Sushi Yasuda

[jkaw]

The Siberian uni was not quite as firm as the Maine uni texturally. They tasted different, but at this point I can't quite pin down a good description of the taste of the Russian. I can say that I did enjoy both.

I got to try the Siberian uni two weeks ago when I sat with Mr. Yasuda at the counter. I would describe it as something of a cross between Maine and Santa Barbara sea urchin -- a little firmer than the west coast variety, but still creamy and sweet, without the briney flavor and aftertase of the Maine type. It's defintely my favorite type that I've tried yet.

[Fat Guy]

Went to Yasuda for lunch the other day and was reminded of a few of the touches that make it my favorite place for sushi. Needless to say, the fish is excellent, but beyond that:

- The way the individual sushi pieces are formed really appeals to me. While most sushi chefs in town seem to be aspiring to make pieces of sushi that look as much as possible like they've been crafted by robots -- perfect angles, grains of rice lined up in a row like soldiers -- Yasuda's sushi pieces display strong evidence of the human touch. The rice is loosely assembled, with studied casualness. It collapses and activates its flavors the moment it enters your mouth. The thin, irregularly shaped slices of fish aren't sitting on top of the rice as such; rather, they're embracing its full curvature, integrating with the rice.

- Yasuda has simply amazing rice. It is categorically better than any other I've tasted. It has just the right balance of starch, sweet and acid.

- Each piece of Yasuda's sushi is a complete composition: if it deserves soy sauce, a finger tip worth of soy sauce is applied by the chef.

- Yasuda uses a few grains of coarse sea salt to garnish some pieces of sushi, such as the scallop. I can't for the life of me understand why this isn't universal practice.

- The cooked sushi deserves special mention, because it is made with such care. If you order a piece of shrimp, for example, you don't get some gluey old crustacean that has been sitting in the refrigerated glass case for six hours. Instead, Yasuda takes a raw shrimp, flash boils it, shocks it in ice, peels it and forms a piece of sushi out of it.

- Speaking of the refrigerated glass case, at Yasuda there is none. There is no fish visible at the sushi bar. It is kept in refrigerated stainless steel drawers, wrapped in gauze, not in a glass display case. Yasuda believes the exposure to light and air is bad for the fish. In the pursuit of the best possible storage and handling, Yasuda has been so bold as to dispense with the focal point of most every other sushi bar.

[ulterior epicure]

- Speaking of the refrigerated glass case, at Yasuda there is none. There is no fish visible at the sushi bar. It is kept in refrigerated stainless steel drawers, wrapped in gauze, not in a glass display case. Yasuda believes the exposure to light and air is bad for the fish. In the pursuit of the best possible storage and handling, Yasuda has been so bold as to dispense with the focal point of most every other sushi bar.

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... and here you pick up on one of my favorite aspects of Sushi Yasuda. Both times I've been, I've gotten a tremendous intuitive or subconscious sense of freshness because of what you note here. There's very little "fishy smell," which I find extraordinary.

Perhaps what makes a visit to Yasuda's bar most pleasant is that unlike most sushi bars where you feel distanced and separated from the sushi chef(s) by a big ole glass case, at Yasuda, you get a sense of personality by being more in "touch" from the chef... and here I allude to the "hand-to-mouth" service (not literally) that I mentioned upthread.

u.e.

[docsconz]

I think the "no-glass" case aspect is particularly positive from an aesthetic viewpoint when ordering an omekase as it heightens the surprise and anticipation. One never really knows what is to come. I like glass cases when I am ordering specific fish, though.

[Todd36]

Had dinner at Yasuda about two weeks ago, group of five at a table, one known to Yasuda, so he made our sushi. It's very good, and the rice was excellent. We paid around $120 per person for sushi. But the fish itself is not better than several places in town, and I've had more interesting fish at Sugiyama in the form of sashami and for that matter at Ushi Wakamru. Yasuda is a fine place, and it's not overpriced for what you get and it is clearly one of the top places in town. But I don't think it's better than a number of other top sushi places.

[pups224]

Ditto Tod's assessment. Went to Sushi Yasuda for the first time last night, based on EG raves. The sushi was pristine, the rice and sea urchin were amazing. The sevice was cold, fast and efficient. I ordered omekase, boyfriend ordered chirashi. We did not find it better than other top sushi restaurants in the city. Perhaps one should sit at the sushi bar. I was surprised that there were not more Japanese at the restaurant. Whay??

[Fat Guy]

I was right in the neighborhood of Yasuda the other day and had a little time so I did something I almost never do: I walked in without a reservation. It was the height of the lunch rush, right around 1pm, but they had space at the sushi bar. I just ordered the $34 "sushi matsu" lunch, which is 12 pieces of sushi and half a roll. What a deal. For less than $3 a piece you get a great range of stuff, and they take just as much care as with an expensive omakase. If I'd spent $100+ I wouldn't have been appreciably happier with the sushi. I might have been given some more exotic variants of tuna and yellowtail, and the meal would have been a bit larger, but really, for $34 you can have a great lunch there.

Perhaps one should sit at the sushi bar.

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Very true. And this tends to be the case at every top sushi place in town, from Masa all the way on down to the lowliest neighborhood joint. If you're not at the sushi bar, it's sort of like you're at a different restaurant.

[ulterior epicure]

I was right in the neighborhood of Yasuda the other day and had a little time so I did something I almost never do: I walked in without a reservation. It was the height of the lunch rush, right around 1pm, but they had space at the sushi bar. I just ordered the $34 "sushi matsu" lunch, which is 12 pieces of sushi and half a roll. What a deal. For less than $3 a piece you get a great range of stuff, and they take just as much care as with an expensive omakase. If I'd spent $100+ I wouldn't have been appreciably happier with the sushi. I might have been given some more exotic variants of tuna and yellowtail, and the meal would have been a bit larger, but really, for $34 you can have a great lunch there.

Thanks FG. BTW, I take it you weren't at the sushi bar? If not, then...

Perhaps one should sit at the sushi bar.

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Very true. And this tends to be the case at every top sushi place in town, from Masa all the way on down to the lowliest neighborhood joint. If you're not at the sushi bar, it's sort of like you're at a different restaurant.

... I might be inclined to say that I would be appreciably happier sitting at the bar with Yasuda than off-bar with a less-expensive, but no less-quality meal. Of course, it depends on what your focus is. A spot at Yasuda's bar to me would be like "ring-side" seats for an avid boxing fan. The game is the same whether up-close or in the nose-bleed, but the experience is just that much more interactive and visceral.

[Fat Guy]

I was at the sushi bar.

[ulterior epicure]

I was at the sushi bar.

Bonus!

[Fat Guy]

I wasn't in front of Yasuda, however I've found that the stocky guy who's usually at the far end (farthest from the street) of the sushi bar is a delight to work with. His sushi pieces are crafted very much in Yasuda's free-form style, and he tends to operate at a slightly slower pace (which I prefer) and, if you initiate conversation with him, he's very engaging.

[ulterior epicure]

I wasn't in front of Yasuda, however I've found that the stocky guy who's usually at the far end (farthest from the street) of the sushi bar is a delight to work with. His sushi pieces are crafted very much in Yasuda's free-form style, and he tends to operate at a slightly slower pace (which I prefer) and, if you initiate conversation with him, he's very engaging.

Thanks for that tip, FG. Actually, if there's one thing that I could complain about with Sushi Yasuda, is that Yasuda does often churn out sushi faster than I can eat at an enjoyable (i.e. leisurely) pace. It's also probably a whole lot easier to get a seat at the other end of the bar. You wouldn't have happened to have caught his name, would you have?

[Fat Guy]

Sorry. I didn't bring my A game. Didn't record what I ate or the guy's name.

[ned]

I wasn't in front of Yasuda, however I've found that the stocky guy who's usually at the far end (farthest from the street) of the sushi bar is a delight to work with. His sushi pieces are crafted very much in Yasuda's free-form style, and he tends to operate at a slightly slower pace (which I prefer) and, if you initiate conversation with him, he's very engaging.

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I'm fond of that guy too. Had a nice and very informative chat about roasted fish bones with him.

[jesteinf]

In town for work for a few days I was able to get over to Yasuda tonight for the first time. I don't think I can say anything that hasn't been said here before, but I will say that it was without a doubt the best sushi I've ever had. And I mean not even close. I was able to sit front of Yasuda and put myself in his hands. He educated me, made me laugh quite a bit, and provided an exceptional meal.

The funniest part of the meal came when Yasuda served me a piece scallop liver. I was seated next to to ladies who, had they been in Chicago, were perfect examples of what we call Trixies (young, first jobs in marketing/pr, obsessed with finding a husband, not terribly bright, in Chicago they all drive Jettas). Upon placing the rather odd looking bite in front of me the two Trixies looked over and cautiously asked Yasuda what it was. Without missing a beat he replied in a deadpan, "scallop testicles". Needless to say, they were horrified. I decided to play along and told them "makes you strong", which horrified them even more and made Yasuda just about lose it. He then told them he was kidding and then scallops don't actually have testicles.

Again, just a fantastic dinner.

[ulterior epicure]

The funniest part of the meal came when Yasuda served me a piece scallop liver. I was seated next to to ladies who, had they been in Chicago, were perfect examples of what we call Trixies (young, first jobs in marketing/pr, obsessed with finding a husband, not terribly bright, in Chicago they all drive Jettas). Upon placing the rather odd looking bite in front of me the two Trixies looked over and cautiously asked Yasuda what it was. Without missing a beat he replied in a deadpan, "scallop testicles". Needless to say, they were horrified. I decided to play along and told them "makes you strong", which horrified them even more and made Yasuda just about lose it. He then told them he was kidding and then scallops don't actually have testicles.

Boy, wouldn't you feel like a fool if scallops did indeed have testicles!

Seriously, jesteinf, very happy to hear that Yasuda is still doing very well!

u.e.

[jesteinf]

Well, no one's ever accused me of being a biologist, but still...

[Clerkenwellian]

Had a wonderful meal at Sushi Yasuda on Monday.

Wasn't surprised that it was incomparably better than anything I've had in London. Was surprised to discover that Yasuda speaks reasonable Hebrew...

[Todd36]

Had dinner there Tuesday night---this was a business dinner so we probably spent a bit more than I would on my own. Twenty pieces of sushi each, including 4 pieces of various types of eel and 2 pieces of uni. Two types of yellowtail and salmon, four types of mackeral type fish. A scallop. And a few other assorted things. Maybe we had more than 20 pieces each. It's all very good, nothing was bad, but nothing really struck me.

[Fat Guy]

Todd, did you sit at the sushi bar?

[docsconz]

Yasuda is not far from the epicenter of the recent, extremely damaging NYC Steam-pipe blast. The economic impact on the area can be huge. I hope that Yasuda is able to weather any potential downturn to their business as a result of this.

[Todd36]

Todd, did you sit at the sushi bar?

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No, we didn't, we were at a table close to Yasuda and the person paying the bill is well-known to the restaurant. This is the second time I've had large at the table sushi meals in the last three months at Yasuda, and while they were fine, I still can't figure out the hype. The sake selection is also not so great. I've had more interesting stuff at Uwiskamaru (, not the sake though, no one seems to have mentioned their recent one star NYT review), west side Gari and Seki. Sugiyama in the sashami selection has better fish. The only thing I can figure out about Yasuda is that its the only high end sushi place (and I'm not including Masa) that has an expensive looking room. Its fine, but not better (and perhaps not as interesting as), several other places. Heck, I'm not sure Yasuda (except for eel) was better than my last meal at Eibsu on east 9th, eaten while I watched a Japanese guy bring in a cooler with his own very fresh fish......

[raji]

Uwiskamaru

sashami selection has better fish.

Whoah maybe lay off the large sake selection before posting

I don't think you'd be able to figure out the hype unless you had a similarly unremarkable omakase... the hype is mostly over at-the-sushi-bar, omakase experiences with Yasuda or one of his cohorts.

If there is such a serious dropoff at the tables at Yasuda, that would be another subject of conversation, but that hasn't been my experience

From what I recall one of the Sushiden has a very nice room, you could also include Nobu; the hype is not over the decor... Japanese zen minimalism is not going to leave a lot to comment about in that category, unless you are really into that sort of thing....

Rating Yasuda and Ebisu the same will certainly turn a lot of heads, I can't imagine them on the same level. The Japanese customer came back from fishing and had them prepare it for him? Or what he had was better than the sushi bar? wow

I would only worry about Yasuda's authenticity as over the past few years they've gone from a mostly Japanese to a mostly non-Japanese clientele, but I haven't seen any dropoff because of this... he's seemed to keep it incredibly consistent over the past several years...

It seems like you are craving more variety?

[Todd36]

Uwiskamaru

sashami selection has better fish.

Whoah maybe lay off the large sake selection before posting

I don't think you'd be able to figure out the hype unless you had a similarly unremarkable omakase... the hype is mostly over at-the-sushi-bar, omakase experiences with Yasuda or one of his cohorts.

If there is such a serious dropoff at the tables at Yasuda, that would be another subject of conversation, but that hasn't been my experience

From what I recall one of the Sushiden has a very nice room, you could also include Nobu; the hype is not over the decor... Japanese zen minimalism is not going to leave a lot to comment about in that category, unless you are really into that sort of thing....

Rating Yasuda and Ebisu the same will certainly turn a lot of heads, I can't imagine them on the same level. The Japanese customer came back from fishing and had them prepare it for him? Or what he had was better than the sushi bar? wow

I would only worry about Yasuda's authenticity as over the past few years they've gone from a mostly Japanese to a mostly non-Japanese clientele, but I haven't seen any dropoff because of this... he's seemed to keep it incredibly consistent over the past several years...

It seems like you are craving more variety?

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Better cut-out the sake before you post---I said Sugiyama had better fish in the sashami selection. I didn't taste what the guy brought into Ebisu, it was a flat fish. I can't vouch how good it was----haven't seen someone drag their own fish in before, I suspect he caught it. The yellowtail, kanpachi and two types of salmon served this week at Yasuda were standard, better qualtity stuff, I've had the same exact stuff at a number of places, including Ebisu. I often eat sushi with my very Japanese Waseda grad Tokyo born and raised very food oriented friend of ten years---she can't figure out the hype behind Yasuda either. This was a omakase dinner served at a table, I've had that twice. Still don't get it. It's fine, but....I think the decor and the difficulty of obtaining a counter seat have something to do with the hype. Its like when I had dinner at Per Se, it has to be the best restaurant in town, right?

[Jesikka]

Yasuda is not far from the epicenter of the recent, extremely damaging NYC Steam-pipe blast. The economic impact on the area can be huge. I hope that Yasuda is able to weather any potential downturn to their business as a result of this.

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I was at Yasuda for lunch on Friday (just a couple days after the steam pipe broke) and the place was jammed. I don't think Yasuda has anything to worry about at all. New Yorkers are pretty tough- we can walk around a giant steam pipe explosion to get to good sushi and big snowstorms/minor disasters are notoriously the best time to snag reservations at places we can't usually get into.