Japanese/sushi in Manhattan

[psycfunk]

any suggestions?

[RockTheVote]

Nobu 10char

[cchen]

Er, Nobu is not know for its sushi.

Sushi places I recommend:

Kuruma Zushi

Sushi Yasuda

Sushi of Gari

Sushi Seki

Kirara

Shimizu

Ushi Wakamaru

[Analyst]

It's been a few years, but I liked Tomoe...

[Bing Bing]

If you have $300+ to blow, go to Masa...Time Warner Center

[AstroWolf]

San Do Be in LES has really cheap and good Cali rolls.

Japonica is overpriced but a institution.

Teriaki boy is the worst shit ever, but i am addicted to their salad dressing.

Shima ion 2nd ave is good for the price, and really does not let you down at all.

[zimzima911]

masa is the best.

[almondcrush]

tomoe is tight but those lines are murder

[cchen]

masa is the best.

masa is not the best.

[corporategrunt]

cchen, I think the list you have up is pretty solid, I'd take Kuruma off because I think it is a rip off, although not as bad as masa. Gari is good, but I'd put asterisk on it as it falls under 'sousaku-zushi.' I'd put Sushiden atop along with Yasuda. Ichimura deserves a spot on the list as well.

And if the original poster is not eating at the counter, it's a different topic.

[jubei]

If you're willing to take a short ride out of the city to White Plains, Nanase is UNBELIEVABLE. It's a really small joint and they don't really take walk-ins, but the chef there is an artist (there's a pic of him with Andy Warhol on the wall, if you don't believe me). $30 minimum, but when you're eating stuff that good in such an intimate space, it's well worth it.

Simply divine.

[corporategrunt]

forgot to add one thing, Sasabune fucking sucks, no matter what people from Cali or Hawaii may tell you - that shit does not meet NY standards.

i am sure there is a thread about NY sushi in Chowhound.

[mizanation]

i cosign tomoe sushi. not fancy, pretty cheap. very good quality. the line is not too bad if you have someone to talk to or some good music to listen to.

btw, in japan, some restaurants are putting up certificates of authenticity to show that the food is real japanese food. people are thinking about doing the same thing over here. any opinions on this?

[corporategrunt]

It was a Newsweek Japan cover story - I think the title was 'Sushi Police' (it got media coverage here in the US too). The Japanese government had attempted to establish a certification process where they would inspect Japanese restaurants abroad and issue certification stickers to restaurants that were deemed to serve passable 'authentic' Japanese food. One of the spot that was picked up in the issue was none other than Momofuku - which is still up for debate (I think consensus among Japanese people I know is that regardless of whether the spot is good or not, the spot is not really Japanese)

This is a rather bizzare and ridiculous proposal when you look at other cusine that have made its way to America, take Chinese or Italian - what we get in most cases is a bastardized version but we don't see their governements up in arms about it.

At the same time, I do find myself getting upset when I hear some of my rather inexperienced friends say shit like 'oh man I love sushi, the Philly roll I got from that Chinese/Japanese spot around the corner is the bomb!,' When they ask me for sushi restaurant recommendation, what the fuck am I supposed to do?

My apologies for the long rant.

[DaBestSpoona]

add kanoyama to the list from cchen

[cchen]

corporategrunt, imo, kuruma is worth it and is the top place in nyc. no frills, best quality fish, but expensive as hell. i've only gone a few times and the only places that have topped kuruma were the top sushi bar in korea (ariake) or in japan

[peteyross]

Cheap but still good sushi in the east village: Sapporo East

Expensive midtown places are probably going to be your best bet for serious sushi (like the kind that Japanese business men eat...ie NOT Nobu)

For business I've been to Kuruma zushi, Sushi-den and Sushi Yasuda (among others). It can depend on which days you go I suppose (some days are better than others) but my favorite is Sushi-den. I'm partial to Sushi-den though because they have aka-miso and decent chawanmushi (my time in Nagoya made me love aka-miso).

When it was still open, Honmura-an had some very good seasonal sashimi as appetizers. Their Nantucket scallops (smaller and more buttery flavor than regular ike-hotate) were the best I've had.

[corporategrunt]

guess I missed the intent of the original post - guess the person wanted recommendations for sushi and/or Japanese food.

either way, I think I guess we need more specifics (budget, location, past experience - your standard, etc.) when it comes to giving out recommendations. And some of you cats have definitely been hitting up some nice joints - I have to finagle my way to getting some quality sushi whether it be from fam, fam friends, bosses, expensed meals...etc. when it comes my money:other people's money ratio - I think it's abou 1:9...I gotta do something about that.

[mizanation]

yeah, it is pretty ridiculous that there's a sushi/japanese food police. although, i understand where they are coming from.

what pisses me off is when you recommend a super-authentic japanese place to somebody and that person goes there and says, "it's not japanese enough. where's the buffet?" sigh.

[DaBestSpoona]

The fact that momofuku has a certification alone makes you question the validity of what the piece of paper represents.

[corporategrunt]

it doesn't - but it was listed in the article as one of the restaurants that was in question. I've been meaning to go there so I am not going to take a stance on what I think about it - but I don't think the owner gives a crap - it appears he is making a killing.

[rome1]

drove by a place today and wondered if it was anygood?Mambo Sushi on Bleeker???

[DaBestSpoona]

^

any place with animal in its name should be avoided.

[corporategrunt]

perhaps a sushi samba wannabe?

[readytoignite]

momofuku makes no attempt to pass itself off as authentic, that would be a joke.

[DaBestSpoona]

perhaps a sushi samba wannabe?

maybe, I didnt catch that.

I saw a place called neko sushi recently in the east village

[RAISED BY WOLVES]

Has anyone actually been to Yasuda?

I've read good things about it, but i've also heard that the chef can be a little too overbearing when telling you what and how to eat.

Be curious to hear about your experiences.

(And Miz....What the fuck?

All you do these days is post about expensive raw fish and the finest leather goods?

Get back in the gutter with us heathens where you belong...if you aren't to "refined")

[mizanation]

but, raw fish and fine leather are such a beautiful combination. both age so beautifully.

[sushijerk]

I think Sushi Yasuda has great quality sushi. I didn't find it as overbearing as people say but then again I didn't get the omakase at the counter. You can order a la carte if you want.

I've never had a bad time at Nubo 57, and imho it is one of the most enjoyable places to have a meal, but nobody really goes there for the sushi.

[DaBestSpoona]

I've been to yasuda a few times

His treatment of people is how he reads them. If you look like you just got off the plane from Texas, and just barely unpacked your boxes in your new place in Bushwick, he'll assume you're from california roll crowd and be on the overbearing side, explaining the subtle differences the toro from boston and the toro from Aomori, why its better to eat the eel tadpoles with salt rather than drown it in soy.

Good sushi chefs will do this