Jewel Bako vs. Sushi Yasuda

[jg488]

Where are the NY eGullet sushi mavens? I've posted questions about this on the Yasuda and JB threads, and only got one reply from Sneakeater, who hasn't had recent expereice. I even turned to Chowhound for help (gasp!) but haven't had any luck there either.

JB has always been my go-to place for a splurge sushi dinner, but I'm a bit put off by the expansion. In my one post-expansion experience, the restaurant had lost a bit of its intimacy, and the service wasn't as spot-on. Also, I think it was more expensive (bpearis reported in the JB thread that the price for basic omakase has apparently from $85 to $100).

I'm taking a friend out for sushi, and I'm thinking of trying Yasuda instead of JB, but I want to learn more about how the two are different. Some preliminary thoughts on differences:

-It seems that at Yasuda, you have less of an idea of how much you'll be paying for the whole meal

-More of an emphasis on non-sushi/sashimi dishes at JB

-JB might offer more in terms of inventive sake/wine pairings

-Yasuda has Chef Yasuda

-JB has Jack Lamb, an excellent host (who is the chef these days?)

Come on, eGulleters. I know you have opinions on this...

[ulterior epicure]

jg488.

I have never been to JB, but I have been to SY and I can speak to a couple of your issues:

1. Yes, price at Sushi Yasuda is sort of a mystery - but based on my own experience and from what I've read from other recent posts and from acquaintances, I think you can expect a personal Yasuda experience to range anywhere from $100 - $160 p/p... I guess that's a pretty big range, but I bet you'll probably fall somewhere right between the two... approx. $120 (w/o drinks before tax and tip).

2. SY does have Yasuda... I don't know about Mr. Lamb, but Yasuda's impressed me enough for me to by-pass a dozen other places that I've been dying to try... "Don't fix it if it ain't broken" type of philosophy...

u.e.

[edited for notoriously bad spelling... sorry to have offended the editors out there! ]

Edited March 23, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[jogoode]

I haven't been to Jewel Bako since Kazuo Yoshida left. This is perhaps what turned me off to the place. First Tatsuya Nagata was head sushi chef, then Yoshida, and now someone else. I like going to Yasuda because I'm assured consistently perfect sushi from the same chef, someone who knows what I like and whose company I enjoy.

Edited March 23, 2006 by jogoode (log)

[jogoode]

And I can't stress this enough--forget about a price range at Yasuda. If you can only drop $60, get plenty of the excellent maki and choose most of your pieces of sushi a la carte, asking the chef occasionally to steer you toward a fish he think you should try. Probably the same at Bako, and certainly the same at Kuruma.

[ulterior epicure]

I just bought the NY Michelin and noticed that JB got a star and Yasuda is without... ?? I'm just leafing through, so I haven't gotten a good feel for what the Michelin is in terms of NY (or America) yet...

u.e.

[Sneakeater]

That alone should tell you something.