THE BEST: Sushi in Manhattan

[jbehmoaras]

My favorite sushi restaurant is Hatsuhana

It may not have the same ambiance as the more popular restaurants however, I have tasted my best pieces of sushi at this restaurant. Thy dont spend time with fusion and stay away from superficial aspects of many japanese restaurants.

Here sushi is serve in its most basic forms to place emphasis on the profound freshness of the fish served. Of course their toro is excellent, but so are their other pieces of fish. If it hasnt come in fresh, they wont serve it to you and if you sit at the bar you can see that they only serve you the best parts of each filet unlike some other sushi chefs and lower quality restaurants.

As others have most definately experienced, some of the best sushi meals come from a discussion with the sushi chef and his recommendations for the day. Once, he recommended some copper river salmon they had just received and I must say, it is the single best piece of sushi i have ever had... and I normally never order salmon. Always having preferred toro over most other cuts , I was surprised to find that the texture was just like chu toro however it had a greater depth of flavor and a slight sweetness to it and it had i deep orange/reddish color that comes from the habitat of the copper river in alaska. It has now dethroned toro to second place on my list.

[Nathan]

I'd vote for Yasuda.

I have friends that found it "boring" and "uncreative" but then they don't like Italian food either...I find the sensibilities to be very similar: simple ingredients, subtlely and perfectly prepared, speaking for themselves.

and, of course, the eel is amazing at Yasuda...

[raji]

Well after all that reading and raji comments i will try Yasuda, i will only be one week to NY so i will just make one test

I think raji long post was nice to read and helps to understand the way of thinking of sushi chef's and i can understand their way of thinking, it's like when i see foreigners that want to test a Paella and ask me where is the seafood OMG!!!! to this people i won't really make my best dish, i can be wrong but it's a way of work that some can like and some other won't.

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Wow I'm flattered! And I can't believe I produced such a long post in the first place.

Well you'll all be happy to know that the sushi compass has been recalibrated, a week in Tokyo has passed and very good sushi has been consumed. Unfortunately I am not really looking forward to paying triple in NY for the same quality as here....

Few notes -

I'll take a sushi chef who spent his years apprenticing and honing his craft rather than learning English, and honestly, who'd have time to do both...

I also cringe at "creative" sushi but Seki pulls it off making it even stronger....

Boring and uncreative??? You're there for the taste and preparation, if I want a nightclub I'll go to sushisamba....

I would say of all the Japan sushiko's I've been to, their menus share more in common than any other cuisine I could possibly think of. I think of a Sushi bar as the front end of a dock and fish market manned by samurai knivesman. It's success or failure depends on every link in the chain...

That said, usually they have a dozen or so things that they make their own. The sushiya I went to tonight had raw Katsuo (as you know it's ALWAYS cooked), a few rolls they invented, as well as a more extensive otsumami menu, "oomori" versions of their ikura and uni, and so on. Midorizushi of umegaoka, another favorite of mine, has an anago that is wider than my head, as well as an "aburi" seared sushi menu.

However, the reputation and standing of sushiya's here not only rests on their ongoing quality, but where the head chef apprenticed, his lineage, etc. There doesn't seem to be enough of that in the US whatsoever, and that's unfortunate. Good sushi in the US is often a matter of finding journeymen Sushi chefs who ventured to America possessing a very very Japanese skill...

[Sneakeater]

That said, usually they have a dozen or so things that they make their own. The sushiya I went to tonight had raw Katsuo (as you know it's ALWAYS cooked), a few rolls they invented, as well as a more extensive otsumami menu, "oomori" versions of their ikura and uni, and so on. Midorizushi of umegaoka, another favorite of mine, has an anago that is wider than my head, as well as an "aburi" seared sushi menu.

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I found this paragraph interesting because just about every other word is something that I have no idea what it means. Raji could be making all this stuff up for all I know.

[raji]

That said, usually they have a dozen or so things that they make their own. The sushiya I went to tonight had raw Katsuo (as you know it's ALWAYS cooked), a few rolls they invented, as well as a more extensive otsumami menu, "oomori" versions of their ikura and uni, and so on. Midorizushi of umegaoka, another favorite of mine, has an anago that is wider than my head, as well as an "aburi" seared sushi menu.

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I found this paragraph interesting because just about every other word is something that I have no idea what it means. Raji could be making all this stuff up for all I know.

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And I thought I was in the sushi snob thread....

That said, usually they have a dozen or so things that they make their own. The sushiya I went to tonight had raw Katsuo bonito (as you know it's ALWAYS cooked), a few rolls they invented, as well as a more extensive otsumami appetizer menu, "oomori" laaaaarge versions of their ikura salmon roe and uni sea urchin, and so on. Midorizushi of umegaoka, another favorite of mine, has an anago conger eel that is wider than my head, as well as an "aburi" seared sushi menu.

NOOB!

[Sneakeater]

NOOB!

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I never deny it.

[philadining]

I found this paragraph interesting because just about every other word is something that I have no idea what it means.  Raji could be making all this stuff up for all I know.

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If you're unclear on some of the vocabulary, I've found that the Krusty Sushi website to be very helpful. For example: katsuo

As they are cutting-edge purveyors of mail-order sushi (freshness not guaranteed) they wouldn't steer you wrong...

[Sneakeater]

Thanks!

[Prawncrackers]

Hi folks, not posted on this sub-forum before but felt the need to post a photo of this amazing sushi dinner i had in Hatsuhana in Manhattan. My wife and i have just come back from our first visit to New York (in fact our first time in the USA) and we both think that this is the best sushi we've ever had outside of Japan. Enjoy the pic...

[raji]

Hatsuhana does not appear on enough lists but the 2 locations are easily in the top 10 in NYC. I'm glad that they stay off the radar, stay authentic, don't get caught up in the hype

Is that their 9-course omakase?

I see:

Negitoro with _real_ wasabi

Tamago and cooked salmon?

Uni

Salmon

Maguro

Kanpachi?

Hamachi?

Ikura don

Unagi don

[Prawncrackers]

This was called "Box of Dreams", if i ever make it back to NY i'll ask for omakase for sure!!

Raji, you're good! You got most of it right:

- (centre top) it was a large cooked prawn with the Tamago

- (centre right) i'm not sure what Kanpachi is. This had the texture of a flat fish and was nice and firm. I've never had it before, if i had to guess - maybe flounder?

I'm a sucker for uni and unagi but for me the most delicious dish was the negitoro, yum.

Edited June 27, 2007 by Prawncrackers (log)

[raji]

Yeah I thought it was a prawn, actually, but couldn't tell for sure from the photo...

Kanpachi is a tastier relative of the "hamachi" yellowtail, easy to remember because they sound alike

Kanpachi (greater amberjack) and amaebi (small, sweet shrimp) are 2 highly seasonal fish carried usually at the more authentic places and are 2 that I always ask the chef for

Yeah toro is always the most popular... to be honest after years of sushi-eating I grew a bit away from fat tooth and found different plateaus of flavor, appreciating the shiromi (all types of white fish) more....

[foodhunter]

Incoming! Bruni does Ushiwakamaru and 15 East. Just read what seemed to be a portion of the review, should be interesting to see the ultimate verdict (in terms of stars) as well as the conclusion. But from what I've read so far, I think the review reinforces the fact that: (a) Bruni doesn't get sushi, and (b) Bruni doesn't get wine. That's just my opinion.

[ulterior epicure]

Giving this thread a bump. In lieu of my cancelled reservation at Ushiwaka Maru (due to DOH problems), I am out in search for a good sushi dinner. I have done Yasuda twice. I'm not interested in Sushi of Gari or Kurumazushi. Do not feel like spending my first child's college fund on Masa right now...

Many have poo poo'ed Jewel Bako on this forum, but I can anyone, whose gone recently, give me specific reasons (i.e. specific experiences and disappointments) why I should not go?

[Nathan]

why not Soto?

[LPShanet]

Giving this thread a bump.  In lieu of my cancelled reservation at Ushiwaka Maru (due to DOH problems), I am out in search for a good sushi dinner.  I have done Yasuda twice.  I'm not interested in Sushi of Gari or Kurumazushi.  Do not feel like spending my first child's college fund on Masa right now... 

Many have poo poo'ed Jewel Bako on this forum, but I can anyone, whose gone recently, give me specific reasons (i.e. specific experiences and disappointments) why I should not go?

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The probable reason that many have been less than glowing about Jewel Bako in recent years is that the sushi chef who made it so good originally has been gone for quite a while. Once he left, he was replaced by a less talented and less ambitious itamae, and the overall experience there declined, both in terms of creativity and in ingredient quality.

Which brings me to the good news and my recommendation. 15 East. The original chef from Jewel Bako, Masato Shimizu, is now there, and if you sit at the bar, he'll give you an omakase every bit as good as what he used to serve at Jewel Bako, but in a nicer setting. Enjoy.

[Ce'nedra]

I'm not a local so I can't claim what is best or not but I'm currently in NY staying with my sister and went to Gari two days ago.

Yes it's sort of pricey but I loved the creative sushis. Multiple layer of flavours; some intense, others subtle. My favourite though, wasn't the sushi but rather, the seared foie gras. Slightly crisp on the outside and melting on the inside. The accompanying drizzle of sauce was amazing. Simple but gooood.

[raji]

I'm not a local so I can't claim what is best or not but I'm currently in NY staying with my sister and went to Gari two days ago.

Yes it's sort of pricey but I loved the creative sushis. Multiple layer of flavours; some intense, others subtle. My favourite though, wasn't the sushi but rather, the seared foie gras. Slightly crisp on the outside and melting on the inside. The accompanying drizzle of sauce was amazing. Simple but gooood.

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Which Gari did you go to?

If you're a fan of saucing/salting you'll love Seki and Ushiwakamaru too but it seems to be something all the more fasionable sushiya are doing lately, which is a good thing - more personal responsibility and craftsmanship from the sushi chef