I started writing quickies on Sushi Yasuda because I’ve already posted about them so many times. Again, the quickies only feature the new fish I have not tried before. This amuse bouche of clam, seaweed, and scallions, with a light wasabi dressing, was such an interesting play of textures, tender with a snap.
Pictured on the right, is halibut, a fish I have always thought of as boring because I’ve always had it cooked. Halibut sashimi’s subtle flavor shines through here. Angie (my dinner companion last night) and I, both loved it.
The Striped Bass is a more tendonous fish. I am more interesting in the soft, buttery ones. Look at how beautifully scored it is though.
Razor clam, which I have never had raw (several sushi restaurants serve razor clam cooked), was very enjoyable, as all the different types of clams are to me. Like Cherrystone Clam and Orange Clam, they all have that wonderful slippery, clean feel, and a gentle snap when you bite in.
Cooked shrimp, always boring to me at a sushi restaurant, did not stand out here either, except for the shrimp being larger than what most places offer.
My last piece was Squid Legs, a beautiful presentation, with a dab of the sweet sauce commonly used on eel, chewy, crunchy, sweet and salty.
Ok, so that was not as short as a quickie should be, but I guess I tried lots of new fish. Till next week, for the next installment of Sushi Yasuda Quickie.
I’m not the quickest person in the world, but if I had to guess, I’d say you like this place
. Each time you post on SY, I get more and more excited about our upcoming visit. We’ve got a reservation for 3 at the bar next Wed (I requested Yasuda himself), and we’re not going to order — just have him prepare whatever he’d like to serve us until we’re full (except uni..I’ll request lots and lots of uni). We can’t wait!
Sheng, you’re going to have a great time! I never really appreciated uni fully until I had it at SY.
I read your fantastic review of Per Se and I am now tempted to go. I’ve never spent near that much money on a meal but it may have to be my wedding present to myself.
you know how to dine well….wow esp. sushi ~ I miss good sushi…
Per Se has always been more than tempting…look forward to that post if you decide to go.
Don’t fret, you’ll be in NY soon, eating lots of great stuff!
I just wanted to make a general comment about your blog and say thank you for inspiring me to try new foods that i’ve always been to scared to try! also, as a college student i’ve always been addicted to starbucks but now i’m determined to find a real coffee house with real, good coffee. anyway, i read your blog every day (even though i live in charleston, sc) and it’s a lot of fun and makes me want to go out and enjoy real food instead of processed, freeze dried, fried concoctions that americans love so much. well, before i ramble on anymore i just wanted to thank you again!
Casie, I am so flattered and honored. Thank You!
As a college student, it’s sometimes hard to venture out of what’s convenient and close by to college, and where all your friends go, but you could be a pioneer on your campus!
Let me know how it goes with your coffee search.
jess – if you want to go to Per Se on a specific day, I can ask my cousin and cousin’s wife to help you arrange. They had their wedding at Per Se so they now get special dibs to get reservations there =)
Sheng, its Angie(in case my name doesn’t come up), I highly suggest you get the combo that Jess normally gets and then add on pieces from there. I did it the way you are planning on doing it and actually got many of the same pieces you would with the combo which is less expensive and comes with a salad.
Sigh…wedding at Per Se….I wonder where I would have my wedding if I had ten times more money…..
I hope Sushi Yasuda doesn’t hate me for giving away the secret to eating there affordably. =/
The wedding was beautiful but they they can only seat 75 people. So not optimal for you.
Thanks for the tip Angie. What’s the name of the combo and how many pieces? Is it all nigiri? Besides the uni, eel, halibut, and squid-legs, any must-not-miss pieces you recommend I get?
Jess, I wouldn’t worry. The folks at Sushi Yasuda would only thank you for the positive reviews and extra business you give them. You’re a regular now!
And a quick word on Per Se — best dining experience ever. Execution of food was flawless, but some people think the food is soulless (I totally disagree). For someone who appreciates food and cooking as much as you do, I think you’d have a great meal there. Just don’t be an idiot like me and eat pizza at 2pm when Per Se reservations were at 5:45!
P.S. Sara might’ve told you already, but you should look into posting your beautiful food pics on tastespotting.com. A lot of foodies subscribe to that blog, and it’s a quick and easy way to get more traffic your way. I use it all the time when I’m lacking inspiration for new dishes to make or places to try.
hahahaha. Oops. The secret is out I guess. But… they did get a lot more SY regulars (including myself) because it can be affordable. So, I think they should thank you at the end of the day.
Sheng – so for the sushi/sashimi combo, you get 3 selection of sashimi (chef’s choice – i had spanish mackeral, tuna and one other fish both times) and you get to pick 4 pieces of sushi from a list of about 20 fishes (uni unfortunately is not one of them) as well as one roll. Halibut and Eel are definitely on the list.
Sorry Sheng. I just saw your second post. Its just the sushi and sashimi combo. You get 3 kinds of sashimi, 4 sushi pieces, and 1 roll all of your choice plus a small salad all for $20.50 I believe. Just make sure you tell the waitress so she’ll give you the little sheet to fill out.
I loved the eel we had yesterday. I think it was the sea eel (Jess if you can please confirm). It was so good I had two pieces. Its a little sweet a little salty with a nice meaty texture. Its not the one with the sauce but the one with the sprinkle of sea salt if that helps. It was really really delicious. Jess told me Lon loves it as well.
One thing I kind of overlooked until the end of the meal the first time I went was the rolls. So make sure you save some room for those.
I would just say sit back and enjoy. Everything is good. You really can’t go wrong there.
Sorry, typo, before….
Sea Eel is the one Angie is talking about and it is one of Lon’s favorites. For me, every time I go, I have to have orange clam. Cherrystone clam is similar but I had them both back to back yesterday to compare and I think I like orange clam slightly more. (Both of those are available in your choice of 4 pieces of sushi.) I also have to have oyster every time I go. They are just the juiciest oysters you’ll ever have. For your roll choice, I’ve grown very fond of Tazmanian Trout. But like Angie said, you can’t really go wrong and if the chef makes a suggestion, take it, cause they often have different special items that are not always available. They will tell you. Oh, and Lon and I really enjoyed the fried soft shell crab, if you want some non-sushi/sashimi item.
Jessica- You’re very welcome! And I’ll definitely keep you updated on that coffee search! Also, where it says “to scared” I meant to say “too scared” (ugh, typos).
Casie, I just tried another coffee today….and it is a constant search. I definitely find more bad or mediocre than good, but at least coffee is a pretty cheap item to experiment with.
Sheng, I forgot to thank you for the tastespotting recommendation. I’ve heard of it before but didn’t do a thorough look through. I will now, thanks!
Surely you must know that asians are simply not in vogue at the present time . . . due to the negative repercussions of all the chinese immigration into America.
So, perhaps you may want to post some recipes for food that we native American people can eat, NOT disgusting stuff like “sushi yasuda”) . . . GAG!
Since you are living in NYC (legally, I hope) you should appreciate this valuable advice.
MrsDocChuck (also known as chiffOnade) . . . a PROFESSIONAL CHEF who graduated from Peter Kump’s Culinary Institute in Brooklyn.
Raw razor clams! I’ve only had them cooked. I can’t wait to try it!
Eat Me Outta Here, thanks for visiting. Let me know what you think when you try the razor clams raw.
Allow me to expand on the observations of my wife (much younger than me, should that interest you)….
First, let me qualify my question and my subsequent comments by the admission that I am NOT in favor of “globalism.” I think that the concept is VERY dangerous to the health and welfare to the citizens of the United States of America.
That being said, I am infuriated by the daily reports of China’s shipping of poisonous food and food-related products into the U.S. China has inundated us with poisonous products including pet foods, fruits and juices, vegetables, meat products, seafood, toothpaste, and God knows what else.
Many of our elected officials, who could not care less about our health, permit this travesty in the name of “open-trade” and “globalism.”
• So, what can we do to protect ourselves from China’s poisonous products?
• What are YOU doing to protect yourself?
• What suggestions do you have for the rest of us?
I know that “FoodMayhem” is not a political forum, nor should it be. However, the problem of people being sickened (and in some cases, dying) from eating imported crap . . . insufficiently regulated by our government . . . is worthy of rational discussion.
Doc,
It’s good of you to appreciate that this is not a political forum — yet somehow you still feel compelled to use a food blog as your soapbox to expound upon your political views; I can only presume that this is an attempt at cleaning up after your wife’s blatantly offensive comments. And by the way, the fact that she is younger than you is no excuse for her inappropriate, not to mention irrelevant, ad hominem remarks. To be honest, it is still beyond me what safety of Chinese exports has anything to do with a post on one’s meal at a sushi restaurant.
There is no need to belabor the points brought up, as it is a blog whose mission is to share cooking and dining experiences among friends and food enthusiasts. I will only mention one thing with regard to your notions of “globalism”. Regardless of whether or not you are a proponent, I hope that you and your wife will eventually realize that globalism is not a recent trend but has been an essential component of the American identity ever since the Founding Fathers and their ancestors set foot on this continent. It is truly a melting pot, where Chinese food and sushi is consumed even more frequently than apple pie. And contrary to what you might think, I believe that diversity is a good thing for this country. I’ll leave it at that. Unless there are statements to be made that are directly pertinent to the post, I propose that further discussion of this topic move to another forum.