E. 51st bet. Mad & Park) or Sushiden (E. 49th bet. 5th & Mad)? Or other ideas for top sushi in this neighborhood? Thanks in advance, JR

I just called Di Fara's and spoke with Dom. He hopes to be open on Monday.

I was at Sushi of Gari 46 on Friday night. Great meal, but somewhat of an unpleasant shock when the bill came. [Note -- I posted about this on Chowhound a few minutes ago, but wanted to get the reaction of eGulleters. Hope I'm not offending anyone's sensibilities.] When I made the reservation for 2 at the sushi bar, I was told that omakase was the only option at the bar, and that the minimun was $80/person. I agreed, and we ordered omakase from the server. I did not mention any price limit when ordering. The meal was wonderful, served piece-by-piece by the sushi chef. No complaints at all about the food. At a certain point, after we'd had about 15 pieces each, the chef asked if there was anything else we wanted. I said no, thinking that by declining any extras, I'd stayed within the $80/person range. When the bill came, the food cost per person was about $110/person. I don't think that this price was too high given the excellent food we had. It was, however, contrary to my expectations based on my discussion with the hostess when making the reservations. I didn't raise it because I didn't want to make a scene, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I would love to hear thoughts about my experience in particular, or about pricing for omakase meals in general. Again, I should add that the meal was wonderful, and we really enjoyed the setting and service at Gari 46. Thanks, JR

I don't know how far uptown they'll deliver, but the delivery from Sushi Yasuda is the best takeout sushi I've ever had. For about $20 you can get 5 pieces of sushi and 2 rolls, plus soup or salad. They even throw in a bag of genmai-cha tea. There are other options too -- check out their menu here.

We went to DiFara's last night and enjoyed a great pizza. Dom is back on his feet and in good spirits.

I called yesterday and spoke with Dom. He told me that his foot was better and that they were opening Monday.

Some DiFara's info: Slice says they'll open over the weekend: http://www.sliceny.com/archives/2006/04/di...his_weekend.php A Chowhound poster reports they'll open next Monday: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/outer/messages/86304.html JR

A friend and I ate at ici last night for the Restaurant Week deal. Absolutely wonderful and such a bargain. All the food was great, and the service was competent and friendly. Check it out. JR

I called yesterday morning and spoke with Dom's son. Dom injured his foot and is taking some time to recuperate. They hope to reopen Tuesday.

Breaking news: http://eater.curbed.com/archives/2006/03/breaking_difara.php Anyone have an update on this?

Where are the NY eGullet sushi mavens? I've posted questions about this on the Yasuda and JB threads, and only got one reply from Sneakeater, who hasn't had recent expereice. I even turned to Chowhound for help (gasp!) but haven't had any luck there either. JB has always been my go-to place for a splurge sushi dinner, but I'm a bit put off by the expansion. In my one post-expansion experience, the restaurant had lost a bit of its intimacy, and the service wasn't as spot-on. Also, I think it was more expensive (bpearis reported in the JB thread that the price for basic omakase has apparently from $85 to $100). I'm taking a friend out for sushi, and I'm thinking of trying Yasuda instead of JB, but I want to learn more about how the two are different. Some preliminary thoughts on differences: -It seems that at Yasuda, you have less of an idea of how much you'll be paying for the whole meal -More of an emphasis on non-sushi/sashimi dishes at JB -JB might offer more in terms of inventive sake/wine pairings -Yasuda has Chef Yasuda -JB has Jack Lamb, an excellent host (who is the chef these days?) Come on, eGulleters. I know you have opinions on this...

This goes along with my recent post on the Jewel Bako thread, but I'd love to hear opinions on Yasuda vs. Jewel Bako for a dinner omakase experience.

Has anyone been to Jewel Bako recently? Like bpearis, I have been enjoying JB as my favorite splurge in New York for years, but I'm worried that it won't be the same since the expansion. I'd appreciate any updates.

Menchanko-Tei is great for ramen, but they don't serve soba. I love Sobaya and Honmura-an, but they're too far from my office for a quick lunch. Soba Nippon had pretty good soba, but not as good as Sobaya's or Honmura-an's.

Just returned from a very good lunch of cold soba at Soba Nippon. The soba was not of the transcendant quality I've experienced in Japan, but it was very tasty and reasonably priced.

I hope I didn't offend anyone with my comments on Sakagura. I should emphasize that I think it's a great restaurant on many levels, it's just that I'm not crazy about their soba. I did some quick online research and came up with Soba Nippon on 52nd and 5th. I'm going to give it a try...

I've got a hankering for cold soba. What's the best place within walking distance (or a quick cab ride) from Grand Central? The only place I know in the area is Sakagura. It's a cool place with reasonably good food, but I'm not too impressed with the soba there. Thanks for your suggestions! JR

I was at Thor on Saturday night and I agree completely with Noodlebot's assessment. It was way too hectic and loud to enjoy the food. I'll add that the wine service wasn't up to par. I asked to speak with the wine director to help us choose a bottle. The woman who came over didn't know much about the bottles I asked about and seemed in a big rush. Our evening was quite a disappointment and I won't be going back.

Sugarella, thanks so much for this helpful info. I'll try to find a potter that can reglaze the cruets for me. If anyone knows a good potter in New York City, please let me know. Unfortunately I already put oil in the second cruet, but maybe it can be rinsed out sufficiently such that a new glaze is possible.

So, does that mean the insides of the cruets are unglazed and only the outsides are glazed?? And what kind of ceramic is it; what colour? ← That's right. The inside appear unglazed, it's a typical brownish-red ceramic color. The outside is painted white and red and has a glossy finish. Not sure what kind of ceramic or glaze it is.