Omakase at Yasuda

Finally. After years of working just around the corner from Yasuda and looking longingly through the window on my lunch breaks, my dreams have come true. I've had sushi every which way -- in a goblet, on an oyster shell, with mousse, blow-torched, wrapped in cucumber, topped with yuzu -- and I was ready to just have it done RIGHT. Good sushi. Good rice. No extras. No filler. No room for creativity. Just sushi, simple and perfect.

I knew I was in for a treat (I mean, I'd been anticipating this meal for years) but I had no idea sushi could be this amazing. Every piece was clean, pristine, disappeared like a cloud in my mouth. Even the taste was so pure it needed a little something -- soy, wasabi, salt, whatever -- to make the flavors stand out just a tiny bit more. 

My only request in the omakase was to start with sashimi. Prime our palates a little. Our private sushi chef got right to work, slicing ultra thin pieces of tuna, yellowfish, Alaskan trout (I think?), with chewier bits of orange clam and squid. We had a little coarse sea salt for the clam and squid, making two of my lesser favorites something I couldn't get enough of. Wow. Now we were excited for sushi.

I didn't write down anything or take many pictures. I really just wanted to experience and enjoy. The sushi chef would plunk it down. We'd pick it up with bare fingers and toss it back. And so it went. There were playful pairings that really made you pay attention to the subtle flavors of each fish: there were three types of salmon, different types of tuna (including bluefin, which I guess I should have morally refused but instead indulged and unregrettably enjoyed), fresh and saltwater eel. There was scallop and just-cooked shrimp. Everything piece melted onto the perfect rice beneath it, slightly vinegared, a little salty, every grain distinguishable from every other while the fish dissolved into it. Amazing. 

Even the seaweed here was unlike any I'd had before. Not crunchy or jarring. It was soft and fresh and a little sticky between my teeth. It was filled with toro that again, melted into the rice around it. A nice, filling way to end the omakase. I was full and satisfied but not too stuffed to go out for a nice bottle of wine after.

When we were done, our sushi chef -- who started off a little standoffish but had really warmed up to us by then -- asked if there was anything we didn't have that we'd like to. We both asked for uni. He said it was out of season, but put something together for us that worked just as well, if not better, than uni. It was part of a scallop. He said it was only available in the summer and that people went crazy for it. It was really similar to uni but bigger, slick and creamy like a freshly shucked oyster. Our eyes popped open. We asked him to tell us more about it. And so he gave us a brief tutorial of the anatomy of a scallop. It appeared that the part he was indicating was the reproductive gland. "You had male. This part female." Hmm. It was hard to decide whether to be grossed out by what we just learned or happy that it was so amazing. We both had the same "hmmmm" reaction. I guess its just like a big roe. No one had ever told me about scallop roe.

We finished the sake and headed back out into Midtown. This is it, we said. That's the last sushi we can ever eat.

(I might have ruined it with that Karumazushi bit, but, for the blog's sake of food drama, I'm gonna go ahead and say that is that. Forever. Now I'm done.)

Unless you also plan on giving up sushi forever, I have to warn against going here. It really is just that good.

Sushi Yasuda

204 e. 43rd St.

Lunch Special at Karumazushi

I've wanted to go to Karumazushi since I read about it in Ruth Reichl's novel Garlic & Sapphires. Considering the place is so expensive, I went for a $20 lunch special the other day. Maybe I would have been happier with it if I went BEFORE Yasuda instead of after.

Anyway, here's the lunch special, which I admit is pretty good for the price. The sushi isn't top notch, some pieces are too chewy, some are a little discolored. The toro roll was pretty great though.

I don't know what the rest of it was, since they didn't tell me. It didn't really matter because my heart was elsewhere -- at Yasuda a few blocks away.

Stay tuned for a post on our omakase meal at Yasuda. It will probably be my last sushi post ever, because I have now officially been too spoiled to eat anything less than sweet pristine perfection ever again.

Karumazushi
7. E. 47th St.
2nd floor

Chocolate, Hot and Cold

First, the hot. The dark hot chocolate from Lily O-Brien's reminds me of the inside of a molten chocolate cake. The milk and the white hot chocolates are good too, but not as rich. Lily O'Brien's uses 55% cocoa in it so it can get a little bitter. An extra packet of sugar does the trick. Plus, they add in a little treat.

Now the cold. This morning's frozen Mayan chocolate with pasilla chili, espresso and whipped cream from Brooklyn Label. Spicy, icy caffeination.

The Brooklyn French Toast made with creamy challah and topped with cranberry pecan butter completed the sugar rush.

Lily O'Briens
36 West 40th St.
Manhattan


Brooklyn Label
180 Franklin St.
Brooklyn

Food Art at the Modern

It was last summer that I visted the Modern (at the MOMA) for an amazing tasting menu with wine pairings. The service here was top-notch (should I mention that they very quickly and very discreetly brought me a band-aid within seconds of my inquiry? Let's not ask why), the wines matched the notes of each course amazingly well, but most of all, the presentation was absolutely beautiful!

These pics are highlights from the separate tasting menus that Rob and I enjoyed. There was the foie gras terrine, yellowfin tartare, diver scallops, escargot ravioli... then it starts to get hazy. Let's just enjoy these very colorful and droolworthy pictures from the evening:

After dessert, they rolled out a very amazing dessert cart and encouraged us to try as much as we wanted. A very cruel trick, considering we were all stuffed to the brim. The balsamic lollipop (the only thing I could even consider trying) was really memorable -- the vinegar was surprisingly nice as an after-meal sucker. The "lobster cappuccino," on the other hand, didn't have the same effect, though I know some people that disagree.

If you ever find yourself at the MOMA, stop by next door, grab a seat at the bar, enjoy some free truffled popcorn and order a hinny kick (it's Alice's favorite, as well!). It's a fantastic introduction to this amazing restaurant.

The Modern
9 W. 53rd St.
212-333-1220

Wintry Dinner at Convivio

On Saturday, I headed up to Tudor City for a nice early V-day dinner with Rob. I hadn't been up to my favorite elevated midtown oasis in months, so the walk up the steps and past the park was an extra enjoyable little trek. It's so hushed and quiet and dark and snowy, a hazy view of Brooklyn beyond the East River. And then into loud Convivio, lots of old men in suits, cramped tables, low lighting and beautiful Southern Italian food.

Even if we weren't being treated with the best Christmas present ever (thanks, Greg & 80!), we probably still would have gone with the $64 four course prix fixe. It gets you an antipasti, a primi (pasta), a segundi (pesci or carni) and a dessert. It was the perfect amount of food, plus it gave us a little room to explore the wine list (I had a Prosecco di Conegliano and later, a dessert wine from Cyprus.)

Everything we tried was stellar and expertly cooked. The only complaint I have is that most accompaniments were plain and (I thought) the dishes would be much better off without. Like the duck sausage antipasti with grilled endive. Scrap the endive, and give me 18 more duck sausages! It was so delicate and flavorful and perfect. The endive was just kinda... there.

Rob had the amazingly beautiful yellowtail crudo with blood oranges and olives. The fish melted in your mouth, and the orange/olives gave it a nice sweet/salty balance. This is maybe the one exception where the accompaniments really helped the dish shine.

Rob's primi was the gnochetti with crab and sea urchin I had this spring (it's still amazing), but my tuna belly raviolios blew it out of the water. There's something special about homemade ravioli when its eggy and tender, even before its stuffed with perfectly moistened bits of tuna. The sauce was used so sparingly I have no idea what it could be, but it was so rich and lemony and flavorful. I bet it would make a good soup. I even loved the capers in this dish.

We shared the next course evenly... although I was tempted not to share my second lamb chop! So meaty and fatty with a fantastic salsa verde and breadcrumb topping. It sounds heavy, but it was really super light and delicate. An expertly crafted dish, though I could have done without the tomato and cannelli beans (zzz). The scallops were really well cooked and surprisingly a lot denser than the lamb. This could have used a sauce in place of the oily pepper strips, though.

Dessert was amazing. Rob had the meyer lemon tartaletta with huckleberry compote and coconut gelato. Very heavy on the lemon with nice accents of tropical fruit. I absolutely loved my zuppa di cioccolato, a very dense mint bergamot semifreddo with a hot chocolate soup poured tableside. It was like a subtly flavored mint chocolate chip sundae that started extra frozen and got even better as it got meltier.



This was my favorite meal in a long time. I already can't wait to go back and try the arancini, the fusilli with pork shoulder, the oxtail ragu. Maybe my next four-course meal at Convivio? I'll be very happy finishing with the semifreddo zuppa again.

Convivio

45 Tudor City Place

212-599-5045

Convivio

Last week I was treated to a special birthday lunch at Convivio!

This was my first Michael White experience, and expectations were high. Tudor City is like a magical little oasis in midtown and Convivio fits in perfectly, a modest but majestic brick alcove right across from the park.

If you've ever wanted to try a 3-star restaurant but thought it'd be absurdly priced, head over at lunch. At Convivio, the business lunch is $28 for any two courses you want; any additional is $12. I've had crappy salads in midtown for more than that!

I started with the sgombro, two beautiful slices of raw yellowtail with olivada (olives, oil garlic), pistachios and scallions. So simple and yet so exquisite!


Next was the malloreddus, a perfectly textured Sardinian saffron gnocchetti with crab and sea urchin. The crab was plentiful, and the bits of sea urchin moistened each bite. Frank Bruni said it best in October '08 when he noted that the texture of the crab mimics that of the dumplings, "its taste proving another whisper of the sea."Dessert was a trio of freshly spun gelato: espresso, cream cheese and chocolate. The cream cheese was a little too richly tart for me, but the espresso and chocolate were perfect.


The caramel sea salt tart with vanilla ice cream was as tasty as it was pretty, the salty/sweet combo a perfect end to an amazing Southern Italian meal.


Micheal White will be hearing from me again. Marea, you're next!

Convivio
45 Tudor City Place, betw 42nd &43rd streets
(212) 599-5045

Lobster Roll Fever

A few weekends ago, Rob and I headed up to Maine to do some work on his family's summer cottage. It was a long day of scraping, painting and re-painting, but at the end of the day it was all made worth it with a lobster roll from Lobster in the Rough.

This place is more like one of those day camps that schools take kids at the end of the year than a restaurant. Except instead of horseback riding and mini golf, this place has an outdoor sports bar, horseshoes, karaoke, bonfires, a playground and the best lobster roll I've ever had in my life. Two tails, four claws with just the right amount of mayo on a split bun.


I should have shirts made that say "Will work for lobster." Who else would wear one?

This lobster roll got me craving the buttery, soft textures of the perfect Maine food, so I finally gave in the other day and headed up to the Urban Lobster Shack in midtown on my lunch break. Everyone on Yelp was complaining that its too small and too expensive, but I gotta say that these people must have never been to Maine. You can spend up to $18 for a small but decent lobster roll up north. Here, ten dollars gets you a tasty, normal sized roll, plus cole slaw AND a salad. What's everyone's problem?

While it obviously was not as fantastic as Lobster in the Rough, I gotta say this was a pretty solid lobster roll. A few good chunks of meat, although some of the meat on top is strangely shredded. The chunks of celery were a little large for my taste, but the extra butter on the split roll made up for that. For a lobster roll in midtown that satisfies the craving, I say its definitely worth the $10.

Lobster in the Rough (Behind the Lobster Barn)
Open mid-May through October
1000 Route 1, York, Maine
(207) 363-4721

Urban Lobster Shack
805 Third Ave, betw 49th & 5oth streets
(Lower level in the Crystal Mall)

Recent Sushi Outings

I've been craving sushi lately. Big mouthfuls of rice-filled maki rolls, slippery raw scallops, melty wet uni. I think it's more a texture thing than a taste thing.

First on the list: Yama, near Union Square. This underground space is small but clean and comfortable, with a good a la carte menu and very decent prices. The sushi itself is not mind-blowing, but considering prices and location it's a good deal for solid fish.


A few of us went out for a pre-dinner dinner (a new dining concept in my life that begins with filling up on cheaper but good stuff so you can try more expensive stuff somewhere else later). We got one of their many combo platters. Maybe Sushi for Two? It was a well-diversified plate of roe, eel, sashimi (tuna, whitefish, salmon) and seaweed-wrapped rolls (crab, yellowtail, etc.). We also got a specialty roll (eel, avocado and flying fish roe rolled in cucumber) and a few of my favorite a la carte staples (toro, scallop, uni). Overall, a good pre-dinner dinner.

Yama
122 E. 17th St. (between Irving Pl & S Park Ave)
New York, NY (212) 475-0969

Next, a Brooklyn establishment I've been trying to visit for awhile -- Taro Sushi in Park Slope! It's an average looking spot from the outside, but their sushi is on par with some of the greater spots we've visited in the city. The rice is warm and risotto-y. I'm beginning to think you can judge the quality of a sushi place by its rice, kind of like how my mom always said you can judge an Italian restaurant by the croutons in their salad.
A lot of us squeezed into that tiny place one night and split more pieces of sushi that I can even count. The most noteworthy would have to be the uni on top of a scallop. We had a bunch of different types of toro. There was horse mackerel, there was amberjack, and there was even some royal-tasting spicy rolls. There was even sliced raw beef and ankimo.

This place is almost the exact opposite of Yama. The atmosphere isn't spotless or even much to look at (they have a messy desk pushed off to one side with a beer tap attached). It's not in the greatest location (you can almost see Target gleaming from across Flatbush Ave). The fish can get pricey if you come too hungry. On the plus side, they do have an amazing menu and everything is very fresh. Next time I'm up for some quality sushi, I'll probably head to the city for similarly priced but better quality of dining at Kanoyama.

Taro Sushi
446 Dean St. (between 5th Ave & Flatbush Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 398-0872

Last week I stumbled across a pretty impressive place in upper midtown. We needed a quickish place to get a sushi fix before a spa week massage, and I saw that Suzu Sushi had a pretty good menu with nice prices to boot. We were the only ones there at around 6, and the service was really fast and super friendly.

We had the sashimi appetizer, the Sumo roll (an 8-piece square roll with tuna, salmon, yellowtail and spicy tuna with a yuzu miso sauce) and one of the special rolls (lobster, shrimp, avocado and mango). Everything was really fresh and the rolls were impressive. The special roll was easily my favorite, even though the mango was so ripe we couldn't taste any other flavors. I didn't mind though; the different textures in this roll was divine. I liked the yuzu sauce on the Sumo roll, although it was a little sweet. Rob wasn't as crazy about it. I guess yuzu is getting a bit overused these days.

I'll probably be back to Suzu next time I'm shopping up near Lexington & 59th. I'd love to try their a la carte menu, maybe even the $3 live scallop if I work up the courage.

Suzu Sushi
1075 1st Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 310-0155

Another Reason to visit Le Bernadin...

When we visited Le Bernadin in March, everything from the food and wine to the service was impeccable. While I thought the sommelier did a fantastic job paring wines for each course, I had no idea he was considered the World's best until I read this article from Food & Wine magazine. The publication hired Frank Bruni to become the most difficult diner imaginable, challenging poor Mr. Sohm to think on his feet. While we were all very happy with the parings he gave us, it's pretty cool to know he can come up with an aged rum to match the Kobe beef and a beer to match a chocolate dessert.

Like you needed another reason to visit Le Bernadin!

Le Bernadin

Yes, you read that right. I recently had the pleasure of dining at Le Bernadin, one of the top restaurants in the city! Rob's uncle took us and the family for dinner before an evening at the Met Opera. It was a ritzy and glamorous evening and will be hard to match. Three and a half years in NYC and I finally got to see a side of it I've never experienced before. Sometimes life is pretty good to me.

I'm not normally a huge seafood fan, but everything here was fantastic. In fact, a lot of things I'm not normally big of -- shrimp, dessert wine, heavy & rich chocolate desserts -- all of a sudden were amazing items that I could not get enough of. We had the chef's tasting menu with wine pairings for each course. I have never experienced this before and was absolutely blown away by the quality of wine and the perfection by which it complemented each carefully arranged course. Each dish was presented to us before the sauce, broth, "essence," or whatever other liquid was poured on top, directly at the table. The meal started with raw fish and eventually progressed to fully cooked seafood. We experienced something similar at Anissa with the course of tuna prepared in three ways: raw, seared, and cooked. I like it; it makes sense.

Our meal went like this:

First, our pre-course dish: raw baby shrimp in a spaghetti squash foam. The shrimp had perfect texture, tender and firm, without much of a taste themselves. The squash foam gave it a sort of sweet note.

First course: strips of very thin raw fluke, brushed with soy sauce and topped with crunchy "rice crispy" puffs for texture and flakes of gold. Not very often you can eat gold in this economy, unless you can afford a nip of Goldschlager of course. The taste was very mild and not mind-blowing, but I did enjoy the juxtaposition of slippery raw fish with crunchy toppings.

Second course was very Japanese: "ultra rare" scallops topped with daikon radish, shiso, lily bulb and sake with a super thin and delicate stick of cayenne laid on top (how do they do that with pepper?). It was good, but not incredibly memorable. I think the presentation might have outdone the taste on this one.

Next: seared salmon with a citrus emulsion and gingered baby bok choy. The website says there was also water chestnuts and "pea tendrils" but I didn't know that's what those are. This one was one of my favorites. I love the half-cooked style, the sashimi side and the cooked side taste almost completely different, and a forkful of both just makes it fun to eat. The citrus sauce was incredible. I could not stop myself from soaking up eary last bit with my sourdough roll; I know it was probably not the proper way to do it but I'm an Italian and that's just how its done.

Number four: skate wing with bamboo jus and dog ear mushroom atop fine cellophane noodles. Skate is always a treat for me as its very hard to properly cook. I've had skate as less-than-stellar restaurants and been disappointed by the hard texture or too many tiny bones. Not here; the skate easily came apart and was well-complemented by the glass noodle and faint bamboo taste. My favorite part of this course was probably the wine. Up until this point, every course was served with white wine; this one was served with a Flower pinot noir because the sommelier "likes to break the rules." That was A-OK with me because I like reds much more than whites, even if the whites do complement fish dishes better. The site I linked the wine to describes it as a "fruity bouquet supported by a clean minerality with hints of spice and violet." It's too bad that words can only go so far in describing it. It was so much more than that, but, I'm no better at trying to describe delicate tastes in a wine, so I won't bother trying to explain. But its good. Very good.

Last course before dessert was the pan-roasted monkfish. Now I've had monkfish liver at Bozu and Sushi Azabu, but never actual monkfish meat before. It was very fully cooked and tender, served with an amazing veal-based black garlic and Persian lemon sauce with dried pomegranates, I believe. Lots of interesting flavors, both heaty and light. The sauce had a subtle dried fruit tang to it. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the Israeli cousous tabbouleh. Oh My God. It was heavily lemon-scented and had an amazing firm texture that sort of popped in your mouth. I was savoring it slowly when I was told I had to hurry up if we wanted to make the opera. I hated shoveling this in but there was no way I was going to let it go until I was done.

Now for the desserts! The first was my favorite; panna cotta with pomegranate pearls and a side of pomegranate sorbet, adorned with myers lemon cream, orange peel and mint. Rob commented that if he could sit at the bar and order this every night he could, and he is not at all a dessert person, so that is some high praise right there. The greek yogurt had this soft texture and amazing taste that trumped any ice cream I have ever had. And I love ice cream, so there's some more high praise. Cue heavenly chorus!! The pom sorbet, eh. It was all about the panna cotta baby.

At some point in here we saw Eric Ripert walking around introducing himself. Not to us, mind you. But it was fun to gawk.

Next was the baked chocolate dessert. I did not record any information about this one because I had to eat it really quickly because the opera was going to start in like ten minutes and if we did not make the final bell then we were in trouble. I'm really not a fan of these types of heavy desserts but somehow it was perfect, the creamy hot and melty chocolate in the middle was heavenly. It was accompanied by some sort of coffee/hazelnut ice cream which was soft and melty and luckily a lot easier to gulp down than the delicious chocolate mess. By the time the petit fours came out, a car was outside and waiting for us. I was able to grab a tiny chocolate truffle and pistachio mousse -- it surprised me how good it was -- but at this point I was the only one left at the table and had to grab my coat and run. I regret not snatching the last two of the petits for the road.

We made the opera, but just barely. Once we opened our private door to our box seats and sat down, the opera started as if on cue. The Sicilian set of Cavalleria Rusticana was amazing. I was slightly tipsy from all the wine.

The entire evening was absolutely exquisite. And I'm not the type to use that word.

Le Bernadin
155 W. 51st St.
New York, NY 10019
212-554-1515

Old and New on 53rd Street

A few weekends ago Rob and I found ourselves in the middle of midtown on a Saturday, in serious need of a drink and some food. I wanted to try the new Vero Midtown wine bar on 2nd ave and 53rd street, so we headed over for some wine and upscale snacks.

It was the middle of the day, so we were one of the few people there. I ordered the Fife "Redhead Red" syrah and was a bit disappointed -- I expected with a name like that, the wine would have more spice to it. Rob ordered his usual Reisling and enjoyed it.

Most of the menu here is made up of small, shareable plates. I was most excited about trying the saffron arancini -- it was pretty much the reason I wanted to go to Vero in the first place. I've always loved arancini (fried rice balls with mozzerella) but these were made with risotto and had saffron in them. I figured it would be an ultimate version of an Italian favorite, but I wasn't a big fan. It was mostly risotto and not a lot of melted cheese, and the saffron gave it a weird aftertaste. It just didn't come together like I'd hoped.

Since we had just barely whetted our appetites, we ordered one more plate -- the veal meatballs. These heavenly little treats were incredibly tender and more than redeemed all the mediocre arancini and wine. I thought the golden raisins and pinenuts would be weird, but they definitely added some great texture to the meatballs that otherwise melt in your mouth. They were served atop some incredibly delicate ("slow cooked") san marzano tomato sauce and a beautiful green basil sauce. A dollop of white ricotta cheese on top and what do you know? A delicious Italian flag.

Well, at this point we'd spent over $50 and we were more hungry than when we first showed up to Vero. So instead of ordering more plates, we headed west on 53rd for some substantial eats at our old favorite subterranean Mediterranean spot, Marrakesh. Well, its more like Middle Eastern cuisine that has everything from Moroccan soups to Mediterranean sandwiches and even pasta specialties. I've never tried anything that leans towards Italian, but of all things babaganoush and falafel-y this place has never disappointed us. And we've been coming pretty consistently for about two years now.

I have no idea why no one is ever here, but each time we go we're one of only two or three parties. We always take the same spot, under the window. The service is always really friendly but kinda slow. And we always get the mint tea. Always. It's so sweet that it hushes my sweet tooth long after we leave. But it's also clean and refreshing and comforting. and it comes from a cute silver pot on an engraved silver tray. What more could you ask for?

This visit I tried something I hadn't before -- the couscous with lamb and seven vegetables. The platter was huge, and when I was absolutely full I still had enough for a full lunch the next day. The lamb was tender, the vegetables were exotic yet seasonal (some types of squash?), the couscous was perfect even microwaved after it was refrigerated. Rob got some kind of platter with all the good stuff -- hummus or babaganoush with falafel and salad. As always, it was affordable, satisfying, and we left feeling as though we just had a homecooked meal in a cozy and secret locale.

Below: the lamb couscous and combo platter.

Overall: midtown isn't the greatest place to be stuck when you're hungry, but if you have a solid go-to spot you can feel a little safer trying something different.