Sushi Yasuda

[vienna]

Hi, I was wondering if it's possible to have omakase at sushi yasuda which has big ratio of sashimi over sushi? I know he's famous for the sushi rice but it's just I have health problem with rice.

But I'm planning to go with my bf who would eat anything...although he also usually prefers sashimi over sushi.

I'be been to sushi yasuda before but only ordered a la carte and sat at table.

With my specific omakase in mind, if it does possible (not hurting chef's feeling and I would still have great meal) , should we book a table or sit at the bar?

Thank you.

[alanamoana]

in any situation like this, it is best for you to call the restaurant well ahead of your reservation (or while you're making your reservation) and ask them all of these questions. inform them of your health concerns (as if you were dealing with an allergy or something like that). i'm sure they would be happy to accommodate you.

the key is to give them this information ahead of time, NOT when you show up at the restaurant. it is amazing to me how many people show up at a restaurant on a busy weekend night at 8pm when the kitchen is slammed and then decide to deal with staff regarding their 20 different food allergies/eating issues. if the kitchen is forewarned, they can be prepared to deliver you the dining experience you are expecting with little fuss or bother.

[DanaT]

Thank you wannabechef for a truly mouthwatering review. Now I've simply got to go to Yasuda! I am a glutton for fabulous sushi. Yasuda-san is so right - its all about the rice - at least for me. Was the toro you tried the medium toro that's always on the menu when I'm ordering sushi or the delicious bluefin toro?

I'm surprised the place takes reservations for the sushi counter. I never heard of that.

[jogoode]

Thank you wannabechef for a truly mouthwatering review. Now I've simply got to go to Yasuda! I am a glutton for fabulous sushi. Yasuda-san is so right - its all about the rice - at least for me. Was the toro you tried the medium toro that's always on the menu when I'm ordering sushi or the delicious bluefin toro?

I'm surprised the place takes reservations for the sushi counter. I never heard of that.

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Sitting at Yasuda's end of the counter is where you want to be, and people compete for the pleasure. But I've heard from many reputable eaters that the other chefs are excellent, so don't despair if you can't get Yasuda. And please report here if you go, DanaT!

[DanaT]

Sitting at Yasuda's end of the counter is where you want to be, and people compete for the pleasure. But I've heard from many reputable eaters that the other chefs are excellent, so don't despair if you can't get Yasuda. And please report here if you go, DanaT!

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Oooh cool, thanks JJ! Now I just gotta use my persuasive powers when my partner in culinary crime gets back from the Bahamas next week. Normally it would be a piece of cake but right after a weeklong cruise and right before Christmas is usually NOT the opportune time to say to a pal, Hey wanna spend a hundred or so on lunch?

I'll definitely want to try the omokase and maybe a couple of ala carte pieces of sushi. Does Yasuda have a must-try fish? What price range do you recommend for the omokase?

[jogoode]

This might sound silly but the right amount for omakase is whatever amount you'd like to spend. Higher price means more luxury, not better fish. I usually order five to ten pieces a la carte -- I can't leave without having uni, hotategai and mirugai. Then I ask Yasuda to suggest fish. I've never spent over $80 per person. Your first time there will be a revelation whatever you choose to spend.

[peter_nyc]

Go for the anago (sea eel). Grilled to perfection.

[jogoode]

I'll definitely want to try the omokase and maybe a couple of ala carte pieces of sushi. Does Yasuda have a must-try fish? What price range do you recommend for the omokase?

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I agree with the eel suggestion. Though everything you get will be great, the eel at Yasuda is just so different from the pre-cooked, warmed-in-a-toaster-oven variety that you find at even supposedly "good" sushi places that it's worth your making sure you order it. Also, Yasuda is a tuna specialist, so try a few grades and types of toro.

All this Yasuda talk is killing me, so I made a reservation for dinner next week. . It has been too long...

[DanaT]

All this Yasuda talk is killing me, so I made a reservation for dinner next week. . It has been too long...

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smart move, JJ! I hope you give us the full report!

Ah, anago, I love it. The one piece of fish I didn't order at my favorite neighborhood sushi place, Mishima because it didn't look good. But their red snapper was to die for and also the much maligned medium toro.

Anago I gotta try at Yasuda! I also see a bluefin toro order in my future, maybe botan?

Edited November 11, 2004 by DanaT (log)

[DanaT]

hmm, what do you guys think about japanese pike? I had it last night at another restaurant but it was forgettable.

Also the baby hamachi was disappointing although I remember at another time it was very firm and good.

[DanaT]

All this Yasuda talk is killing me, so I made a reservation for dinner next week. . It has been too long...

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So, how did it go?

Edited November 23, 2004 by DanaT (log)

[jogoode]

All this Yasuda talk is killing me, so I made a reservation for dinner next week. . It has been too long...

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So, how did it go?

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It was amazing, as usual. After every meal at Yasuda, I wonder why I spend that kind of money anywhere else. It's just so satisfying. Proof that Yasuda isn't as expensive as people seem to think: the check for two was $120.

[DanaT]

All this Yasuda talk is killing me, so I made a reservation for dinner next week. . It has been too long...

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So, how did it go?

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It was amazing, as usual. After every meal at Yasuda, I wonder why I spend that kind of money anywhere else. It's just so satisfying. Proof that Yasuda isn't as expensive as people seem to think: the check for two was $120.

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Geez, JJ, I spent $70 just for myself tonight at Hasaki on 9th Street and 3rd. It was good though - Alaska King Salmon, soy cured tuna, chu-toro, ikura, baby abalone, spicy cod roe, hamachi, kampachi. The sushi chef was so funny - he made sure to tell me not to use soy sauce on the baby abalone but he neglected to tell me to stay clear of soy sauce with the soy cured tuna. I think I got my yearly salt intake allowance right there.

So what did y'all have? Man, if my sushi partner in crime doesn' call me back I may have to see if Yasuda takes single reservations.

[madziast]

HA! reading all the posts just made me realize that when my husband and i finally went to Yasuda a couple of months ago we got the prized seats at the end of the bar and the master to make food for us! no wonder it was excellent. we got stuffed silly (so hard to stop the great stuff coming!) for about $80 per person for food plus sake extra... the only meal that was better than Yasuda was Tojo's in Vancouver, where i ate MORE my much larger husband... for the first (and so far last) time ever. my eyes were bugging out but i still had a couple more pieces than he did, he he...

[jogoode]

Geez, JJ, I spent $70 just for myself tonight at Hasaki on 9th Street and 3rd. It was good though - Alaska King Salmon, soy cured tuna, chu-toro, ikura, baby abalone, spicy cod roe, hamachi, kampachi. The sushi chef was so funny - he made sure to tell me not to use soy sauce on the baby abalone but he neglected to tell me to stay clear of soy sauce with the soy cured tuna. I think I got my yearly salt intake allowance right there. 

So what did y'all have? Man, if my sushi partner in crime doesn' call me back I may have to see if Yasuda takes single reservations.

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You can definitely reserve a seat for one at the bar!

Highlights from my recent meal included beatifully fatty sawara (Spanish Mackerel), Pearle Passage oysters, aka ika, scallop with a squirt of daidai (a fruit with no English translation, said Yasuda, but in my little Japanese food dictionary, daidai is Seville orange), and menegi (scallion sprouts), along with the typical (but not typical ) warasa, akami (no toro this time), anago (Florida), and uni (Cali).

[montrachet]

HA!  reading all the posts just made me realize that when my husband and i finally went to Yasuda a couple of months ago we got the prized seats at the end of the bar and the master to make food for us!  no wonder it was excellent. we got stuffed silly (so hard to stop the great stuff coming!) for about $80 per person for food plus sake extra... the only meal that was better than Yasuda was Tojo's in Vancouver, where i ate MORE my much larger husband...  for the first (and so far last) time ever.  my eyes were bugging out but i still had a couple more pieces than he did, he he...

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I've had superb dinners at Yasuda's and I find that it's far and above what Tojo's is able to offer. Perhaps we give the nod to our destination dining venues rather than what is available in our own backyard.

When in L.A., I recommend Kiriko in Santa Monica.

[DanaT]

OK I'm booking my place at the bar!

You've got me hungering for Yasuda-san's fine cuisine.

Now I know that warasa is 2-3 year old yellowtail (a little older than hamachi) and akami is red tuna, but what is aka ika? I know its squid but how is it different than regular squid. Ika is one of my guilty pleasures along with butterfish. Its cheap but its good.

[madziast]

HA!  reading all the posts just made me realize that when my husband and i finally went to Yasuda a couple of months ago we got the prized seats at the end of the bar and the master to make food for us!  no wonder it was excellent. we got stuffed silly (so hard to stop the great stuff coming!) for about $80 per person for food plus sake extra... the only meal that was better than Yasuda was Tojo's in Vancouver, where i ate MORE my much larger husband...  for the first (and so far last) time ever.  my eyes were bugging out but i still had a couple more pieces than he did, he he...

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I've had superb dinners at Yasuda's and I find that it's far and above what Tojo's is able to offer. Perhaps we give the nod to our destination dining venues rather than what is available in our own backyard.

When in L.A., I recommend Kiriko in Santa Monica.

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will keep your LA recommendation in mind for any future trips thanks! interesting thoughts about the grass-is-greener perception... ate once at Tojo's and once at Yasuda. Yasuda was more recent (does memory of a meal grow fonder with time as well???) but not as fabulous... i believe we spend about the same US$80 per person for food at each place, don't know whether that would have made any difference at all. also, is the audience any different in their expectations in Vancouver vs. NY? i don't think so but corect me if i'm wrong

on the other hand, Vij's as a HUGE disappointment, esp. after waiting for over an hour. i thought most of the dishes tasted the same...then again, we had a snack at Ouest beforehand.

[DanaT]

I got reservations this Thursday evening at Yasuda-san's counter!

[jogoode]

Exciting, DanaT. Be sure to order lots of tuna -- 'tis the season.

[DanaT]

Exciting, DanaT. Be sure to order lots of tuna -- 'tis the season.

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Thanks JJ. We're salivating at the thought. We were thinking of each ordering a $60 omokase to keep to a budget and then ordering a few extra pieces. Does he ask for our preferences before the omakase or does he just do his thing and we ask for extra pieces later?

[jogoode]

I'm salivating, too. He'll probably ask you whether there's anything you don't eat. Then he'll get to it. But remember, you don't have to do an official omakase. You can order a few pieces and then ask him to start suggesting fish. Do try the sawara; it was so good! I've never enjoyed that fish so much.

Exciting, DanaT. Be sure to order lots of tuna -- 'tis the season.

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Thanks JJ. We're salivating at the thought. We were thinking of each ordering a $60 omokase to keep to a budget and then ordering a few extra pieces. Does he ask for our preferences before the omakase or does he just do his thing and we ask for extra pieces later?

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[Jammin]

We went for a celebratory dinner the week before Thanksgiving and were seated at the bar with the man himself.

One thing that surprised me is that you can still get the combination dinners for cheap - like 20 or 25 bucks. So you could theoretically walk out of there *under* $40/person which is just sick.

Anyway, it was fab. Again. I don't know what I've been smoking that it's been 2 years since I last dined at Yasuda.

[DanaT]

I'm salivating, too. He'll probably ask you whether there's anything you don't eat. Then he'll get to it. But remember, you don't have to do an official omakase. You can order a few pieces and then ask him to start suggesting fish. Do try the sawara; it was so good! I've never enjoyed that fish so much.

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Sounds heavenly, jj. Thank you SO much. You've given us quite an education so we know a bit more about what to expect. My main fear is that we're going to totally forget about money when the sushi starts rolling in.

That's what happened last time at Hatsake but there the damage wasn't so bad - $70 per person with tip, but that was with sake, soup, and dessert. I think we could go to $100 per person with tip here because the restaurant is so special but more than that is more than we're bargaining for.

[DanaT]

Ah heaven!

Entering into Yasuda-san's sanctuary, our eyes were struck by the well lit atmosphere accentuated by the blond wood of the long sushi counter. Smiling attendants took our coats and escorted us to the sushi bar where Yasuda-san was advising the next couple on their next sushi purchase.

A large bottle of dry sake to share and a quick perusal of the menu with Yasuda-san's special recommendations circled in red led us to believe we were in good hands.

Three forms of yellowtail were circled as were two kinds of white see eel, big eye tuna was circled but surprisingly no toro. Scallops, and surprisingly fresh cooked shrimp were on the master's recommended list. Atlantic char and Atlantic king salmon rounded out the recommended choices.

We two grown women had eyes as big as children in a candy store.

A speciality of Yasuda-san was a topping of sea salt rather than soy sauce on many of his sushi creations. It made a wonderfully fresh difference in the kampachi, sawara that we started off with. A tasting of white sea eel covered with homemade soy sauce rounded out the first go round.

After our drinks were refilled, we feasted on big eye tuna covered with the lightest coating of soy sauce and scallop which was so tender it melted in our mouths on contact. Other pieces came, sea bass among others, each more delicious that the last.

At this point my companion and I split ways. I just had to sample the uni which she was allergic to so she tried the Atlantic king salmon. At that point some fresh cooked shrimp became available and he offered us some. Normally I disdain the cooked shrimp for amaebi or botan but this shrimp had so much flavor, it needed no topping or accoutrements. He offered us another piece of bass but in the meantime he was making some sushi for the next couple which looked very interesting so we asked for a piece - white sea eel with a light dusting of sea salt. This was eel, firm but not hard, slightly sweet, slightly salty-and cooked slightly different from the first we tried so that it tasted like a totally different fish. I cannot describe the ecstasy.

We were getting full so when he offered us a taste of the bluefin toro (always my favorite) we declared it our last piece. And it lived up to its place as the last piece of the evening. A delicate coating of sea salt set the toro to its best effect like no soy sauce could.

That piece could have just ended a perfect meal....until we realized that we hadn't tried the orange clam - the only clam that the two of us like and on the chef's recommended list.

So the orange clam was the last piece of the evening. We had some dessert; I, some mochi balls; my friend, some green tea ice cream.

The price for this did not come cheap. The bill came to $240 for two with tax and tip but it was worth every penny.

Yasuda-san made a fitting comment as we stood up to leave..."To be continued" he said, and bowed.

I highly recommend Sushi Yasuda for every sushi afionado and I can't wait to have the money to go back.

Edited December 3, 2004 by DanaT (log)