15 east sushi

[chefboy24]

anyone been?

going tonight.

this is the restaurant in the former toqueville space, marco moreira is still the owner, and the sushi chef is the original sushi chef from jewel bako.

will post review!!

[bpearis]

I was a big fan of Jewel Bako and spent many nights eating in front of Masato Shimizu and was very excited for 15 East's opening. I went on my birthday back in January.

We did the full-blown omakase which included a bunch of appetizers, sashimi, sushi, etc. Highlights included toro from the jaw that was blowtorched first, two kinds of uni that were presented together in a little bowl of rice with a spoon, and a couple pieces of braised octopus that Shimizu was quite proud of. The last piece of sushi was his "signature eel" which he gives to you in a wide bowl and drizzles the sauce all over the place. His eel is second only to Yasuda, I think, but the presentation was a bit superfluous.

Also, they have the best gari I have ever eaten. And the yuzu granita for desert was just right for the end of the meal.

The only thing I didn't really care for was a shreded burdock root and scallion tempura -- fine but not much different than hashbrowns. And the music is standard Asian Chillout Mix stuff.

The space is nice, and the sushi bar itself -- made from some kind of ancient wood they got from Africa somewhere -- is really lovely.

The sushi was great, but for what you get, it is very expensive. And I don't need all the fuss. (Though I enjoyed it at Jewel Bako, mainly because I think Jack Lamb jas a sense of humor about it.) I'm not dissing, but next time I splurge, it will probably be at Yasuda.

[raji]

I noticed this review of 15 East and Rosanjin by Adam Platt for next week's NY Mag

http://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/31787/

I applaud the following line - even with ALL of the openings, authenticity is still very hard to come by.

Indeed, with its modest size and stark décor, 15 East feels like that rare and exotic thing: a traditional Japanese-run restaurant.

[zEli173]

Have a reservation to sit with Masato next weekend for my birthday dinner. Anyone have words of advice?

Anyone have reason to recommend an alternative destination? I won't go to Yasuda, last time we were treated horribly. Masa is way too much money. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Karuma will also cost substantially more than 15 East. Ushi is still closed AFAIK, plus it's our regular spot so trying to mix it up for the b-day. Seki (don't really know much about it)? Anywhere else I haven't considered?

Edited December 12, 2007 by zEli173 (log)

[Dryden]

Have a reservation to sit with Masato next weekend for my birthday dinner.  Anyone have words of advice?

Go hungry... :-)

[LPShanet]

Have a reservation to sit with Masato next weekend for my birthday dinner.  Anyone have words of advice?

Anyone have reason to recommend an alternative destination?  I won't go to Yasuda, last time we were treated horribly.  Masa is way too much money.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I  believe Karuma will also cost substantially more than 15 East.  Ushi is still closed AFAIK, plus it's our regular spot so trying to mix it up for the b-day.  Seki (don't really know much about it)?  Anywhere else I haven't considered?

←

Your information is good. Kuruma may cost as much as double 15 East (which isn't particularly cheap). And Ushi is still closed. Seki is fun, but it's focus is more on creativity and less on the ingredient quality, although quality is still very good. If you're an Ushi fan, I think you'll like 15 East quite a bit. Also worth of consideration is Shimizu (but 15 East is a little swankier in atmosphere and maybe better for a b'day). Also, Soto is pretty good, but the real stars there are the prepared dishes more than the sushi.

[raji]

Have a reservation to sit with Masato next weekend for my birthday dinner.  Anyone have words of advice?

Anyone have reason to recommend an alternative destination?  I won't go to Yasuda, last time we were treated horribly.  Masa is way too much money.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I  believe Karuma will also cost substantially more than 15 East.  Ushi is still closed AFAIK, plus it's our regular spot so trying to mix it up for the b-day.  Seki (don't really know much about it)?  Anywhere else I haven't considered?

←

What happened at Yasuda, did you feel rushed?

Kuruma costs enough to put a damper on your birthday buzz...

If you already have a reservation at 15 East, sounds like you're set, Masato Shimizu seems to be keeping his rep up at the new spot.

If it would were my birthday, though, I'd have dinner at Shimizu. Everyone I've sent there recently has reported back extremely positively. You can read about it in the Shimizu thread here and in others http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...9671&hl=Shimizu

Reason I say so, though, is because then you can round the corner and hit Kyotofu for birthday drinks and desserts, and still have cab fare home vs. the entire meal at 15 East. A sushi bar can never get all that festive, unless you hang out until the end and get drunk with all the sushi chefs, and can also speak some really vulgar Japanese. Kyotofu is a revelation.

[zEli173]

Yeah, I decided against Soto because of the reason LPS cites, the cooked dishes are supposedly the real draw.

As for Shimizu, I had ruled that out too, but raji you have me reconsidering a bit.

My girlfriend and I ate at Shimizu once about two years ago. It was a busy weekday night and we weren't looking for an elaborate meal. There was no space at the bar so we sat at a table and ordered the menu listed "omakase". It was fine, but totally unimpressive. I'll be the first to say that is not a fair way to judge, but it's still hard to escape the impression it left. Since then, anytime I've considered going back for a second try I've wound up at Ushi because I've loved every meal I've ever had there, it's nearby my place, and they know me there.

But like I said, I know better. I know I shouldn't judge until I sit at the bar and get a real omakase. And I know that it has a solid group of devotees who have well informed opinions. I'm now convinced I need to go back soon. But should it be for my B-Day? The biggest calling card may be the post sushi Kyotofu play. Tempting, but I'll probably stick with 15 East and leave the Shimizu return for another day. Probably.

Seki, definitely doesn't sound like my place. Sounds similar to Gari which I've never been much inclined to try.

As for Yasuda, we were more than rushed. This was October of '06 and I have never taken the time to post my experience. I've just done so in full detail and I now realize that it's appropriate to post it in the Yasuda thread instead of here. Link:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1506493

[raji]

As for Shimizu, I had ruled that out too, but raji you have me reconsidering a bit. 

My girlfriend and I ate at Shimizu once about two years ago.  It was a busy weekday night and we weren't looking for an elaborate meal.  There was no space at the bar so we sat at a table and ordered the menu listed "omakase".  It was fine, but totally unimpressive.  I'll be the first to say that is not a fair way to judge, but it's still hard to escape the impression it left.  Since then, anytime I've considered going back for a second try I've wound up at Ushi because I've loved every meal I've ever had there, it's nearby my place, and they know me there.

But like I said, I know better.  I know I shouldn't judge until I sit at the bar and get a real omakase.  And I know that it has a solid group of devotees who have well informed opinions.  I'm now convinced I need to go back soon.  But should it be for my B-Day?  The biggest calling card may be the post sushi Kyotofu play.  Tempting, but I'll probably stick with 15 East and leave the Shimizu return for another day.  Probably.

Well, "Little" Shimizu-san doesn't seem to need my support any longer; you can take my advice objectively. A table-ordered omakase would not be impressive, and the set-price "omakase" on the menu is a common practice among Japanese sushi-bar owners but is a bit misleading - it's not the adventure, it's the packaged tour. It's essentially a chef's assortment of the day on a single platter; hard to be impressed by cooked shrimp, omelette and salmon, but Shimizu should have delivered standards and then some more delicate specials more than competently, but it's not going to be exciting - it's almost akin to an expanded "sushi lunch" assortment - did you get the one that's $59 for 2? Or I think they have per person around $55?

Anyway, at a table, ordering in rounds is the best way to let them know what kinds of fish you like and approximate what you get ordering omakase. For that matter, it's still not like the sushi chefs have secret stashes of exotic fish that they refuse to have delivered to a table, just find out the specials, and the more you eat sushi the more you will really explore the species. Usually almost everything in the omakase is right there on the a la carte menu.

Anyway, Shimizu's is still the sleeper top echelon omakase - and they've got a great selection of shochu. So your decision might rest on your drinking and dessert-ing plans..