Jewel Bako

[southern girl]

Beachfan...unfortunately no...they served the head raw on the platter as decoration...a pity and a waste!

[SobaAddict70]

tommy -- I know. The greater the level of my expectations, the greater the potential disappointment.  

Somehow, Cabby, I *don't* think you'll be disappointed.

Au contraire, actually.

SA

[cabrales]

Soba -- Apologies; I should have clarified the reference to expectations related to the following discussion in the "Best Sushi" thread:

sushi samba 7 is popular and pretty decent.

I recently read about the flash-fried tiny crabs at Sushi Samba 7:

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/news/articles/...shes/menu_3.htm

("Dancing around in a jar atop the sushi bar, these restless crustaceans look like giant bugs. Until, that is, the chef plucks the little critters from their receptacle and plunges them -- live -- into hot oil. Zap!")

I called the Sushi Samba close to Patria, and the restaurant currently has the tiny crabs. I plan to take them in sometime this weekend. Have members sampled this item, which is called "sawagani"?

I called the Sushi Samba close to Patria, and the restaurant currently has the tiny crabs. I plan to take them in sometime this weekend. Have members sampled this item, which is called "sawagani"?

they taste like nothing and are a novelty imho.

tommy -- Some background might clarify Soba's input as well. He and I have a visit to Jewel Bako planned.

[Beachfan]

Beachfan...unfortunately no...they served the head raw on the platter as decoration...a pity and a waste!

That explains Mao's chew fest!

[cabrales]

sushi samba 7 is popular and pretty decent.

I recently read about the flash-fried tiny crabs at Sushi Samba 7:

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/news/articles/...shes/menu_3.htm

("Dancing around in a jar atop the sushi bar, these restless crustaceans look like giant bugs. Until, that is, the chef plucks the little critters from their receptacle and plunges them -- live -- into hot oil. Zap!")

I called the Sushi Samba close to Patria, and the restaurant currently has the tiny crabs. I plan to take them in sometime this weekend. Have members sampled this item, which is called "sawagani"?

I took in the flash-fried Japanese river crabs (Sawagani) at the Sushi Samba close to Patria around midnight last night. As tommy observed, they are not particularly interesting. About 1/2 the length of my pinkie in width, certain small soft-shelled, coral-colored crab were quite actively moving about in a glass fish-bowl-like container at the end of the sushi counter when I arrived. However, the ones displayed were larger, and were not, the ones served to me from the kitchen. This breakage in the link from my observation of the crabs being alive to their being served to me was disappointing. The crab have somewhat harder shells than the typical large soft-shell crab, and therefore offered predominantly crunchy sensations. There were 4-5 small ones in a serving. No meaningful taste of crab flesh, and really just crunchiness (almost like corn nuts, although corn nuts feel "denser" in the mouth and less angular than the crabs).

I also ordered the yellowtail Sashimi Seviche, served with a ginger, garlic and soy-based sauce ($11). There were shreds of raw celery and red onion, and a bit of radish with a heavy dose of the reddish-orangish, peppery-tasting purchased spice one sometimes uses for udon. Overall, the ceviche dish lacked the immersion in acidity one finds at, say, Patria across the street, and was only average.

Other Sashimi Seviche flavors were:

Tuna, orange, ginger, yuzu and white soy ($12)

Fluke, lime, lemon and aji amarillo (9)

Salmon, onion and citrus (9)

Lobster, mango and lime (13.50)

Mackeral, strawberries and balsamic vinegar (8.50)

Octoupus, sake and sweet mustard miso (10)

A four-seviche assortment was $27. A four tiradito assortment was $30. A combination with four of each was $49. I had a glass of Gall of Sonoma Chardonnay 1999 ($8) -- not necessarily to my liking.

[LaNiña]

Okay, I"ve been dying to ask this. What is this "took in" business? And now I see that Jordyn used it too. I thought it was a Cabby-ism. 'splain, please. What happened to "ate?"

[cabrales]

Nina -- For me, "eat" has connotations of the mechanical aspects of putting food into one's mouth, chewing and swallowing. I prefer "take in" because it is more descriptive of sensing the aromas in a dish, viewing it and sampling it.

[Akiko]

Mao,

was the caviar with the otoro and avocado and the parrot fish on the omakase? Or did you order them separately.

I'm taking one of my best friend's for his birthday tonight... we've been food buddies since we were 6 years old and could sneak each other asian candy (botan ame and fusen gum) in our very midwestern kindergarten class.

I've been so excited to introduce him to this place... I just want to make sure he gets the best of everything.

Thanks,

Akiko

[bpearis]

Mao,

was the caviar with the otoro and avocado and the parrot fish on the omakase?  Or did you order them separately.

I can't speak for the parrot fish, but i think that getting the toro tartare is pretty certain. it's been part of the omakase the three times i've been.

[Mao]

Akiko-

It was part of the omakase. But I am sure that you could request certain things. Jack Lamb seems willing to bend over backwards to please.

It was you who turned on to this place, BTW. So Thanks.

[Akiko]

We had another incredible meal at Jewel Bako last night. Many of the items were the same as those described by Mao, bpearis, and Southerngirl, but no parrotfish last night or live uni.

Differences and stand outs were...

an appetizer of homemade tofu wrapped in ume gelatin (it formed a perfect cube, almost like jello, was beautiful) in ume bonito broth... was so good it brought tears to my eyes, but you have to love that sour ume taste.

As the gourmet article details, Kazuo-san begins and ends the sushi course with cooked fish and we started with seared blue fin tuna.

We had many of the pieces that everyone else described but we also had:

fluke that had been cured between some kind of leaf for a few days. The fish was transparent and delicious.

Chef's favorite - aji that was made into tataki and then molded onto the sushirice with a shiso leaf, then the shiso leaf was discarded... also amazing.

Of course (had to be a cooked piece) he ended with otoro seared by his blowtorch, very peppery peppercorns he used on that one. Was great.

And we had that dessert with the fruit compotes and the mochi and azuki with shiso/matcha foam... oh my, I was so happy.

They are going on holiday mid august for a week (possibly two!) so if you need a sushi fix, get your name in their reservation books!

Akiko

[levyme]

akiko- the fluke is cured with alittle salt then washed with sake and then marinated between konbu seaweed leaves overnight

[SobaAddict70]

Dinner at Jewel Bako last night with cabrales and grillboy -- cabrales took better notes than I did, and may recall more details. We sat at the sushi bar, and each had the $75 omakase. I'm glad to report that our experience was every bit as stellar as if I had the $100 option.

We had many of the highlights reported here. I can't remember all that we were served...but here goes:

Amuse #1: Dancing with the Gods sake;

Amuse #2: homemade tofu, topped with miniature baby ebi and Kirby cucumber;

Live octopus with mizuna, sauced with a hot oil marinade and sundried tomatoes;

O-toro tartare topped with Kirby cucumber and golden osetra;

Clear clam soup with a single clam and Japanese chervil;

Homemade tofu encased in a dashi gelee, topped with a slice of Kirby cucumber and steamed uni;

Grilled eel, atop a mirepoix of cucumbers, avocado, grape tomato, and topped with mustard seeds, vinegar jelly, and a light soy glaze;

Sashimi amuse: clam marinated in sake and shoyu;

Pristine sashimi -- too many varieties for me to name: among other things, amberjack, tailjack, Japanese fresh anchovies, striped bass, o-toro, chu-toro, clam, sweet shrimp, ebi heads -- all with fresh wasabi on the side...;

Coconut-litchi sorbet.

I had sake for the first time in my life -- Rikka, at the recommendation of Grace Lamb. Quite clean tasting, fruity, and slightly sweet. We even managed to get a free tasting of mantis shrimp -- different from regular shrimp in that it had a coating of roe all around it. Sort of like a cross between crab and shrimp in taste and texture. Cabrales had a tamago lollipop as a post-dessert fix. =)

Three hours at the sushi bar last night -- every penny well worth it. I think I've been spoiled. Make your reservations now!

SA

[cabrales]

Below are thoughts on my first meal at Jewel Bako:

-- "Dancing with the Gods" sake -- This was complimentary (ostensibly due to the limited wait we experienced relative to our reservation time). Production was described as being limited to 1000 bottles per year, with some exclusivity to JB indications. The sake menu describes this Kan No Mai Yamahaj Junmai -- dry and complex. I felt that my appreciation of sake in general was limited, and could not meaningfully assess this drink.

-- Amuse of homemade tofu and miniature baby ebi -- The tofu was a small square, smaller than the size of one's fingernail on the thumb. The base taste in the tofu was a clear, white sesame seed-based flavor; the texture was smooth and soft. The main taste in the amuse was the tiny shrimp sitting above the tofu, on a little green non-shiso leaf. The shell of the shrimp had been included.

-- Seared O-Toro with miso and red onion. A tasty dish, with three good-sized slices of O-Toro, beautifully coloreed and raw in the centre. A nice touch was the dried green tea powder that added a sense of mattness in the mouth and a hint of bitterness. I ordered a glass of the Chateau Carbonnieux Graves 1999 (pour is not on the generous side, but price of $11/glass was reasonable; the per glass white selection consisted of four to five selections, and was fairly good in quality as far as wine by the glass goes).

-- O'Toro with creamy avocado sauce, and oscetra -- This was a nice dish. A small column-shaped section of good quality diced O-Toro, with an appropriate amount of creamy avocado puree above it. The dining room team member indicated that the O-Toro that evcvening had been harpooned off Cape Cod. The slices of cucumber and radish on top were nice. I had switched to the Chassagne Montrachet, Les Masures 2000, Gagnard ($15/glass). This was one of the dishes that grillboy, Soba and I each had, unlike, for sample, the prior appetizer (dishes prior to the sushi/sashimi course are called appetizers at the restaurant).

-- Chawanmushi -- How wonderful! Steamed egg with dashi, a bit of mushroom and a section of medium shrimp. A nicely developed taste from the dashi, and a touch of caviar on top. Soft, appropriate chanwanmushi, an egg preparation I like.

-- Pike eel in ume broth with geleed bits of an unknown purple vegetable -- Apparently, this eel is very time-consuming, requiring the picking of tiny bones from the flesh. "Muscular" flesh for a fish, somewhat reminding me of monkfish (certain parts). A very good pairing with blush-colored ume broth -- slightly sour, complex-- that rendered the flesh of the pike eel in it very beautiful. Nice utilization in the broth of small bits of apparently vegetables (??)) that had a gelee coating, slippery in the mouth. By this time, I had switched back to the Carbonnieux Graves.

-- Agedashi miso, with Japanese chervil and small non-enoki mushrooms (perhaps shimeji?)

Sashimi -- For the $75 omakase, there is a choice between sushi and sashimi platters. The $100 version offers both. As I had signalled to the chef my preference for uni, my sashimi platter included a generous amount of uni atop a column of cucumber carved to form a cup. It was Santa Barbara uni, and not as good as some of the uni I have had at Sushi Yasuda. Still, a nice combination. The sashimi included is not amenable to enumeration, but included: 4 tpes of hamachi (one of the fresh catches), sweet shrimp, scallop, ebi head (uncooked -- nice), Japanese sardines, stripped bass, O-Toro.

Desserts -- As Soba described, we received a coconut litchee sorbet pre-dessert. For the main dessert, there were flavored items. There were sweet beans, but not overly sweet, in the saucing, with two different types of smooth, sticky rice, small discs (elasticity-based sensations). Afterwards, the small bit of peanut-based Japanese candy presented to the diner in a pretty container.

Tamago lollipop -- Presented on a long, thin stick, this candy resembled the egg omelette-based sushi item visually, but unfortunately not with respect to taste. A small piece of dried seaweed encircled the yellow and white candy. The thought was nice, and interestingly I received the tamago version.

Overall, a good-to-very-good meal with respect to the appetizers (i.e., the items before the sashimi) and good with respect to the sashimi. Jewel Bako is among the strongest Japanese restaurants in NY. As Soba mentioned, with respect to the appetizers, there is good technique and, for certain dishes, interesting combinations of spicing and flavors.

After dinner, Soba and I stopped by nearby Pommes Frites (123 2nd Ave., between 7th St. and St. Marks Place, 674-1234). It was 1 am, and the store was still busy. While Soba and I were full from the Jewel Bako dinner, we nonetheless ordered a regular-sized helping (the smallest available size) of Belgian Frites. Soba utilized vinegar and salt. I ordered the Smoked Eggplant Mayo as my accompaniment. Nice end to the evening.

[Jinmyo]

cabrales, do you think that the sesame flavour of the tofu was because it was soy flavoured with sesame? Or the "tofu" that's actually made with sesame? (I forget it's name at the moment.)

Soba, congratulations on encountering sake. Sake is another category of drink entirely from wine, beer, or spirits. And my favourite.

[cabrales]

Jinmyo -- The tofu amuse had no soy in it; it bordered on the sweet side, as far as seasame sensations went. Almost like certain soft almond tofu. An appropriate, moderated sweetness.

[Jinmyo]

cabrales, I did not mean shoyu or soy sauce. Some "tofu" is made with sesame and yam rather than or together with soy beans.

edit:

Of course, it's goma-tofu.

[cabrales]

Jinmyo -- I see. I don't know if there was predominantly white sesame, but I believe it was white sesame together with other items that rendered the tofu the texture of normal tofu. This was a tiny taste -- literally less than one bite.

Note that the (primary) sushi chef assisting us was Kazuo Yoshida.

[cabrales]

-- Pike eel in ume broth with geleed bits of an unknown purple vegetable -- Apparently, this eel is very time-consuming, requiring the picking of tiny bones from the flesh. "Muscular" flesh for a fish, somewhat reminding me of monkfish (certain parts). A very good pairing with blush-colored ume broth -- slightly sour, complex-- that rendered the flesh of the pike eel in it very beautiful. Nice utilization in the broth of small bits of apparently vegetables (??)) that had a gelee coating, slippery in the mouth. By this time, I had switched back to the Carbonnieux Graves.

The current edition of Gourmet magazine has an article on Jewel Bako. Included is a description of pike eel: "One evening, there is a perfect early summer dish of hamo, the elusive pike eel that is a seasonal specialty of Western Japan, a firm-fleshed fish --which looks a little like a peony [?] when the many, many fine bones have been coaxed out of it with a knife . . . ."

[jordyn]

If a vegetarian went to Jewel Bako, would he or she find anything to eat?

[SobaAddict70]

WHY would a vegetarian go to Jewel Bako? That's not the point of the restaurant.

This is sort of like asking if fish eaters and Peter Luger's are compatible.

SA

[jordyn]

I am burdened with silly dining companions, what can I say?

[SobaAddict70]

hmmmm....

Well, I'm not sure to be honest...if a veggie could be accomodated at JB. I mean, I'm pretty sure s/he could, but fail to see the point of going to a sushi temple. (and btw...imho, veggie futomaki is NOT sushi, in much the same way a California roll is sushi heresy). I didn't take a look at their regular menu, but I'm sure that if your companion states his or her preferences clearly, something could be done. However, your companion probably wouldn't have a very enjoyable time. I mean, let's face it. S/he'd be a fish out of water...

heh

SA

[Charles Smith]

My wife and I returned to JB this past Saturday evening and had another exquisite meal. It’s a combination of devoted owners and a devoted chef that sets this restaurant apart-. Much of what we had has been described here previously (we had the upper tier omakase), so I’ll stick to a few highlights: Our amuse was "live" tile fish sashimi with enoki mushrooms- lovely. Parrotfish, which is one of 200 different "snappers" was new to me and the standout of the sashimi platter. We lhad Jack pair wines with our meal- They're serving an heirloom tomato salad with ebi- Jack poured a Graves alongside this- wonderful combo. We enjoyed a Leflaive Mercurey with sashimi and the other salads, and a '95 red burgundy with sushi that was a perfect match and with dessert, we had a homemade “sake-grappa” with plums soaking inside- just delicious.

For us, there’s no place we’d rather go in NYC at the moment.

One note-

Yoshida-san did tell me that he’s been trying to get fugu for the last few weeks- worth a call to the restaurant to check it out if you’re interested.

[cabrales]

Yoshida-san did tell me that he’s been trying to get fugu for the last few weeks- worth a call to the restaurant to check it out if you’re interested.

Charles -- Merci