JWangSDC

That's him. He's a total jerk. The thing is, I've known masato for 5 years now and while I wouldn't claim to be his friend, he certainly treats me like a regular. This guy stephen is good at pretending he thinks of you as a regular and then messing up your orders. Out of politeness for Masato, I didn't yell or complain about the bald guy messing up my order and meal. But after it happened twice...I'm extremely peeved. I guess it doesn't matter since I only enjoy sushi bar meals, its' just a shame that he ruined the two times I went with large parties. If Masato ever asks me about my table service, I will be quick to shoutout complaints, but as is I feel awkward just bringing it up and complaining.

Been there twice more since July 18th and always on mondays. Place is completely packed, I always call for reservations the day of about an hour or 90 before hand. Also Todd said he felt 15 east was a fashion oriented restaurant and not a place to get the best sushi. I agree, the restaurant truly is that. But it happens to have a chef which can deliver the goods. You have to sit with him and let him know you are there for his skills and the fish and then you will be rewarded. Also I'd like to illustrate my distaste for the new head waiter. I forget his name, though i think it's stephen, but he has ruined my meal the last 4X I've gone. He's always friendly and pretends to know me and know sushi, but this guy is a fool and loves to inflate people's checks. I had a $120 sushi bar tasting course @ a table and requested kasugo and he gave me some katsuo instead. He also served me the worst items on the menu and many dishes from the ktichen even though I specifically asked for sushi/sashimi ONLY. Then to make it up to me he told me masato had offered to make me some fish to make up for it so I went for that.(because it is something masato would normally do for me). What ended up happening was I was charged DOUBLE for the ala carte items(which I complained about). But the way he spoke about it, I expected to have them comped completely. Seriously hate the guy and if any of you guys go, don't trust him for a second. My first time dealing with him was at lunch where he charged me $75 for the lunch tuna flgith(which is $55). After I complained and he corrected it, he told me how he had just mischarged another table for 5 of them and how it was funny because the gentleman had a black amex card. Seriously I want to complain to marco and masato and have him fired.

Starr bogg's has an all you can eat lobster bake which is amazing. I've never had AYCE done well anywhere besides there.

← I may be misinformed but I think Yasuda is misrepresenting himself. Aren't jewel bako/15east/soto/masa/ushi wakamaru/urusawa already small/clean slices? To me, that's what small clean slices are. Big american sushi is served at places like tomoe, yama, and kirara. I also may be wrong, but from what I gather sukeroku, jiro, and mizutani all still serve small clean slices. However sushi dai serves larger more american sized slices. Yasuda also groups the omakase style service and individual attention paid to each piece with his "old japan" definition. Certainly the restaurants I listed fall into that category. They also pay very close attention to rice even if not as much as Yasuda. In any case my point is that there are small clean slices and then there are Yasuda's slices. He makes it a point to cut them so thin that every piece tastes almost the same. Honestly, sometimes I figure, why not jsut by 50 pieces of his cheapest salmon since it's so fresh and well cut the texture is the same as his toro? Although, Yasuda has explicitly told me that he disapproves of all other sushi bars including those in japan now. He said true sushi was served back in the 80's in japan, so that would further your point. Still, I can't help but feel that "small clean slices with a focus on rice" is exactly what the other restaurants I listed serve. Yasuda serves something altogether different, which as far as I can tell, no longer has any equivalent anywhere in the world. And my opinion is that the other restaurants have a better take on small/clean slices anyway. I find it to be such a shame that Yasuda's fish variety is consistently larger than 15easts, his rice at least as good always, and his fish quality is much more consistent yet I always enjoy my meal at 15 east more. If only he would just slice his fatty fishes thicker. I just think toro/salmon need to have a thicker piece to truly be enjoyed. Things like engawa and other white fish taste great when sliced Yasuda thin, but other restaurants differentiate and do that anyway.

Hmm, I'm going to have to disagree here. I don't think Yasuda will be accomodating in this area. If you have a smaller mouth he makes even smaller pieces but keeps the fish/rice ratio very standard. I actually have a couple pictures of him serving me a regular sized piece with a mini sized piece becuase he was having fun making jokes at my girlfriend. At other sushi restaurants I would certainly agree with what you are saying. At higher end restaurants I would become hesitant to agree and at Yasuda I feel fairly confident he would strongly illustrate his contempt for your request. I guess I'm going to have to bring a new friend with me next time and have them make the request though.

I think there are two certainties. Yasuda isn't going to say, "You're right; I'm cheap." He's also not going to say, "You're right; I'm stubborn." ← haha very good post. I guess a lot of my posts are pointless complaints because I already have tried to get the answers. The last 3 times I sat with yasuda (in June), he never failed to mention how his salmon (like copper river salmon) costs 5X the price of regular salmon but how they only charge you roughly 2X the price based on weight. I actually agree with him on that point.

I just want to clarify my stance from the beginning. My complaint is not about value, it is about quality. I already consider Yasuda to be a GOOD value when it comes to sushi. My issue is he puts too much rice compared to fish. Again, I'll gladly pay $5 for hte same piece of sushi from yasuda with 33% less rice but no more fish. And don't tell me I can just take the rice off myself, because I can't. if I did that while sitting in front of him...I'm not sure what would happen but I know I'd never do it. When i get to my computer over this weekend I'm going to post pics of toro I make, 15 easts toro, Yasuda's toro, Kuruma's, and Ushi Wakamaru's. I'd guess yasuda's fish to rice ratio is close to 2:3 by weight (fish to rice) everywhere else is more like 1:1 or 1.5:1 (fish to rice ratio by weight)

This is basically my question in reverse. I firmly beleive I know what the ideal is and Yasuda does not serve that. He has too much rice compared to fish. My gf swears yasuda is being cheap and that's why he does it, I like to think he's just stubborn and thinks it tastes better that way. Really only sasabune and yasuda have this problem. Everywhere else puts more fish/rice ratio. To name a few... Ushi wakamaru, 15 east, Kuruma Zushi, Masa, Shimizu, Hatsuhana, Jewel bako, and hte list goes on and on and on.

I agree that it's potentially offensive but I think you misunderstood my question. I would be perfectly fine with Yasuda's pieces if he removed 33% of the rice and did not increase the fish size. My issue is the fish to rice ratio. Places like shimizu, 15 east, kuruma zushi, and even Masa all serve a larger fish to rice ratio and it's something I GREATLY prefer. Honestly if Yasuda would cut his fish thicker or just give 33% less rice, I would proclaim Yasuda the best sushi spot in NYC.

If you are willing to ask(I wasn't). You might ask Yasuda why he slices his fish so thin and if he's tried thicker pieces. I'm 100% sure his answer is he believes in his proportioning for optimal taste but I'm only 75% sure I beleive he isn't lying. Maybe you'd get a good feel on whether he's lying.

I'm a huge fan of mackerel but it seems to be a rare thing . Shime-Saba (pickled mackerel) is the stuff normal sushi restaurants serve. I've even been served it at 15 east and Ushi. As of right now, the best saba I've ever had was @ yasuda 2-3 weeks ago and 2nd best was Shimizu 2-3 years ago. It's truly a great thing to get fresh saba (not sanma or some other fish in the mackerel family). If I had reread your post before going to ushi tonight I would have made it a point to check if any was available. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Been back here a couple times this year. Every single time it was completely packed. Today I went @ 9pm(a monday) and it was no different, totally packed. Business is booming.

Thanks for the response. I'm not scared of fugu, although I've never tried it. I HAVE had uni, no issues there. I think it's an issue of me feeling a bit overwhelmed by the possiblility that I could be served something that just does not sit right with me. I also admit to being a tiny bit intimidated by Masa's legendary palate I suppose. I really just wanted to treat myself to an "ultimate" dining experience in the city. Is there somewhere else you would recommend? This does not have to focus on sushi at all. I (admittedly) have not yet done the WD-50 tasting but hope to do that this year as well. ← I'm really more of a sushi addict than a foodie, so I think we have different tastes. My guess is that Masa, Le Bernardin, Per Se, The French Laundry, Jean Georges, Alan Ducasse, or L'Atelier De Joel Robuchon would be what you are looking for. I personally would rather spend my $500 over two meals at the previously mentioned sushi restaurants, but I'm sensing that you would enjoy masa more. I don't feel qualified to comment on the other restaurants I've listed so hopefully other people will chime in.

What are you favorite sushi places? What kinds of fish have you tried? Masa told me he serves blowfish when it's in season and even gives you a little taste of the poison(which has a numbing effect much like cocaine). I personally think that when people are hesitant to try exotic fish, 90% of the time it's because their idea of exotic fish is BAD exotic fish. I have countless friends who are unwilling to eat uni, but that's just because the uni they've had is disgusting. I dont' think you'll run into any problems with exotic fish you don't want to eat. Unfortunately when I went I brought only my camera and no notepad only to be told no photography is allowed. I'll also mention that if you are looking for the ultimate sushi experience, you're not going to find it at masa. Just head over to 15 east/Kuruma/ Yasuda. The meals there will be less complete (in that you will be focusing on only sushi), but the sushi itself is better. At these places the bill will only be about $200 (before tax and tip at yasuda/15 east) and $250 (before tax and tip) at kuruma.

I think sushi is always served last. Thats how they do it at Jewel Bako, 15 east, Nobu, and Ushi Wakamaru.

Amazing review with pictures. I cannot wait to make a visit.

What is the upper echelon in Japan? You mean like Ginza Kyuubei, Sukiyabashi Jiro, and Sushi Mizutani? Have you been to any of the three and can you offer your comparison to Kuruma? ← No, not that good, the super elite. But my experience is limited at that level. I think Kuruma on a good day is as rewarding experience as many very good, respectable sushi places in Japan, the high end that is occupied by innumerable restaurants of good quality. The places you mention are another level, I believe. I was at Sushi Mizutani a couple of weeks ago and it was a reference meal for me, memorable from start to finish. ← Masato told me I'd enjoy Mizutani over Jiro. Anyway, here's a pic of 15 east's masato with 1/2 of his new tuna

Shanghai cafe has the best XLB. It's been that way for 5 years now. Their crab XLB is especially standout since everywhere else seems to get them wrong.

What is the upper echelon in Japan? You mean like Ginza Kyuubei, Sukiyabashi Jiro, and Sushi Mizutani? Have you been to any of the three and can you offer your comparison to Kuruma?

My top 3 are 15 East Kuruma Zushi Sushi Yasuda ← They are listed in no particular order. Yasuda has the widest variety of fish in NY and the quality of fish is superb. I just dont think his preparation of the fish is perfect; he has a style of cutting and proportioning the fish and rice that is his own. Kuruma's the only place in NY with Kuruma Ebi that I know of and it's toro is a slight cut above anywhere else. It seems like Kuruma's focus is the fish itself, he doesn't even seem to care that much about tenderizing each sushi piece and paying close attention to the cut. And 15 East is the sushi package, you'll find exactly what you ate at Jiro there, only I imagine it will be of lesser quality. 15 East trails Yasuda in variety and kuruma slightly in fish quality, but the preparation makes up for it. Masato (the chef) slices and tenderizes each piece differently and serves it omakase style on a marble platter. I would guess Sukeroku, the tokyo restaurant which masato apprenticed at, is similar to Jiro. I preferred Jewel Bako(when Masato worked there) to 15 east because the sushi bar(physically) there was PHENOMENAL. It probably about 18 feet if you stretched it out and it only sat 8, what a wonderful place. Also I suspect JB might have had a little bit more fish, whether it be due to higher turnaround or Jack Lamb's influence. I would post pictures of JB, but the only time I documented my meal I was being served by the 2nd in command and it wouldn't do the place justice. Especially when they're bound to be compared to your Jiro shots. This is so on point, i'm already an addict for 15 east here, I can only imagine what would happen if I had Jiro. perhaps it would rid me of my addiction since it would be impossible for me to travel to japan all the time.

My top 3 are 15 East Kuruma Zushi Sushi Yasuda

What was the cost of your meal at Jiro. I've been a customer of masato Shimizu for yeras now (Jewel Bako -> 15 east) and he always claims the sushi in japan is way better. I told him i didn't believe him and he told me to go visit Ginza. Now that I've seen your pictures, I think I'm obligated to fly out there asap.

I used to go to goodies twice a month with my family before Joe's Shanhai opened. Then we'd have family/friend get togethers @ joe's where we would order upwards of 18 wooden trays of XLB. AFAIK, those are the best two XLB places in Flushing and I prefer Shanghai Cafe to them. ← Out of curiosity, do you know if there is any relation/connection between the Goodie's in Chintown (right off Confucius Plaza/Chatham Square) and the one in Flushing? ← I dont' know, but if they serve good XLB I'd bet they were related.

Went here when it first opened. Great place to have a big party, not a great place if you are looking for top quality Japanese food. In my head I have a matrix where Morimoto/Nobu are on one end and Sushi Yasuda/15 East are on the other end...right in the middle is japanais. So it's not as complete of a meal as morimoto or nobu but it's not as polarizing as a top Sushi place and it's worse quality than both.

I used to go to goodies twice a month with my family before Joe's Shanhai opened. Then we'd have family/friend get togethers @ joe's where we would order upwards of 18 wooden trays of XLB. AFAIK, those are the best two XLB places in Flushing and I prefer Shanghai Cafe to them.