Sushi Yasuda

[Fat Guy]

If you have my capacity, you have to go into Chapter 7 to feel full at any high-end sushi restaurant. The best strategy I've found is to do a little fusion: get the cheapo lunch at Yasuda plus an individual pizza at Naples 45 from the takeout counter where the pies cost half as much as on the sit-down menu.

[Bux]

To some extent, that is my point. It's good sushi, but its expensive sushi.

I've never heard anyone say Sushi Yasuda was an inexpensive restaurant or an inexpensive place to have sushi. It's not outrageously priced, but it's always seemed on the expensive side, especially if one is eating a la carte. This isn't news.

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.

I don't understand the point about getting a bowl of plain white rice anywhere. I've always assumed the vinegared rice was central to sushi. In fact, there is no sushi without it. People who seem to know and understand sushi better than I have made extremely positive references to the rice at Sushi Yasuda.

[Todd36]

To some extent, that is my point. It's good sushi, but its expensive sushi.

I've never heard anyone say Sushi Yasuda was an inexpensive restaurant or an inexpensive place to have sushi. It's not outrageously priced, but it's always seemed on the expensive side, especially if one is eating a la carte. This isn't news.

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.

I don't understand the point about getting a bowl of plain white rice anywhere. I've always assumed the vinegared rice was central to sushi. In fact, there is no sushi without it. People who seem to know and understand sushi better than I have made extremely positive references to the rice at Sushi Yasuda.

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If a restaurant is serving expensive sushi, it's now in competition with high end sushi restaurants. At first glance, Yasuda doesn't seem as expensive as some other highly rated places. Once you factor in what you get per dollar, Yasuda is in competiton with almost every other place in town.

Sushi has a very long history, but a recent one in terms of what we would recognize as sushi. Sushi started off as preserved fish in a barrel. Take a fair sized barrel, throw in fish, salt, rice and vinger, in layers, let it fermit a bit, and you have sushi. You're right, rice is a traditional part of the mix. This kind of thing originated in mainland China, and has probably been around for more than a thousand years. What we recognize as sushi is a Tokyo regional thing, and it didn't start until mid-19th century. You need access to fresh fish, and a good transportation system, to make that kind of sushi. And you're not going to offer 20 kinds. You're going to have whatever is in season, which probably means 2-3 kinds any given day. Places with big fish selections are a post-WWII thing, it requires modern refrigeoration and transportation. I've been told by Japanese friends that a true traditional sushi place in Japan might have only 6 kinds of fish in any given day, unlikely for more than that many to be good and in season on any given day. The modern customer demands more of course.

I thought the rice at Yasuda was very good. I usually prefer sushi to sashami because of the rice.

But if you're really Japanese, and I'm not, a plain bowl of rice is perfect. Japanese meals traditionally end with plain soup, pickles and a plain bowl of rice. It's a cultural thing. Even I have gotten to the point where I know cheap and bad rice. Many, perhaps most inexpensive Asian restaurants serve cheap rice, in particular cheap lunch places. They have to save every penny.

[DanaT]

Hi Todd,

Your comments surprise me too. When I went to Yasuda, the pieces were shorter than normal; the fish wasn't necessarily thinner. That in my mind is a good thing because I have a small mouth. The debate between big sushi and small comes up in every sushi discussion I've ever participated. I think it boils down to a matter of taste.

But I'm also amazed at the lack of variety you spoke of. Yasuda never prepared the same fish the same way twice so the fish we had would have tasted different even if it had been the exact same fish. For example we had two types of anago - one with sea salt and one with homemade soy sauce. The taste experiences of the two were remarkably different. Yasuda-san's individual preparation and variety is the main reason I prefer Yasuda over Kurumazushi. If you had been to Kuruma and remarked about the lack of variety, I would have agreed. After awhile, my friend and I couldn't distinguish the tastes between the different fish types.

[DanaT]

Well after NOT getting a reservation at the French Laundry the week we are out there, my girl chum and I will console ourselves with a nice sushi experience at Yasuda! Yum!

[JWangSDC]

I've only been to Yasuda once and decided i would not make it a priority to return. I made reservations 3 weeks in advance to sit @ yasuda's end of the bar, but upon arrival they placed us in the hands of a capable chef named Tom.

The good parts: The cooked shrimp is by far the best I've ever had. It tastes so fresh and the rock salt really helps. I also noted that the uni was unbelievably good, perhaps the best I've ever had. Finally the selection of eels is absolutely ridiuclous and every kind is AMAZING. The rice and ginger are also top notch.

The bad: I think the proportion of fish to rice is not ideal...slightly thicker pieces would be preferable especially for pieces like toro where you need a thicker piece to get the effect of butter melting in your mouth. In fact I tried every type of toro he had that night and was unimpressed with any of them. First off they were served semi-frozed, secondly every piece had tendons which made consuming them somewhat annoying. I find that Sushi of Gari has the best O-toro...it's the perfect temperature and perfect size. Jewel Bako's O-toro is probably of a fatter grade, but it too suffers from excess chewy tendons (like yasuda). However when it's blow torched @ bako....it is perfect.

Overall I found my sushi experiece at Yasuda to be less than I had expected. I think Yasuda's rice is around the same grade as Sushi of Gari but BELOW jewel bako's quality. I also find that yasuda's ginger is about the same as Bako but BELOW sushi of gari.

I intend on making a trip to Kuruma Zushi sometime in the near future. So far I've been to Sushi Yasuda, Kirara (West 4th...creative good sushi), Yama, Tomoe. Sushi of Gari, Shimizu (near times square...very good, comes to about $120 for omakase), Sushi Of Gari (One of a kind, I've been here countless times), Sushi-Seki, Jewel Bako, and Ushi Wakamaru. I must admit that Gari is my favorite restaurant...but Shimizu and Jewel Bako provided the experience I was expecting from Yasuda.

[BryanZ]

Looking to enjoy a meal a meal at Yasuda soon and was wondering how much omakase is running as of late. I don't really want to spend more than $100 per person and was wondering if this was possible. Is it easy to set a limit with the waitstaff or is it better just to order a la carte.

[Nathan]

Looking to enjoy a meal a meal at Yasuda soon and was wondering how much omakase is running as of late.  I don't really want to spend more than $100 per person and was wondering if this was possible.  Is it easy to set a limit with the waitstaff or is it better just to order a la carte.

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sit at the bar and tell him $100 limit. or just order ala carte...

it's easy enough.

[Bux]

Looking to enjoy a meal a meal at Yasuda soon and was wondering how much omakase is running as of late.  I don't really want to spend more than $100 per person and was wondering if this was possible.  Is it easy to set a limit with the waitstaff or is it better just to order a la carte.

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sit at the bar and tell him $100 limit. or just order ala carte...

it's easy enough.

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What he said.

We spent $115 apiece last night. That included tax, (not tip) a beer and two orders of cold sake (several cupfuls in each order). We didn't set a limit. We just deferred to his suggestions and stopped when we were full. One of us stopped one or two orders ahead of the others. I think I've spent a bit more as well, but you shouldn't have a problem having an excellent meal on your budget. I'd urge you to let him feed you after you set the budget and let him know if you have any favorites or dislikes. We expressed neither.

[BryanZ]

On night two of the Columbus Day weekend I had the humbling and educating pleasure of dining in front of Yasuda-san.

Previous posters have noted that Yasuda makes sushi his own way and only cares about providing his customers with a high-quality product. I cannot agree with this statmement more.

Initially we tried to order omakase but he said that he didn't like serving omakase to first-time patrons. He explained that the whole point of omakase is to cater the meal to the diner's desires and, since he did not know anything about us, he pretty much insisted that we guide our own meal.

We started off by sharing some pieces off the "matsu" list, a prix-fixe option that includes 12 pieces of sushi. After this initial tasting of six pieces each, we ventured into into new territory, occasionally turning to Yasuda for guidance.

Yasuda's personality reminded me of myself in the kitchen. He knows that he knows his stuff and made it his goal to educate my dining partner and I as much as possible in the time we were sitting before him. I could see how some people might find this attitutde slightly off-putting but many of his anectodes and ideas are funny and entertaining when taken with a grain of salt. One particularly telling example of this was when I asked him to describe the differences between anago and unagi, and the differences between his various types of yellowtail. He succintly answered, "It's totally different fish. It's like saying you want a dog. There are so many types of dog. They are as different as German Shepherd and British Bulldog!"

Through our little tasting of sushi we sampled a few types of yellowtail, two types of salmon, two types of tuna, and various other staples. Stand out pieces of the night were the blue fin toro, the uni (we went for seconds with these), the amazing eel (also went for seconds here), and the scallop with a hefty dose of sea salt. All the other pieces were excellent, as well. In total I spent $145 for a pretty decent amount of food for the two of us. I had expected much, much worse damage.

On the whole, Yasuda compares very favorably to high-end sushi in New York. He does not follow convention, and perhaps I would've preferred his sushi with a higher fish to rice ratio, but he makes no apologies when serving his top-notch fish and strong beliefs. I've had better quality fish at Tsukiji Market and other well-known ryokans near Tokyo, but Yasuda is certainly among the top in New York.

Edited October 8, 2005 by BryanZ (log)

[Sneakeater]

Tipping Question

Would you tip the sushi chef if it's Mr. Yasuda? Or, since he's a proprietor, would that be an insult to him?

[Bux]

Tipping Question

Would you tip the sushi chef if it's Mr. Yasuda?  Or, since he's a proprietor, would that be an insult to him?

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When in Rome . . . Tipping may be an insult altogether in Japan and I was once told by the owner/bartender of an old established and now departed Irish saloon, on Third Avenue in the fifties or sixties, that one didn't tip the owner. I could tip his employees, but not him. That was always an all cash over the counter deal. With a credit card, I add the usual percentage to my bill at Sushi Yasuda. If Yasuda finds it insulting, I trust he will understand that it's for the waitress who brought our sake and beer or for the kitchen staff. My conscience is clear.

[Sneakeater]

Thanks for responding.

The problem is that, according to this thread, you can't tip the sushi chef that way. Indeed, the reason I asked this question is that, earlier in this thread, it was suggested that you give a separate cash tip to the sushi chef, because the tip you add to your credit card bill goes entirely to the waiter. I would find it awkward to hand a cash tip to an owner -- but it may be that my attitude is paleolithic, since it was generated in the same Fifties and Sixties that your Irish bartender occupied.

So -- I'm going tonight, so this question takes on some urgency (at least to me) -- what should I do?

Edited January 4, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Bux]

. . . .

Initially we tried to order omakase but he said that he didn't like serving omakase to first-time patrons.  He explained that the whole point of omakase is to cater the meal to the diner's desires and, since he did not know anything about us, he pretty much insisted that we guide our own meal.. . . . .

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That's interesting as well over a year ago, we made our first visit to Sushi Yasuda. We had no problem ordering omakase, or so we felt. We answered a lot of questions and made our preferences known. As I recall, we asked him to include specific things, but told him to introduce those things at the point he felt was appropriate. We also commented on what he served to us. It was less about which pieces we liked and which we didn't, than about what we liked about a particular piece or flight of tastes. Perhaps he's found it less rewarding to make assumptions over time or perhaps it's a matter of how busy the bar is on a particular night. He's a very gregarious guy. I tend to be quieter, but I found the interaction very important in getting the most out of sitting at the bar.

[alanamoana]

i've sat at the counter before and been treated very well and never tipped the sushi staff separately. most restaurants have it factored into their tip distribution system to account for the people they feel need a percentage of the tips. sushi restaurants being a little different, if you feel the need, i don't think anyone would be insulted if you tipped with the check and then tipped across the sushi bar to the sushi chef (even the owner). just be subtle and place the tip on the counter/top of the sushi bar as you are leaving.

of course, i could be totally wrong...

[Sneakeater]

Thanks.

[Eatmywords]

Forgive my ignorance but at what point do you say this is how I want to tip, deal with it? I suppose if you really feel you've done wrong how about; "Excuse me o'master-of-thin-fish-w/good rice, I'm very sorry I wanted to add to your livelihood and help put your seventh child through Stamford Law. Pls forgive and don't poison me with Blowfish liver for this nice jester".

[Bux]

Forgive my ignorance but at what point do you say this is how I want to tip, . . .

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Studies have shown that most people tip the way they do because of their predisposed inclination to tip that way. Which is to say that service really has little to do with how much tip most people leave. There are exceptions. Some people will stiff a waiter over the most minor thing and some sports will leave a hundred dollar bill on the bar after two martinis. I pretty much know what I want to tip when I make my reservation based on the kind of place it is and the service I expect. I regard the tip in NYC to be a waiter's basic pay. This has been discussed to death in other threads, but waiters don't usually get paid a living wage and often get paid less than minimum wage if you don't count the tips. Fortunately for management, the government allows them to meet the minimum wage by including tips. Special treatment may raise my tip a few points. Service really has to be rotten and ruin my dinner for it to make much of a difference in my tip. I expect professional service at a top restaurant whether I tip or not. The wait staff should usually expect a tip even if there are problems.

[Sneakeater]

I'm about as far from an expert on sushi as you could be, so these impressionistic remarks should probably be taken more for their news value -- as a report on current events at Yasuda -- than anything else.

I had reserved two seats at the counter in Mr. Yasuda's section for dinner. When we arrived, the only available seats were in front of one of the other chefs. I told the host that we had hoped to be with Mr. Yasuda, and he checked and said we could do so if we were willing to wait 15 minutes or so. We sat at a table and had a drink; the wait was more like 10 minutes.

While the excellence of the food at Sushi Yasuda cannot be gainsaid, I think that much of the restaurant's appeal can be attributed to Mr. Yasuda himself. He is talkative and interesting (and, of course, completely full of himself in the most positive way possible). I know that my dining companion left with a tremendous crush on him. At one point, as he was preparing a round of eel sushi for me, I remarked that the best eel I had theretofore eaten was in Hamburg, Germany, and asked if he'd ever been. "Do you ask a kick-boxer about baseball?" he responded. It's hard not to love the guy.

Mr. Yasuda clearly tailors the meal to each individual diner. My companion, for example, had had extensive dental work done that morning, and could only eat small morsels, so he gave her only finely-cut sashimi. Her palate is unadventurous, so he pretty much limited her to his extensive range of tuna and some salmon, as well as a heavenly fresh shrimp. With me, on the other hand, he went whole hog (pun very much intended).

I am incapable of speaking knowledgeably about sushi -- and no one here needs to hear anymore about how great the rice at Yasuda is (although I myself have never had anything like it -- nor like the nori, for that matter) -- so I'll just talk about a few things that I particularly loved. The three kinds of eel were BY FAR the best I've ever had (wiping out all memories of Hamburg). They were at the level where you find it hard to believe that food can be that good. The vinegary oysters were just delicious; it's easy to imagine Mr. Yasuda experimenting until he determined just the right amounts of vinegar and salt to put in. And the whole omakase experience -- putting yourself in the hands of the chef and together exploring possible preferences, finally asking for more of what you particularly liked -- is enormously interesting and satisfying. (There was no problem, BTW, with ordering omakase as first-time patrons.*)

Since cost seems to be an issue -- and a variable -- here, I'll say that it was about $250 pre-tax-and-tip for the two of us, including two servings each of sake. It would have been more if my companion were up to eating more; she had maybe a third as much food as I did. I opted not to have a discussion of any price limits beforehand, but just to let things take their course. As I was perusing the check, Mr. Yasuda grinned broadly and said, "Not bad, right?" I told him that's what I say to my clients, too, at bill time.

I didn't try to give a separate tip to Mr. Yasuda. It would have seemed as strange to me as sauntering into the kitchen at Lutece and dropping a few Jacksons on Andre Soltner.

______________________________________________

* Of course, nobody actually used the word "omakase".

Edited January 5, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[alanamoana]

thanks for the post sneakeater. i really enjoy myself at yasuda and will be eating there next thursday evening for a farewell to new york dinner.

i ate at yasuda on my first (blind) date with someone i had met through match.com. we are now married...i might attribute that to my exceptional taste in sushi restaurants !

i definitely agree that the experience is heightened by sitting at yasuda-san's station but we have been treated very well at other stations as well. one night we were served by a japanese female sushi chef. yasuda is also the only place where i have seen a haole/gaijin (white-boy) sushi chef. yasuda definitely had his eyes on the product they were putting in front of the guests.

finally, any objectivity aside, i just plain like the place and i hope my final experience there is as good or better than my first to keep the fond memories alive.

[Sneakeater]

Well, congratulations on getting and remaining married, and congratulations or condolences on leaving New York, whichever you feel is appropriate.

[Sneakeater]

Speaking of omakase, getting omakase at a sushi bar makes you realize what bullshit the "omakase" meals at Nobu are. How can a chef take you on a journey into his cuisine if he isn't right there with you to monitor your responses? Nobu's "omakase" meals are really just glorified tasting menus.

[Sethro]

Speaking of omakase, getting omakase at a sushi bar makes you realize what bullshit the "omakase" meals at Nobu are.  How can a chef take you on a journey into his cuisine if he isn't right there with you to monitor your responses?  Nobu's "omakase" meals are really just glorified tasting menus.

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There's no "glorification" whatsoever. If you ask your server at Nobu what the Omakase is, they will tell you "A tasting menu of our signature dishes". Admitedly the word Omakase is a misnomer, but they only use it at Nobu because it sounds cool...and really, how many Japanese restaurants in New York offer an Omakase in which the chef caters to your personal tastes? I can think of four off hand. I think most educated diners make the distinction, especially in a large dining room, that they won't be getting personal attention from the executive chef. Nobu does 250 on a very slow weeknight.

Edited January 6, 2006 by Sethro (log)

[raji]

Most sushi restaurants, if you sit at the bar and you are close to the senior chef, you can ask for "omakase". I kind of get into it here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=79444&st=30#

I've ordered omakase from a table, letting them know what to exclude and what I like and don't like...

The term is used loosely but I'm going to pay closer attention to it next time I'm in Japan. From having lived there for a few years, it usually only came up in the context of a sushi bar. Most restaurants are smaller and owner-operated so it's quite easy to just ask the chef or servers what their "osusume" (recommendations) are, and most places have daily osusume menu which point to seasonal specialties. Meanwhile, many restaurants are simply known for this thing or that - a particular type of donburi or noodle dish or fish dish, so people just "know" what to order. The food press is crazy like that in Japan, especially on TV. But in the case of a place where you're doing several orders, like sushi, yakiniku, yakitori, kushiyaki, etc. etc., it's not uncommon to do an exploratory order to see what we like, and then go back to the things we really liked....

Yasuda is tops, BTW. The head sushi chef/owner-operator HAS to be a character, as they are putting their face and name on their food, and he's one of the best I've ever seen here or there...

IF inquiring minds want to know, I'm going to Sugiyama Saturday night, and my host is a personal friend of Chef Nao, I can ask them what they think...

[Bux]

Speaking of omakase, getting omakase at a sushi bar makes you realize what bullshit the "omakase" meals at Nobu are.  How can a chef take you on a journey into his cuisine if he isn't right there with you to monitor your responses?  Nobu's "omakase" meals are really just glorified tasting menus.

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I'm no expert in Japanese food, culture or language. That said, "omakase" has always meant something similar to "chef's choice" to me. It's meant that when I ask for "omakase" I'm asking the chef to take care of me and to serve his choices. I assume he will serve his best food, that is the food of which he's most proud to serve and not necessarily the food I most want to eat. That is to say, he has no reason to know my prejudices. I'm asking him to serve what he chooses to serve and putting myself at his disposal. "Tasting menu" doesn't seem out of line as a definition of "omakase" to me.

For a sushi chef to interact with his diner seems a plus, but not necessarily essential to omakase. I'd be curious to get a better explanation from a Japanese poster, or one with great experience eating in Japan. My Japanese language skills are short and I've forgotten how I handled the situation at a decidedly down scale (patrons sat on beer crates) yakitori bar under the elevated train tracks in Tokyo. What comes to mind is "moriawase" or better still, "moriawase okudusai" which I believe roughly translates as "a selection please." With luck, a Japanese speaker will confirm this or shoot holes in this post. Either reply is welcome as we'll all be better educated for it.

What I also seem to remember, is that my little foray into how to handle the situations that arise when you've managed to gain entrance to a restaurant unused to serving foreigners led me to believe that "omakase" was an inappropriate word to use in a dive under the train tracks. It suggests a more refined situation and more refined preparation. MacDonald's has a Happy Meal, but one doesn't refer to it as a prix fixe, let alone tasting menu.

Yasuda would have been a great companion and drinking buddy at this yakitori bar, by the way. It's as easy to picture him in that environment as it is in his own slick well designed restaurant interior.