A beautiful space and great cocktails. The menu has evolved since this visit which is a very good thing as sushi rolls in San Diego seem to be tragically uninspired and homogenous.
Tag Archives: sushi
NYC – 1/7/17 – Sugarfish
I arrived at Sugarfish a bit oblivious as to how ridiculous the lines are. But luckily it was snowing and I joined the line about 10 min prior to opening and made the first round of seating. I appreciate Sugarfish as a good stop for lunch after a workout when I am still in gym clothes and want a relatively light lunch. It is essentially the fast casual version of sushi. But to wait an hour plus for a text when your table is available, I am baffled.
tuna sashimi
salmon sushi
albacore sushi
yellowtail and hirame sushi
toro hand roll
blue crab hand roll
NYC – 8/10/16 – Sushi Zo
There was no menu and I did not take notes so unfortunately 2 months later I can’t remember what most of these were aside from the somewhat obvious. NYC is becoming awash in omakase these days and it seems that many people I talk to feel passionate about one particular place, although often it seems to be just the latest opening. I’m not sure that Sushi Zo is my favorite although I can find nothing negative to say. The fish was impeccable and service flawless. Just minor points of personal preference, such as more varied beverage choices, elsewhere.
NYC – 3/11/16 – Shuko
And rounding out a week of places that it has taken me far too long to return to is Shuko. So many fantastic dishes on this menu and despite the length I never felt like it was too much. With so many similar concepts opening in NY which could conceivably become copycats, I appreciate that none feel that way. And as wacky as it still sounds, the apple pie dessert continues to be so incredibly good.
NYC – 2/28/16 – Sushi Nakazawa
One again it took someone from out of town to get me somewhere that I have been meaning to visit since it opened. Yes I have looked for reservations a multitude of times but never far enough in advance or with the same effort that I put forth when traveling. I have clearly been missing out. Every piece was fantastic and when asked it was almost impossible to pick a favorite. But I will always remember this meal for changing my mind about uni. I keep trying to like it and just don’t, but the Japanese version I had here seemed like something else entirely and I absolutely loved it. It will be difficult to return to trying to like other inferior versions.
NYC – 12/7/15 – Le Bernardin & O Ya
Le Bernardin
The City Harvest lunch menu at Le Bernardin is the best kept secret in NYC. I should probably even stop writing about it! When I’ve found myself able to have lunch in midtown in the last few months I have tried to check out some other places. And while I’ve had very good meals elsewhere I will keep returning to Le Bernardin as my absolute favorite.
Hamachi – Hamachi Tartare, Cucumber, Lemon-Citrus Emulsion
Skate – Poached Skate, Pickled Shallots, Sea Beans, Cucumber, Verjus Sauce
Pear – Slow-Roasted Pear, “Beurre Noisette” Tuile, Pear William Frozen Parfait
O Ya
I had hesitated in visiting O Ya when it first opened as the price when compared to some other similar options seemed pretty high. We opted for the shorter 18 course omakase menu which my dining companion had a few times previously and which seemed to go quite quickly for so many bites. I couldn’t take notes quickly enough as the dishes came out and unfortunately there as no menu at the end. There were some totally fantastic things and perhaps some I didn’t enjoy as much just due to personal preference and not that they were not well executed. I probably would have enjoyed this meal a bit more if sitting at the counter instead of a booth (our fault not theirs). I’m not convinced that O Ya is good enough to warrant the price hike over Shuko but I’d gladly go back (if someone else is paying)!
Not pictured, but after all of this fish, I ended the night with a stop at Nomad Bar for a hot dog.
NYC – 5/13/15 – Shuko
A multitude of fantastic reviews have already been written about Shuko and as I wholeheartedly agree with all of them I won’t bother repeating what has already been said. As suggested by others we opted for the longer Kaiseki menu for the first visit. I look forward to returning to try the shorter omakase menu. Unfortunately no menu and most of the courses came so quickly that I wouldn’t have been able to keep up even if I was writing them down.
Chicago – 1/3/15 – the Bristol, Juno, Aviary & the Office
The Bristol
I’ve been meaning to get to the Bristol for brunch ever since they started offering it. But as happens in NYC, I often don’t get back to the old favorites because I am always trying something new. I wish that the hangover breakfast had more broth but was able to console myself with duckfat fries. Although those give me opportunity to comment on one of my biggest dislikes – homemade ketchup. I truly do appreciate the effort, but nothing homemade will ever be better than Heinz (which has nothing to do with my PA heritage).
Hangover breakfast, noodles, pork broth, shrimp mousse, aromatic vegetables
braised pork chilaquiles, fried egg, lime, cilantro, queso fresco
home made sausage
Duck fat fries
Juno
Whenever I have previously mentioned a visit to Juno, the first question I was asked was whether I did the omakase menu. So finally I can say that I have and it was as good as my high expectations going in. Thank you to all of my Chicago friends for making sure I did it. BK you are amazing. And a huge thank you to Jason for just being awesome. Looking forward to my next trip.
Aviary and the Office
Unfortunately I skipped dessert at dinner planning to have 5+ BTEs when I got to Aviary. So unbelievably disappointing to realize that they were immediately removed from the menu when the Trio menu ended at Next. You guys know I adore you, but couldn’t we have had 2 days of advance notice?? I would have stocked up earlier in the week. Enough cannot be said about Julia’s amazing origami garnishes in the Office and Micah’s final drink of the evening still reigns weeks later as the best thing I have had to drink in 2015.
iwillmakeualist 