jogoode

Uh, how about a very fat cat?

Why can't I eat that?

Yeah, I'm in a bit of fat-guy article withdrawl since his site has been down. You might want to look around eGullet -- do a site search with his member name and the words sushi. I know he has chimed in a number of times in a NYC thread about a great sushiya called Sushi Yasuda.

that addictive polenta with truffled mushrooms.

I have to disagree there. And I think most chefs would too. And along with tamago and uni, unagi/anago can be a pretty good indicator of quality and care. Ditto on the rice. And the nori. A good chef wil encourage you to eat maki as soon as you get it -- as you should with everything -- so it doesn't loose its texture. Americans love to save maki for last when they get those platters.

Right. But I was trying to show that a sushi bar filled with Japanese people is not equivalent to a bar filled with people who are used to good sushi. Aside from quality of ingredients and skill in preparation mentioned above, I think the sushi chef's ability to lead you in the right direction plays a big part. Also, chefs who are open to letting all customers partake in all fish -- as opposed to those chefs who lead you away from kohada and hokkaigai. (What other fish do you think chefs are hesitant to offer American diners?)

There's no question that most reviewers and patrons don't know good sushi from raw fish and rice. Exactly. Americans are the people you see in TGI Fridays eating burgers. I've heard arguments that seeing Japanese customers in a restaurant means nothing because good sushi in Japan is so expensive that most people can't afford it, and have never tasted "the real thing". They have lots of bad sushi in Japan as well as lots of Squid-Mayo maki.

The fact that sushi means rice implies that rice is an essential component and not just a platform for the fish. Most American sushi places simply make bad rice. And the sweet-sweet surimi in California rolls, the batter in crunchy shrimp rolls, and the mayo in spicy tuna rolls overwhelms the taste of the rice, which is featured along with the fish in good sushi. These creations are just something different than sushi (not to mention they are more like maki, not edo mae zushi). They are not better or worse than more traditional sushi, just different -- and maybe they should be called something different. Molly O'neill once told me (after she gave a lecture at my college) that the best sushi she had ever eaten was from some super small shop in the middle of nowhere. This contradicts most theories that suggest only high-end places getting fish from Tsukiji are worth your while. (I think many people who eat sushi, in America at least, want variety and value before anything else.) Much of the stuff I've heard that distinguishes great sushi from good sounds a bit romantic, but I've tried sushi from a chef who applies these techniques, after years of eating what I thought was good sushi, that has blown me away. Supposedly: Knowing how much water to use with rice is essential to cooking great rice that can elevate sushi. By touching the rice, the chef can apparently anticipate the dryness of the rice and alter their cooking of it accordingly. The ratio of fish to rice is something the chef can alter that can make or break sushi, as well as the pressure he applies to the rice when shaping. My understanding of inventiveness means, for one, sometimes using non-traditional fish, i.e. high quality stuff from US waters. Sometimes cutting from different parts of the fish, against the grain, controlling its temperature etc... Chefs who make their own shoyu and grate fresh wasabi with a shark skin grater, well, that's just extra

Thanks! If I had had complete control, the trip would've probably just entailed following your ass around I'm planning a cross-country type trip this summer, unless a full-time job comes my way -- and I kind of hope it doesn't. I'll have another shot at Carolina BBQ and then some.

Damn right. What does everyone think about the wasabi at Sushi Yasuda. It's clearly very high quality, but it's not always fresh. I think they've used fresh wasabi root in the past and I think it has been from Japan -- I know Yasuda avoids and disparages wasabi from Oregon. Otherwise I think it's been high-quality pre-grated stuff. I've heard from some chefs that fresh wasabi root from Japan is illegal to import. Morimoto in Philly (strange place), for one, insisted they had fresh root from Japan but I thought their wasabi tasted ordinary. Does anyone know anything about the restrictions on the import of wasabi? (No one wants to admit they don't serve fresh wasabi so maybe this illegal thing is just a scapegoat.)

This from the guy who refused White Manna before Chinese. But with respect to portion size, I've heard 10-15 pieces constitutes the traditional meal, although I've also heard that when sushi was still being served from outdoor stalls, people would stop by for 5 or so. Of course this doesn't mean Steven and others shouldn't consume as much as a large dolphin (Uh, they eat fish, right?). I would sooner stop in for a very occasional $40 snack with Yasuda and share Steven's pizza a bit later.

Yasuda's sushi excels not only because of the quality of fish -- very often from the US as well as Japan and Europe -- but because of his rice and his shoyu, along with other raw ingredients. (The rice he uses is a blend of domestic rice.) I can't compare sushi in Japan to sushi in NY, but I can say that he has access to unbelievable fish and he might disagree with: as he believes fish fresh from the water are not always ideal for sushi.

At Celeste a few weeks ago my dad ordered the pasta special, a very simple dish with fresh tagliatelle, eggplant, zucchini, etc... which ended up being about $4-5 more expensive than the regular pastas, although some of the regulars contain cheese and one uses shrimp. I'm not sure but couldn't the surcharge result when a restaurant orders a small quantity of an ingredient to use in a special as opposed to the lower price they might get for bulk purchases of their usual ingredients. I don't know much about the business-side of restaurants but it sounds plausible.

I was there a very long time ago, and what I remember vividly is the dungeon of a room in which they sat my party of 6. It was dark, cold, and our only company in the room was a couple, cameraman, and producer from a dating show. Service was poor and the food was forgettable. I do, however, remember a terrible dish of soggy fried calamari.

mjc, I think it's called "East of Paris". A Times advert says Bouley's doing a "free demo, tasting, and book signing" in Hartsdale (upstate ny) in a week or two. Fat Guy, This is good to know. I think I've always had Daniel on a pedestal for some reason. And the place is huge. I haven't done Jean G yet. Its cheap-ass lunch is on my to-do.

It's hard to believe Bouley's eccentric menu descriptors -- freshly harpooned? -- I guess it's the real deal. You ever talk to him or someone at the restaurant about Bouley's work with Chatham and Wellfleet fisherman?

more consistent than Daniel? You mean the service or food? I thought Bouley's 4-course lunch was an unbelievable bargain, very high quality, all the extras (do they still give you a little cake as you leave?) -- but the menu is not different enough now for me to even think about going again. I guess you can't compare Bouley to Daniel, but Daniel's tasting menus change daily and a la carte changes pretty frequently too (as I watch from the sidelines ).

Whenever I try to get my friends to eat tripe and other offal, they, mostly being other 22 year olds, get grossed out. I try to be patient as I understand that they're not used to seeing organ meat offered and also, altho they might not be aware of the fact, because organ meats do degrade faster than flesh. Initial aversion to organ meats might come from an ignorance in judging quality from taste and appearance. How much faster do these meats degrade and what are some of the tell-tale signs of quality?

Got it. Thanks Craig

respect is due. i try to do the same.

I'm an inexperienced wine drinker, but I'm working on educating myself and my palate. Very basic question -- what is the difference between acid and tannin? Thanks

I've heard lamb's testicles are often served at Easter eve dinners in Romagna.

Bux, I would do just about anything to have tripe at Cafe Boulud. I've only been during restaurant week (I think they offer the best bargain in the city) and once had a beautiful salad of warm veal's tongue, served crispy and cured. Keep an eye on the menu and let me know if entrails hit! I've had a great tripe soup ($2.50) at Teresa's, the polish diner in Brooklyn Heights.

Welcome Scrappleking, my lord. I was in Florence in July and I think I ate that same tripe sandwich! A small square, a cart, a dose of salt, and maybe some salsa verde (tho, could've been herbed oil). This Florentine sandwich, even if it isn't your sandwich, inspired my post, so it's quite a coincidence that you mentioned Florence.

Le Bernardin is serving a chowder now, too. "Lobster, Bay Scallop, Clams and Crab Presented New England Chowder Style" I wonder how they compare...