Featured Restaurant: Kanoyama
GutterGourmet — April 07, 2010
Clockwise from top: Sushi Omakase, Masu of Sake, Kanoyama.
Perhaps partially due to a favorable 2008 review by Frank Bruni, one of my oldest, favorite sushi bars is not only thriving, but it has expanded. The waiters at Kanoyama waiters no longer sport Keith Haring-designed T-shirts as they did when the place was called Koi, or Iso, but it still caters to East Villagers who know their sushi.
Featured Restaurant: Sushi Zen
Arthur Bovino — March 18, 2010
Clockwise from top: Seared Scottish Salmon Sashimi Salad, Chawan Mushi with Uni, Yellowtail Scallion Handroll, Bara Chirashi ‘Sushi Zen Style.’
On a red page in the Sushi Zen menu is a poem:
Tell me your long story,
Your journey may continue endlessly,
But today you have stopped at my place.
Welcome my friends, welcome.
Let us toast the wonderful evening.
The poem is slightly corny, but it’s also inviting. And when you sit down to a meal at one of the City’s best sushi bars it’s nice to feel welcome. We certainly did during a recent meal with the GutterGourmet.
Featured Dish: Sushi Zen’s Omakase in a Bowl
GutterGourmet — March 02, 2010
Bara Chirashi “Sushi Zen Style.”
Sushi Zen is on my list of Top 10 sushi bars in the City, and Chef Toshio Suzuki is a master. The omakase is always unique, amazing, and…expensive. For a somewhat more reasonable alternative without sacrificing the variety of the omakase, order the Bara (literally “little things”) Chirashi.
For $55 you get a large bowl of some of the finest sushi rice you’ll ever taste, delicious fresh wasabi that is cleverly tucked into the underside of the bowl’s lid (placed next to you), and special shoyu sauce to season with. On top of that there is, now take a deep breath: Fatty Blue Fin Tuna, Giant Clam, Salmon, Octopus, Silver Shad, Salmon Roe, Cooked Tuna, Squid, Tomago, Shrimp, assorted pickled vegetables, with Uni placed delicately in the center.
As fresh, sweet, and zesty as the wasabi is, you don’t really need any. There is already so much natural flavor from the high quality fish, and the seasoned rice with sesame seeds at the bottom of the bowl. Each flat wooden spoonful of the Bara Chirashi is wonderfully different in texture and taste. It’s a veritable omakase in a bowl. On a recent occasion the lady next to me asked, “Is all of that for you, or are you planning to share that with the entire restaurant?” As if that weren’t enough, the Bara Chirashi comes with an intensely flavored light or dark (your choice) Miso Namako Mushroom Soup or Miso Asari Clam Soup, the latter filled with delectable clams floating, still in their shells, in the soup.
There is perhaps no better time to enjoy Bara Chirashi. In Japan, March 3rd marks Hinamatsuri, an annual festival celebrated with ornamental dolls. Meals prepared for the festival often consist of chirashi and clam broth (though the chirashi can vary by region). Of course, you don’t need an excuse.
AlwaysTraveling: O Ya (Boston, MA)
Zach Aarons — August 21, 2009
Bottom left, Hamachi Nigiri with Spicy Banana Pepper Mousse. Right, Warm Eel with Thai Basil, Kabayaki, and Fresh Kyoto Sansho.
Restaurant: O Ya (view site)
Address: 9 East Street, Boston, MA, 02111 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A+
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Foie Gras Nigiri, Fried Kumamoto Oyster Nigiri, La Ratte Potato Chip Nigiri, House Smoked Wagyu Nigiri
In 2008, The New York Times’ restaurant critic, Frank Bruni, put O Ya at the top of his list of the “country’s best new restaurants.” The following year, Boston Magazine named it “Best of Boston 2009, General Excellence.” More accolades followed. Most importantly though, Jeff suggested that I go there, so I recently visited to see if O Ya could dispel my skepticism about Boston’s culinary scene.
O Ya is pleasant and unpretentious. The menu is divided into two sections. The front features nigiri and sashimi, while the back includes vegetables, meats, salads, soups, and several interestingly named categories: ‘truffles & eggs,’ ‘other stuff,’ and ‘something crunchy in it.’
We ordered omakase, which focused on the nigiri and sashimi. It began with oysters— one of two prominent appearances of this ingredient that seemed strategically timed. Though both dishes featured Kumamoto oysters, they could not have been more different. The first was a summery dish that opened up the palate with bright, delightful flavors: Fresh Kumamoto Oyster coupled with Watermelon pearls and Cucumber Mignonette.
At the meal’s midpoint, just as the memory of the fresh oyster began to fade, the evening’s best dish arrived, Fried Kumamoto Oyster with Yuzu Kosho Aioli and Squid Ink Bubbles. The fried oyster was light and fluffy, but possessed dark, savory flavors. Its squid ink bubbles paired elements of traditional Japanese cooking, avant-garde gastronomic technique, and good old New England-style seafood. The oyster was a masterpiece that melted away mellifluously. It was unlike any oyster I have ever tasted.
SEARCH: Good, Downtown Ramen for a Rainy Night
June 05, 2009
It’s miserable outside— perfect soup weather. A bowl of Ramen should do the trick. Just select, cuisine type: Ramen, neighborhood: Downtown, and Grade: B+ or above in our Very Advanced Search and you’ll be warming up your belly with AlwaysHungry approved noodle goodness in no time.
1. Ramen Setagaya 141 1st Avenue
Recommended Dishes: Shiso Ramen, Salt Eggs
2. Ippudo NY 65 4th Avenue
Recommended Dishes: Akamaru Modern Ramen (pictured), Chicken Wings, Pork Buns
3. Men Kui Tei 63 Cooper Square
Recommended Dishes: Gyoza, Edamame, Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen
4. Momofuku Noodle Bar 171 1st Avenue
Recommended Dishes: Pork Buns, Momofuku Ramen, Smoked Chicken Wings, Rice Cakes
5. Rai Rai Ken 214 E. 10th Street
Recommended Dishes: Gyoza, Pork Fried Rice, Roast Pork with Scallions, Miso Ramen with Pork
AHNY ROLL CALL: Ushiwakamaru
June 02, 2009
The Setting: The AlwaysHungry Headquarters
The Caller: Hank “The Scumbag” Lihn
Hank’s Restaurant Advice Request: “I need a hip, yet unknown, sushi spot to take a ballerina on a date.”
The Suggestions: We gave Hank five sushi suggestions using three AHNY search terms (sushi, hidden gem, date place).
1. Sushi Azabu: It’s hidden under Greenwich Grill. Sit at the sushi bar and do an omakase.
2. Matsugen: It has a cool fish tank and also serves great soba.
3. Cube 63: Intimate BYOB place with inventive specialty rolls.
4. Omido: Bad location means it’s usually empty, but the AvroKO design is dark wood and sexy.
5. Ushiwakamaru: It’s sort of hidden on Houston and they have some of the freshest fish downtown. Go Omakase.
Hank’s Selection: Ushiwakamaru
Could Hank Seal the Deal? “Nope. Dinner was great, but she had to run home to see her mom, and by the time she got back downtown I was so drunk I could barely function.”
CLICK HERE FOR HANK’S FULL REVIEW OF USHIWAKAMARU
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