sushi yasuda is an ethereal experience that all sushi lovers should experience at least once (and i hope not only once) in their lives.
last night i indulged at sushi yasuda with two friends who, like me, enjoy their food, especially sushi. as always, we sat at the sushi counter and put our fate in the hands of the talented chef yasuda. i can't go through everything we ate; it would be impossible to remember.
when you sit down with chef yasuda, he is welcoming and friendly. if he recognizes you, he is even more warm, and since he knows your tastes, he just confirms your plan. before he knows you, he'll talk to you. he'll teach you, if you're interested in learning. he'll joke with you (he's very funny). he's a character, and he understands and reads people.then the meal begins. first let's talk rice. his rice is perfect. he doesn't use too much. if he knows you'll be eating a lot (which i always do), he'll try to balance the amount of rice so you don't fill up too quickly. it's perfectly seasoned (not too sweet or vinegary) and perfectly sticky.
as for fish, he'll begin with what's freshest. last night happened to be a good evening for the yellowtail family. warasa, shimaaji... spectacular. and the kanpachi, which he told us came from a 7+lb fish, rather than approximately 4.5lbs (the usual weight) - it was divine.
his eel is fantastic. he'll use different preparations for various cuts of the same and different eels, and then you'll do an eel flight going from most delicate to most strong. your tastebuds sing.
the uni - oh the uni - yasuda only gets the best uni. last night we had two different unis - the usual from santa barbara and another, less common, from maine. the maine uni was lighter, more delicate, but clean. the santa barbara was sweeter, stronger, but delicious.the mirugai and its himo - two parts of the giant clam, both so tasty, but such contrasting flavors and textures - it's amazing how one clam can produce both pieces.
yasuda only uses one type of oyster: peace passage oysters. from washington state, they have a slight briny flavor like east coast oysters, but are rounded out by a creaminess that's known with west coast oysters. and they're big. yum.
we only had one piece of toro last night, which was disappointing, but this was because it wasn't the best fish of the night.
we had other fish (coho salmon, white king salmon, sumi squid legs, octopus - love his octopus, a clam from korea - toregai, i think, hotate, hotate himo - mmmm, jack mackerel, sayori, kinmedai... i'm sure there was more), and every bite was delightful.we finished with two hand rolls - uni and ikura. the seaweed, two different kinds, were both unbelievable. yasuda uses the best grade seaweed available, and as he prepares them, the aroma of the toasted seaweed wafts to your nostrils and excites your palate for what's to come. next time i need to remember to ask how yasuda prepares his ikura. it was the perfect end to the perfect meal.
the most astonishing part is that yasuda remembers everything you've had that night. and when you've finished your meal, he ticks it off on a piece of paper and gives it to the waitress.
the service is, as expected, perfect. the meal is mouth-watering, even when you're full.
now here are the yasuda rules: 1) do not be late for your reservation. if you're more than 10 minutes late, you lose it. no exceptions. 2) your seating is 1.5 hours. you can linger if the next party has not arrived, but if they have, they will kick you out. 3) do not dip his perfectly seasoned rice in soy sauce. yasuda seasons each piece with sauce so that you don't require any additional wasabi or soy sauce. but if you do, do not disrespect his rice with soy sauce.
and that's it... the most amazing meal in new york. if i ever win the mega million lottery (note this meal is NOT recession friendly), i'll eat here every day that i'm in new york and yasuda's working. that's a promise.
sushi yasuda
204 east 43rd street btwn 2nd/3rd aves
new york, ny 10017
212/972.1001
