FoodMayhem » Sushi Yasuda

Sushi Yasuda #33

jessica — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:17:18 +0000

Sushi Yasuda 204 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10001is already my favorite restaurant but when it’s super hot in the summer, I want to go even more. First of all, I can’t cook in this weather. Secondly, I can’t eat hot food in this weather either. Thirdly, I must continue my sushi education and this is where I do it. They have the widest variety of fish and are constantly updating that list, so much so that I’ve eaten new fish practically every time I’ve eaten there. If you’re just joining us now, you might want to start from the beginning because each post only talks about the new fish (links below).

So, this time, we tried harvest fish and Great Tile Fish. Harvest Fish (left-front) is in the family of Butter Fish, which are very small and bony fish, so I imagine this took some time to de-bone. It’s very tender. I asked Chef Tomura if Great Tile Fish (right front) looked like Tile Fish and oddly, it doesn’t, no characteristic yellow spots or sloped head, but it is in the same family. The flesh is firm with a nice bounce, but there isn’t much of an identifying flavor.

A Japanese women was sitting next to me and I saw her have a piece of sushi with what looked like grass on it. I asked Chef what it was and they were scallion sprouts from Japan, used as a palate cleanser. We loved it, clean and refreshing, mildly spicy, and very tender.

I highly recommend making reservations for Sushi Yasuda before the summer is over.

For past experiences, click below:

Sushi Yasuda #11 (sorry, error problem with this page)

…there’s no posting for visit #29 and #32 because nothing was new.

Sushi Yasuda #30

jessica — Sun, 24 May 2009 12:30:22 +0000

There was no Sushi Yasuda #29 (see #28) because it was actually the first time we didn’t try anything new. Crazy right? But this time, Lon immediately noticed blowfish on the appetizer menu as soon as he sat down. The domestic Blowfish (Fugu), that they are serving right now, is bred poison-free. It’s flash-fried perfectly and not the least bit oily. The flavor is similar to other white fleshed fish but the texture is much more bouncy. I’ve never had Fugu before but Chef Tomura tells us that poisonous Fugu in Japan is larger and the flesh is even firmer.

Lon also had a piece of tuna from Turkey. He said the texture was softer than most other tuna. (Sorry about the pics, taken on a camera phone.)

By the way, Copper River Salmon is available right now too so call for reservations asap.

Sushi Yasuda #28

jessica — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:17:11 +0000

It’s been way too long since our last visit to Sushi Yasuda. Between our busy schedule and the difficulty of getting reservations with Chef Tomura, we’ve gone nearly three months without it. Tragic, I know! But all good things come to those who wait, right? Well, in this case, we did get two new stellar pieces, not to mention, it’s Soft Shell Crab season (yay!).

So Sorry about the pics. I don’t know why they came out so terribly, but this is Torigai, in the clam family. It tastes like ultra tenderized octopus, with the sweet eel sauce brushed on. We both liked it.

The other new piece was Kisu, related to white fish. I’m normally not a fan of this group but this mellow fish had a bit more texture than most, being a very small fish. It was also very pretty but again, sorry for the picture (on the right).

This time, we made sure to make our next reservation before leaving so we’ll be back in 2 weeks.

Sushi Yasuda #27

Lon — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Sure we’ve been to Sushi Yasuda once or twice before, but it just keeps staying awesome. Last night we had yet another new type of fish: Buri.

It’s a type of yellowtail that has a texture, similar to swordfish, firm and meaty. However, it’s fattier. It was wonderful.

In order to contrast the Buri with other types of yellowtail, I ordered several other varieties to do a mini-sampling. If memory serves me (anyone get this reference?), from left-to-right, these are: Shimaaji, Hiramasa, Warasa, Buri.

Keep it real Sushi Yasuda!

Sushi Yasuda #26

jessica — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:40:00 +0000

Perhaps you thought we weren’t posting on Sushi Yasuda anymore. Nope, not a chance. We just haven’t been there in 3 weeks, with Thanksgiving and all. But it’s a good thing we made it over there today. We got to try Sweet Shrimp Roe. As you can see, it’s blue, almost electric blue, like those blue cocktails made with blue curacao, only this is natural. Is that not freakin’ awesome?

The eggs are really tiny, as you’d expect from these little deep sea shrimp, and the smooth sea flavor is mild. Really, if you closed your eyes and ate them, they’re not that special, but since we eat with our eyes…

For more interesting tidbits on Sweet Shrimp, click here.

Sushi Yasuda #25

jessica — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:51:00 +0000

Sushi Yasuda is still keeping us on our toes, with two new pieces this time.

The Yari Squid is actually the same species as the one they always have, but right now they have one from Japan. The texture is a lot creamier, melting in your mouth, literally coating your tongue. The flavor is the same.

We’ve also had Wild Salmon Roe before, but this one was from the Chum Salmon. Each egg is a little bigger and lighter in color than the one from the King Salmon. The flavor is mild and smooth, but my favorite part is that each one needs to be intentionally popped. They are a bit stronger than usual so when you press down, you really feel the burst. Yum!

Sushi Yasuda #24

jessica — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:28:00 +0000

Last time, Lon went to Sushi Yasuda without me. Don’t worry. That won’t happen again.

Super quick: two new pieces this time, Swordfish and Aori Squid. Swordfish was so unlike what I expected. When cooked, it is considered a firm and meaty fish. As sushi, it is so tender and the flavor was like a mild Spanish mackerel.

In the middle is the Aori Squid, gummy and a bit hard to bite through, but very sweet.

Sushi Yasuda #23

Lon — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:58:00 +0000

Yesterday I was going to try Sakae Sushi with Jamie. He is a sushi-fan and both of us were excited to give Sakae a try. It seems like an interesting place as patrons order on computer and receive food by conveyor belt. Unfortunately, standing there in the cold, pouring rain, I read that they were closed for kitchen renovations. Fortunately, our favorite sushi place is just down the block. So off to Sushi Yasuda Jamie and I went.

Unfortunately, Chef Tomura was busy serving four other patrons, so we sat one seat over with his neighboring chef, who is always very nice as well (I don’t know his name). We shmoozed as we ate through various nigiri and make sushi. During that first round I got to try Cobia; which is not a rare fish, but not often seen in the NYC sushi scene. I didn’t have the camera with me, but I can tell you it is a white fish with a tender, bouncy meat. I really enjoyed it.

We were feeling pretty full (by lunch standardS); but, this being Jamie’s first time and having told me he loves eel, he tried the White Sea Eel (sawani), which is my favorite piece. He loved it. I also tried another piece of Botan Shrimp, which was so delicious.

I was happy to see that Chef Tomura is back from Japan; Jessica and I will see him again soon.

Sushi Yasuda #22

jessica — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:21:00 +0000

I’m so glad we went to Sushi Yasuda last night. We were able to try the rarely available Botan Ebi (shrimp) and it’s roe. The Botan Ebi is larger than the sweet shrimp you usually see raw. It is similar in flavor but the large fleshy piece makes a textural difference, feeling more robust in your mouth. The roe is an amazing color, like dark red coral, very firm and surprisingly mild. Go try it ASAP. I don’t know how long they’ll have it.

Sushi Yasuda #21

jessica — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:59:00 +0000

I missed Sushi Yasuda so much. We’ve been so busy with the triathlon, Chicago, and Rosh Hashana, that’s it’s been almost 3 weeks since our last visit.

Just one new piece this time, Sarume Squid, expertly scored, amazingly soft and almost creamy. Your teeth just sink right through, unlike most squid, a little more like certain clams. It was great!