HONMURA
AN
170 Mercer St. New York, NY 10012-3244
Phone: (212) 334-5253
SoHo Japanese noodle specialist that elevates dining to
great heights with its heavenly soba, attentive service
and cool, serene atmosphere, definitely in a world of
its own.
JEWEL
BAKO
239 E 5th St. New York, NY 10003
Cross Street: Between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
(212) 979-1012
Extraordinary sushi presented with color and youthful
energy.
Back-lit bamboo branches create a three-dimensional arch
above candlelit tables. The sushi bar allows diners to
have their own private sushi chef for the night. Jack
Lamb the Co-owner frequently seen ab serving service and
diners savoring the sake experience.
Young sushi chef Masato Shimizu slices, shapes and presents
each piece of fish with incredible enthusiasm. The omakase
dinner is fabulous. Watch as the parade of courses arrive
beginning with monkfish liver, tiny bites of tuna tartare
and proceeding to an incredible rainbow of sashimi, which
include a trio of yellowtail tunas sliced from different
parts of the fish.
KAI 822 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10021
Cross Street: Between 68th and 69th Streets
(212) 988-7277
This tiny inspired uptown Japanese makes a big impression
by keeping things on a small scale.
Kai specializes in kaiseki, a meal of tiny courses traditionally
served with tea. Attentive team of servers circulates
through the room pouring tea from iron kettles.
The chefs create artfully plated dishes with an emphasis
on vegetables and seafood. Some of the lightest courses
include petite rolls of tea-smoked duck and featherweight
tastes of black soybeans, bamboo shoots and burdock. More
elaborate courses include a lovely purplish-red sashimi
of bonito over jasmine rice and roasted salt-encrusted
striped bass with tea leaves. Must try the granite topped
with shiso.
RAKU 252
W 47th St. New York, NY 10036
(212) 719-9055
Great sushi, very fresh and the price is rhight. Try the
Mango Ray (Wht tuna & Mango roll) and it was haven
on our tongues!
MEGU
62 Thomas St. New York, NY 10013
Cross Street: Church Street
(212) 964-7777
High-style sushi and organic ingredients in his breathtaking
downtown fare.
Every inch of Koji Imai's first stateside restaurant (he
owns dozens in Japan) is meticulously designed in a mix
of modern and antique motifs. Porcelain rice-bowl columns
teeter high above the auditorium-sized dining area, and
a gigantic temple bell suspends over a bottom-lit ice
carving. Pampering servers, decked out in haute Japonica,
flutter between cavernous leather booths and the long
sushi bar. Even the celebrities seem impressed.
The modern, largely organic, high-dollar Japanese menu
deserves the drama of its showy setting. The kitchen abandons
courses in favor of shared plates: first, yuzu-doused
micro-greens and flower petals; next, bonito-rich edamame
puree. Raw fish--from buttery uni sushi to the exceptionally
fresh glistening toro tartare. Hot dishes include: Marinated
Kobe beef practically melts on its skewers, soy-buttered
scallops collapse with sweet brine and Chawanmushi custard,
quivering in eel-soy broth with black truffles and foie
gras, is beyond culinary adventure.
NOBU 105 Hudson St. 212-219-8095
Cuisine: Nouvelle Japanese
"Nobu" brings totally innovative "new style
Japanese cooking" to New York City. A partnership
of actor Robert DeNiro, celebrated chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa,
and Tribeca Grill restaurateur Drew Nieporent - Nobu is
a visual and culinary delight. Tall birch tree columns
rise into the ceiling, which is painted copper with patches
of open brickwork showing through-- evoking a feeling
of the Japanese country side. Nobu's new style Japanese
cuisine weds a South American sensibility with Japanese
traditions.
Superb raw and cooked ingredients set new standards of
culinary excellence.
NOBU,
NEXT DOOR
105 Hudson St. (bet. Franklin & N. Moore Sts.) New
York, NY (212) 334-4445
So long as you don't
mind waiting in line; it serves the same high-quality
Japanese-Peruvian cuisine as the Nobu the mothership.
SUSHI
YASUDA 204 E 43rd St. New York, NY 10017-4713
Cross Street: Between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
(212) 972-1001
Decorative minimalism and a ritualistic focus on fish
prevail at this standout sushi spot.
Small midtown sushi restaurant, the interior of which
is built almost entirely of blond wood. Sake, for example,
is served on miniature bamboo mats, while soy sauce arrives
in a pouring vessel that could pass for a family heirloom.
Omakase meals provide an illuminating look at the reasoning
sushi chefs bring to their impromptu presentations of
raw fish.
MASA
10 Columbus Cir. New York, NY 10019
Cross Street: 59th Street
(212) 823-9800
New York's priciest prix-fixe at staggering $300 plus
is an understated celebration of pristine and perfect
fish. Zen-like Japanese in the Time Warner Center, LA
sushi king Masayoshi Takayama is now producing out of
this world kaiseki-style dinners of a caliber never before
seen in New York City. The main focus here is on chef
Masa Takayama and his highly professional culinary team.
There is a quiet, humble reverence in their work; it is
anything but showy, yet exhilarating to watch. Servers
blend seamlessly into the background, keeping tiny sake
cups full and replacing dishes without intruding. Diners
are pampered and servers are not obtrusive.
Takayama settles for nothing short of the highest quality
fish and seafood. From refreshing uni that melts in you
mouth to the velvety toro tartare topped with generous
amount of caviar and the buttery foie gras and lobster
shabu shabu. then comes the perfectly designed sushi,
every dish ids devised with skill by world craftsman.
SUSHISAY 1524 Northern Blvd. Manhasset 516-365-6956
Cuisine: Traditional Sushi
BLUE
RIBBON SUSHI
119 Sullivan St. New York, NY 10012-3680
Cross Street: Between Prince Street and Spring Street
Phone: (212) 343-0404The freshest fish, great crowd
and attentive service at one of the city's most reliable
places.
At this prime sushi patrons can seats up front at the
sushi bar where you can watch the culinary craftsman
movements of the sushi chefs. This is one of New York
City's favorite for sushi enthusiasts.
The menu offers items like Japanese horse mackerel,
rice noodle-like strands tossed in vinegar. The sushi
combo plates is the real thing, as well as a verity
of creative rolls, and from the salmon to the cod, all
the fish is extremely fresh.
