Sushi Yasuda

[jogoode]

I'm so happy you enjoyed your meal, and thanks for your report!

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.

I don't understand the circles. He always often suggests fish that aren't circled, which is consistent with his "if it's not the highest quality I won't serve it" philosophy. So why does he circle certain items?

A speciality of Yasuda-san was a topping of sea salt rather than soy sauce on many of his sushi creations. 

I enjoy that, too! Sometimes, the scallops get sea salt and lemon or daidai. Man, I need to go back...

[milla]

I don't understand the circles. He always often suggests fish that aren't circled, which is consistent with his "if it's not the highest quality I won't serve it" philosophy. So why does he circle certain items?

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My understanding of the menu and the circles is that everything is of the highest quality otherwise he would not serve it. The cirlces denote the items he is especially fond of, has small quantities of, or are incredibly seasonal.

[DanaT]

I don't understand the circles. He always often suggests fish that aren't circled, which is consistent with his "if it's not the highest quality I won't serve it" philosophy. So why does he circle certain items?

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My understanding of the menu and the circles is that everything is of the highest quality otherwise he would not serve it. The cirlces denote the items he is especially fond of, has small quantities of, or are incredibly seasonal.

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Yes, that's it. The specials he circled were mostly seasonal. I think the big eye tuna was one of the seasonal items.

He suggested fish that wasn't circled too, like the bluefin toro which was one of the best pieces of the night.

[jogoode]

I don't understand the circles. He always often suggests fish that aren't circled, which is consistent with his "if it's not the highest quality I won't serve it" philosophy. So why does he circle certain items?

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My understanding of the menu and the circles is that everything is of the highest quality otherwise he would not serve it. The cirlces denote the items he is especially fond of, has small quantities of, or are incredibly seasonal.

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Aha! That makes sense.

[madziast]

DanaT, your meal sounds AMAZING!!! makes me want to RUN there right now!

[robert brown]

When we dine here, we always sit in front of the same chef who knows what we like and whatever else is good on the day. We almost never reject any of his suggestions. Lately we have learned how to keep the price below $85.00 per person by ordering rolls with vegetables instead of fish deeper into the meal. Of course you never know with any precision how much you're spending, except that if you have eaten a lot, you're going to be over the $100. mark.

[DanaT]

I'm so happy you enjoyed your meal, and thanks for your report!

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.

I don't understand the circles. He always often suggests fish that aren't circled, which is consistent with his "if it's not the highest quality I won't serve it" philosophy. So why does he circle certain items?

A speciality of Yasuda-san was a topping of sea salt rather than soy sauce on many of his sushi creations. 

I enjoy that, too! Sometimes, the scallops get sea salt and lemon or daidai. Man, I need to go back...

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Thanks JJ for the recommendation and the suggestions. It was heavenly. I don't think we had daidai but after awhile we stopped quizzing him about the food and just ate it gratefully. :)

DanaT, your meal sounds AMAZING!!! makes me want to RUN there right now!

Let me tell you, I'm saving up the money right now. We were going to visit a French place in Brooklyn near the Sargent show but after thinking about it, said "Nah!, lets wait till we can go back to Yasuda again."

Lately we have learned how to keep the price below $85.00 per person by ordering rolls with vegetables instead of fish deeper into the meal.

Good suggestion, robert. I enjoyed the rolls with fish but not as much as the nigiri sushi. I'd like to see what he does with the ume yamaimo roll.

Edited December 4, 2004 by DanaT (log)

[sakana]

I'm in the middle of planning the meals for my ritual March trip to NYC, and this thread has me ready to be at Yasuda now. I went last year for lunch but was cautious about price, opting for a cheap (very good) set selection of fish. This year, thanks to you guys, I promise that will be splurging on the omakase. (I don't know whether to curse or than you, but I can't wait to be there!)

Edited January 7, 2005 by sakana (log)

[jogoode]

I'm in the middle of planning the meals for my ritual March trip to NYC, and this thread has me ready to be at Yasuda now.  I went last year for lunch but was cautious about price, opting for a cheap (very good) set selection of fish.  This year, thanks to you guys, I promise that will be splurging on the omakase.  (I don't know whether to curse or than you, but I can't wait to be there!)

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We expect a full report!

[DanaT]

Another Yasuda convert! I can't wait to hear about your meal. March, is it?

[sakana]

Another Yasuda convert! I can't wait to hear about your meal. March, is it?

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I can't wait to have it (and don't worry, I'll report back fully)! But not til March-- I'm a teacher with an outrageously long spring break, so I get to spend about 10 days in New York when it comes. It's a long time to wait, but worth it once it gets here. In addition to Yasuda, I plan return visits to Honmura An, Restaurant Ichimura, and Sugiyama. In my less sane moments, I also give serious consideration to a dinner at Masa but I'm just not sure my pallet is sophisticated enough to appreciate the glory of the meal. I'd actually love other sushi suggestions but don't want to sidetrack this thread. Is in appropriate to start another, or best to just keep searching and browsing and posting restaurant-specific questions?

Edited January 8, 2005 by sakana (log)

[DanaT]

The moderators can delete this if its inappropriate here but...

You could try Kurumazushi, a sushi place often compared to Yasuda. It would be fun to compare the omokase between the two. Alas, I haven't done that yet.

If you go to both, please share your comparison in this thread. It would be fun to read.

Sushi Yasuda vs. Kurumazushi

[sakana]

The moderators can delete this if its inappropriate here but...

You could try Kurumazushi, a sushi place often compared to Yasuda. It would be fun to compare the omokase between the two. Alas, I haven't done that yet.

If you go to both, please share your comparison in this thread. It would be fun to read.

Sushi Yasuda vs. Kurumazushi

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Thanks for the link Dana, I'll add Kurumazushi to my list!

[zeitoun]

I finally made it to Yasuda last night with my wife and a friend and we all had a wonderful time. Because of a late cancellation we managed to get a seat with Yasuda-san who, and I will go into details later, really made this evening a memorable one for us. We all started the traditional way with sashimi, then moved on with sushi and finished with maki rolls.

The highlight of his sashimi I thought was his various offerings of clams (sometimes from the same clam but different parts) which were absolutely fantastic and the oysters that he served with a touch of vinegar and dipped in salt. Yasuda pointed out himself that the oysters he gets from Washingotn state are only "average" but what really makes them tasty is the measured combo of vinegar and salt which he rightfully claims brings out the flavor of the oyster.

For sushi, the pieces that stood out in my eyes were the gensaba ( a type of japanese mackerel), aji (horse mackerel), and the two types of freshwater eels he had which names seem to escape me. The eels were fantastic and I loved the way they were layered on the rice, with a light sprinkle of rock salt tucked in between which cracked in your mouth with each bite, absolutely lovely!! Even the tamago which i usually do not like was delicious.

To echo what was already stated in this thread, what makes Yasuda-san a master of his craft is his preparation of the rice which he told us he makes himself daily, and (so he claims) he is still trying to master to perfection (one of the many signs of his respect and humility for what he does). In my eyes, Yasuda's rice is the highlight of his sushi, it was perfect in temperature, texture and seasoning.

Aside from the wonderful sushi, I would recommend anyone to experience this place just to have a chance to meet Yasuda-san himself, he has quite a lovable persona and, aside from learning a whole bunch about fish, we spent most of the night talking and laughing about the most random things, from the japanese names of fish to american TV shows. At one point during the evening, a lady sitting next to us asked Yasuda-san if he had heard of the Zagat guide because it had given him a number one rating for sushi restaurants. Yasuda-san gracefully answered: "Zagawho? I don't read books, I just make sushi".

I am eagerly anticipating my next visit.

[Todd36]

Tried Yasuda tonight in a quick stop.

1. Rice is very good, among the best in NY.

2. Eel is very good, among the best in NY.

3. Fish is of high quality, but variable and not all of it is first class. Uni was quite ordinary for example. Tried 4 kinds of yellowtail, all of which were good, but none of which really impressed.

4. Ordered ala carte, dining friend is Tokyo native, got about 20 pieces which we split.

5. Nice room with efficent service.

6. Fish pieces are small and thin, even by Japanese standards according to my friend.

7. I've had better and more interesting fish for about one half to two thirds the price at Usiwakamaru on Houston (can never spell that right) and better and more interesting fish at Sushi Seki for about the same price.

8. It is very good sushi, but not clearly any better than several other places in town. Nicer room though.

9. I would go back again.

[Bux]

Tried Yasuda tonight in a quick stop.

. . . .

6.  Fish pieces are small and thin, even by Japanese standards according to my friend.

. . . .

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Did your friend mean that in a complimentary way or as derogatory? I say that because a Japanese friend told me that another place in NY served fish pieces that were too large and too thick.

[Todd36]

Tried Yasuda tonight in a quick stop.

. . . .

6.  Fish pieces are small and thin, even by Japanese standards according to my friend.

. . . .

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Did your friend mean that in a complimentary way or as derogatory? I say that because a Japanese friend told me that another place in NY served fish pieces that were too large and too thick.

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Bad way. She thinks its a tad bit overpriced for what you get and that she was still hungry. It's true that most of the better sushi places in town serve smallish pieces, but these were smaller and thinner than usual, even compared she thought to Tokyo.

[Fat Guy]

You don't go to Sushi Yasuda to purchase fish by the pound. You go to experience Yasuda's skill. He slices the fish however he believes will be most flattering to that piece of fish. He doesn't do it to save money -- if he thought he should serve bigger pieces, he would. He'd just charge whatever he needed to charge to make his food cost, and his customers would gladly pay. Having had sushi pieces in many sizes, both larger and smaller than Yasuda's, I personally think he has zeroed in on the closest thing that can exist to an optimal size for fish slices. Working from the assumption that a piece of sushi should be eaten -- comfortably -- in one bite, I think most sushi in town is unpleasantly large.

In terms of the quality of Yasuda's fish, time and again direct comparisons -- including once when I visited most every top sushi place in the city in the space of about three days -- have led me to believe it is in a very small elite category within the New York sushi scene. This is also supported by the objective evidence: for example, ask people in the seafood business about Yasuda and they'll tell you he uses the best (just as if you ask people in the meat business who has the best beef they say Peter Luger); also all you have to do is look at the incredible care with which he handles it or read about his uniquely rigorous selection, butchering and curing processes.

I don't know that Yasuda's fish is meant to "impress" or be "interesting." It is what it is. If you buy the best available in the market on any given day, you butcher it with expertise, you handle it with great care and you slice and present it peerlessly, how much more impressive and interesting do you need to be?

[Bux]

Expertise seems awfully hard to ascertain in restaurant discussion. The democracy of it all is exhilarating. Nevertheless, I know what I like, and the size of a review doesn't matter.

[jogoode]

Tried Yasuda tonight in a quick stop.

. . . .

6.  Fish pieces are small and thin, even by Japanese standards according to my friend.

. . . .

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Did your friend mean that in a complimentary way or as derogatory? I say that because a Japanese friend told me that another place in NY served fish pieces that were too large and too thick.

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Bad way. She thinks its a tad bit overpriced for what you get and that she was still hungry. It's true that most of the better sushi places in town serve smallish pieces, but these were smaller and thinner than usual, even compared she thought to Tokyo.

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During my trip to Japan this summer, I ate at Miyako Zushi, a modest, traditional sushi-ya regarded as one of the best in Tokyo. The pieces I had there were, and I was surprised at this, quite large. I'll try to post a few pictures later. To me, though I valued the experience, the size was not at all ideal. It's clearly a matter of preference; I find the pieces at Kuruma too large for my taste and am happy Yasuda has chosen to innovate as he has.

The price argument doesn't make the cut with me. If someone wants to be stuffed for very little money, there are countless places other than Sushi Yasuda he can go. If you're anxious to compare this sushi to that in Tokyo, you'll find that at many of the top places, you'll pay a minimum of $200 for dinner. At Yasuda, you can pay this much if you'd like or less than half as much for a similar experience in terms of quality, if not luxury. Further, his a la carte prices are clearly scaled down, either to account for the smaller size of his pieces or out of blessed generosity. Many of his pieces are under $4--that's a bargain. Plus you can get a set of 12 pieces and half a roll for $34.

Your complaint about variety surprises me too, not only because I'd be thrilled to eat just eel, tuna, and uni all night, but also because Yasuda offers more variety than I've seen on any other sushi menu in town.

The only potentially valid argument, to my mind, is your comment on the quality of fish. I have only once eaten a piece of fish there that I felt was not top-notch. The uni, which I order whenever it's available, is particularly outstanding; I've eaten there often enough to be sure that this is the rule.

Todd, perhaps I should try Sushi Seki to see where you're coming from, assuming that it is your standard for sushi in New York.

You don't go to Sushi Yasuda to purchase fish by the pound. You go to experience Yasuda's skill. He slices the fish however he believes will be most flattering to that piece of fish.

...

I don't know that Yasuda's fish is meant to "impress" or be "interesting." It is what it is. If you buy the best available in the market on any given day, you butcher it with expertise, you handle it with great care and you slice and present it peerlessly, how much more impressive and interesting do you need to be?

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Beautifully said.

[Todd36]

People have their own dislikes and likes about sushi. My regular sushi dining friend is Japanese, Tokyo native, Waseda graduate, worked in a major professional firm in Tokyo, is very food oriented, and spends about three weeks every year back in Japan. I'm describing her as a frame of referernce. My other friends all think she is right about sushi. And of course we order in Japanese.

I don't like giant pieces of sushi either. But the stuff we got at Yasuda was small and thin. Unusually so for NY, and for Tokyo too according to my friend. And they do sell fish by the pound. Try asking them to cut your yellowtail (any of the five kinds they offer) thicker than usual. If you ask in Japanese, I bet they do it. And I bet the price gets higher. Yasuda charges prices per piece that look reasonable, heck, probably cheaper by the piece than say Blue Ribbon Sushi or Neo or Gari or any of a number of places. But you get little fish. You can say Yasuda thinks it tastes better that way. Might be true, but I also would need 20 pieces for dinner, to be full, and that gets expensive. I would also still be eating lots of rice compares to other places. Trust me, Yasuda is selling fish by the pound and his low by the piece prices for first rate sushi are directly related to the small amount of fish per piece.

Yasuda's menu is big, almost too big. They claim to be buying only the best at market. I have my doubts that the market has 50 kinds of fish every week that are at top of market. There may be reasons why no one else has a fish menu that broad.

I tried 4 kinds of Yellowtail at Yasuda. They were hard to distinguish and in general, the fish did not have much of an impact. The uni was downright not good.

And the bone we found in a piece of tasty eel was big enough to make it clear someone was careless.

Like I said, I would eat there again. But I was not impressed. I haven't eaten in Kuruma in a long time, don't like to spend that kind of money, but I think Kuruma has better fish by a significant amount. I know Sugiyama and Seki and Uwakamaru (assuming it hasn't closed, not well run) all have better fish than Yasuda, in similar or cheaper price ranges.

I'm not sure if Seki is my standard, but do try it.

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During my trip to Japan this summer, I ate at Miyako Zushi, a modest, traditional sushi-ya regarded as one of the best in Tokyo. The pieces I had there were, and I was surprised at this, quite large. I'll try to post a few pictures later. To me, though I valued the experience, the size was not at all ideal. It's clearly a matter of preference; I find the pieces at Kuruma too large for my taste and am happy Yasuda has chosen to innovate as he has.

The price argument doesn't make the cut with me. If someone wants to be stuffed for very little money, there are countless places other than Sushi Yasuda he can go. If you're anxious to compare this sushi to that in Tokyo, you'll find that at many of the top places, you'll pay a minimum of $200 for dinner. At Yasuda, you can pay this much if you'd like or less than half as much for a similar experience in terms of quality, if not luxury. Further, his a la carte prices are clearly scaled down, either to account for the smaller size of his pieces or out of blessed generosity. Many of his pieces are under $4--that's a bargain. Plus you can get a set of 12 pieces and half a roll for $34.

Your complaint about variety surprises me too, not only because I'd be thrilled to eat just eel, tuna, and uni all night, but also because Yasuda offers more variety than I've seen on any other sushi menu in town.

The only potentially valid argument, to my mind, is your comment on the quality of fish. I have only once eaten a piece of fish there that I felt was not top-notch. The uni, which I order whenever it's available, is particularly outstanding; I've eaten there often enough to be sure that this is the rule.

Todd, perhaps I should try Sushi Seki to see where you're coming from, assuming that it is your standard for sushi in New York.

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Edited April 29, 2005 by Todd36 (log)

[jogoode]

I tried 4 kinds of Yellowtail at Yasuda.  They were hard to distinguish and in general, the fish did not have much of an impact.  The uni was downright not good.

And the bone we found in a piece of tasty eel was big enough to make it clear someone was careless.

Like I said, I would eat there again.  But I was not impressed.  I haven't eaten in Kuruma in a long time, don't like to spend that kind of money, but I think Kuruma has better fish by a significant amount.  I know Sugiyama and Seki and Uwakamaru (assuming it hasn't closed, not well run) all have better fish than Yasuda, in similar or cheaper price ranges.

I'm not sure if Seki is my standard, but do try it.

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The bone-in-the-eel mistake is unfortunate, but I suppose it is a risk of preparing eel at the restaurant instead of buying it preprepared. And I can't imagine that you wouldn't be able to tell kanpachi from hamachi, as they have completely different textures. I think the yellowtail is superb at Sushi Yasuda, but the experience of eating it is markedly different from eating a large piece somewhere else: in the latter case, because of this size, you taste more of the fish's fat and oil, which is pleasant to some, cloying to others. You can't criticize Yasuda's sushi on the grounds that it has thinly cut fish; this is, as Steven said above, ideal way to cut it, according to the chef. His sushi clearly features rice, with the fish as condiment. It's hard for me to accept what you've written above, because I love this restaurant and it has served me nearly flawless sushi every time I've been. But I have to. I can only urge you to give it another chance. And I'll report back if I try Seki.

[docsconz]

Based on my admittedly one visit to Sushi Yasuda, I am surprised by Todd's criticism, especially vis-a-vis the size and quality of the fish. In this post from this past December, I visited both Kuruma and Yasuda within a week and posted photos of my experience at both places. They were both wonderful. Kuruma was considerably more expensive than Yasuda. What surprises me the most about the comments was the one criticizing the quality of the uni. The only time I have ever had better uni was right out of the shell by the docks in Sicily.

Given that our experiences appear to be so disparate, it might be worthwhile for either of us to revisit the restaurant. My experience with Sushi restaurants, especially top end ones, is that they are amongst the most consistent around. They generally have very well established supply lines that tend to get consistently good ingredients. It is conceivable that they had an off day when you were there, although I would think the chef still would have steered you to the better fish. It is also conceivable that people have different palates when it comes to Sushi as well as other things. Unfortunately, I have not had sushi at any of the other places you referenced so I cannot compare myself. It is these differences amongst other things that make the world and eGullet such an interesting place though.

[zeitoun]

Yasuda's menu is big, almost too big.  They claim to be buying only the best at market.  I have my doubts that the market has 50 kinds of fish every week that are at top of market.  There may be reasons why no one else has a fish menu that broad.

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On my first and only trip to Yasuda a few weeks ago, I also ordered sushi a la carte. Although the list of fish appeared quite extensive, only about less than two third of what was listed was actually available that day (I'd venture to say that maybe close to 30 different fish/shellfish was available). 50 seems like a high number to me.

I think Yasuda's sushi really stands in a class of its own, not that it is superior to anything else, some people might not like it, but it clearly is a different approach to sushi making. I got a sense that Yasuda-san doesn't attempt to abide by any standard, he simply prepares sushi his own way. One could certainly argue that he cuts his fish too small and thin in proportion to the rice but JJ explained it very well earlier: his sushi features rice, with the fish as condiment. This is just how he likes to serve it. My wife who is Japanese and a Tokyo native is extremely picky when it comes to any Japanese food in the US, she still enjoyed it very much. While we were eating she asked Yasuda-san why he made sushi this particular way. He simply told her that he didn't care much about the do's and dont's of sushi making or how it is served elsewhere (one of the main reasons why he left Hatsuhana apparently), as long as poeple liked his way of making sushi, that was what mattered most to him.

[Todd36]

The bone-in-the-eel mistake is unfortunate, but I suppose it is a risk of preparing eel at the restaurant instead of buying it preprepared. And I can't imagine that you wouldn't be able to tell kanpachi from hamachi, as they have completely different textures. I think the yellowtail is superb at Sushi Yasuda, but the experience of eating it is markedly different from eating a large piece somewhere else: in the latter case, because of this size, you taste more of the fish's fat and oil, which is pleasant to some, cloying to others. You can't criticize Yasuda's sushi on the grounds that it has thinly cut fish; this is, as Steven said above, ideal way to cut it, according to the chef. His sushi clearly features rice, with the fish as condiment. It's hard for me to accept what you've written above, because I love this restaurant and it has served me nearly flawless sushi every time I've been. But I have to. I can only urge you to give it another chance. And I'll report back if I try Seki.

I've had fair sized bones in eel before, I think this has nothing to do with prepared eel verses store made. And my friend pulled it out before even touching it, it was obvious to her eye. They made a mistake, which everyone does I admit.

I didn't say I had kanpachi. I had 4 different types of yellowtail, they also had kanpachi on the menu.

If you like very thin fish that in my opinion doesn't impart much flavor, that's fine. Just remember that your 20 pieces of sushi to feel full is going to set you back $100, and were not talking about Toro. That makes Yasuda an expensive restaurant, and I'm not sure how well it does against other super end sushi places. To some extent, that is my point. It's good sushi, but its expensive sushi.

If you like rice, you can get a very nice bowl at Sugiyama as part of your dinner, for less than Yasuda is going to cost you to feel as full. I admit its not vingered rice.