jogoode

Ah, right! I hope she's coming; I kept thinking she was in Philly.

I do do it. Again, I'm not taking issue with rinsing but with the article's implication.

I think you're right in cases where both the wild and farmed fish in question are quality products -- wild is different, not better. I actually prefer farmed yellowtail as sashimi and wild for sushi! (Yasuda usually offers two or three wild yellowtail. I had one that I'd never eaten last month: wakashi.)

I don't think anyone would say that there is a downside to rinsing. It's just that deciding to scare people into changing their behavior instead of presenting a carefully reasoned argument that deals candidly with both sides of the argument is something we see far too much in the media. Not to say that this article is the best example -- as I said, I may have jumped the gun -- but the Times has certainly been guilty of this in the past. The thought "Maybe I didn't wash my apple well enough" might be enough to compel an already fearful public to head for the Veggie Wash -- the same logic that gave rise to the proliferation of antibacterial handwash. And as dosconz said a few posts up: And how can water alone take care of concerns about Shigella, as the article suggests? Why should I start to use special wash for my fruit -- I use Dial on my cutting board after it touches raw chicken?

I read about it in a book about Sushi authored by the owner of Jiro, which is one of the premier Sushi places in Tokyo. "Read" is actually not correct, my wife showed it to me, it is written in Japanese (I can read Japanese to some extent, but when it comes to anatomy of fishes I am lost). When she comes back from her businesstrip I'll find out more. Great! Hey, maybe you and I could retire early if we got that book published in English. Your wife can translate, you can transcribe, and I'll, uh, watch.

Steingarten's second book has a chapter about bluefin farms. I flipped quickly through it just now; he says the farms have been around for years, which might mean five, might mean three. He also says these farms keep bluefin for about 6 months, feeding and fattening them to increase the quantity/quality of their toro. I think we can assume from this that farmed bluefin has been served in restaurants for at least five years, since he wrote the article in 2000. So although some of this farmed tuna seems to be high quality -- because of Steingarten's praise of the toro he ate -- I still wondered why there hasn't been a proliferation of advertisements for wild tuna on menus. I believe that the "Atlantic" salmon is not necessarily wild, but I think Yasuda's sockeye and king salmons are. Maybe I'll ask JS?

Ankomochi, I respect your restraint! I would go so much more if I could do this. Sinbad, I think it was o-toro. But I'm not sure. Where can you look stuff like this up?! Are there any books in English that are at all informative/detailed about sushi making that aren't called "Making Sushi at Home", or something like that? (From your posts in the last thread about sushi yasuda, I know you go to Japan often, but I'm not sure if you speak or read Japanese.) Is "New York" tuna just tuna caught in the Atlantic around NY? Despite quotas, wild tuna is caught and sold, but why don't you see "wild bluefin" touted on menus the way you see "wild salmon"? (This is probably something for another thread.)

Looks like it's just us Bond Girl. What should we do -- wait another week for more companions or order the entire menu ourselves?

I always get excited seeing a female sushi chef because there are not many of them. There is one female chef name Arisa working there and I had a wonderful experience sitting at her section. Since I went there by myself and I speak Japanese, I had so much fun talking with her. (I do not know how her English is and how much she will speak if she has to speak in English.) She explained me where fishes were from and which fishes were fatty and tasty, so I focused on eating fishes that were in season and from NY area. I have never sat at Yasuda-san's, so I cannot compare those two. As far as I can tell Arisa-san was great! Thanks ankomochi! BTW, on my last visit, the menu included some NY area fish, including "New York" and "Boston" toro. Does this mean what I think it means? (I tried the "Boston" and it was unbelievable!)

I hear you! Fat Guy will tell you that if you go all out and get all the top-tier stuff (which, he would also say, doesn't necessarily mean better stuff, just more luxurious cuts and maybe some off-the-menu items) you'll spend $200+ per person. But if you let Yasuda know how much your are willing to spend, he'll tailor omakase as such. I usually go and order a la carte for the first few pieces and just let him take over part of the way through. And even if you don't ask for omakase, he'll start making suggestions during the meal.

I'm glad you liked it! And do go back to sit at the bar. Maybe for lunch. Another advantage of sitting at the bar would have been that as your sushi was put in front of you, a few pieces at a time, the chef would have noted your visible wincing and adjusted the amount of wasabi. If you prefer less wasabi, you have to let someone know because the chef will always put on what he thinks is the ideal amount, as Fat Guy said. Last time I went, I was eating at the bar with Yasuda and turning my pieces upside as I put them in my mouth (so the fish touches the tongue first). I do -- I swear -- appreciate his sushi rice, but this was how I had read you were supposed to eat. Yasuda told me that the author of the book, once we had remembered his name, knew nothing. And he told me not to think so much. Just eat and enjoy. [Edit: I should add that he also suggested I put the piece in my mouth right side up.] If you ask for a reservation at the bar, they'll ask what chef you'd like. And yes those seats in front of Yasuda are almost always, if not always, filled. The other chefs, I'm told, serve great sushi as well. Can anyone who has sat at the bar with someone other than Yasuda compare experiences?

Robyn, I reread the article, and more slowly this time. You're right; I did jump the gun. Nevertheless, the prospect of a powdered form of Fit, which will supposedly kill 99.9% of bacteria on produce, does scare me a little, though the article clearly does not recommend these vegetable-cleaning products. (I never thought I'd write that: "vegetable-cleaning products.") I am still curious to know, however, whether Jeffrey has come across anything in his research about shigella in unwashed produce, to put the article in some perspective. (By the way, I don't wash my melons.) Jeffrey, can you still respond to the bit about the sausage?

I would do so many things for a DVD of these shows.

Salad, the silent killer.

Making us buy guns, Veggie Wash and Organiclean! And just generally making us buy.

Ah! A friend! Great Lauren, I look forward to meeting you Hey Bond Girl, how many did you make the reservation for, or did you not reserve yet?

The restaurant definitely won't mind your not going all out on dinner. I've seen plenty of people sit at the bar for dinner and spend only fifty bucks. I have spent less. The hardest part about sticking to a budget is turning down Yasuda's recommendations when you know you've already exhausted your alotted money. So I also think you should make the staff -- or the chef, depending on where you're sitting -- aware of your budget. And if you didn't reserve a seat at the bar, you should see if any are still available -- it's a more valuable experience in general, not only because you can communicate preferences with the chef and ask questions, but because it's fun to see the chefs at work. I hope you enjoy your meal. Please let us know what you think.

I'm shaking as I write this. I was so scared of diseased meat that I started ordering my steaks burnt and ultimately banished meat from my diet. Now the Times is telling me that I should wash the skin of my melons (because bacteria on the rinds can be transferred to the flesh when cut!?) in 83 changes of water, scrub my tubers with Dial antibacterial soap, and boil my mail-order peaches before I serve them to my grandma. (And I accidentally ingested an entire raw-milk affidelice a few days ago. Am I going to die?) But seriously, how dangerous is the shigella bacteria? Is this obsessive vegetable-washing a new myth for you to debunk or is its sensible practice something you'd advise? Is the media ever going to stop trying to scare us? And can you tell us about the time you ate raw sausage?

Respond to this thread if you want to join us for dinner.

Bond Girl and I are thinking about checking out Casa Mono on Saturday night. We can't order the entire menu by ourselves , so we need some companions. Anyone down?

JJ are you accusing me of hording my own food?!!! I do share.... Oops. I meant that you and I need more eating companions so we can both pick at their food!

This is a great idea! A double-blind experiment with thirty people would have solid reliability as small, impromptu food tastings go. Please make up surveys for guests (which include the question "Are my latkes the best of all time") and report results. I think, however, that Jeffrey Steingarten once participated in a comparative pastrami tasting and preferred another spot to Katz's. I still love Katz's.

Should we start a new topic to round up people whose food I can try, I mean, um, friends? Soba? alacarte? bourdain()?

7pm sounds good. The tripe and cock's combs are callin'! See anything you're dying to order Bond Girl?

And if you do, maybe we can meet for a bite!