Archive
NYC Sushi: Ichimura at Brushstroke (Feb. 2013)
Author: Victor
Restaurant: Ichimura at Brushstroke
Chef: Eiji Ichimura
Website: http://www.davidbouley.com/brushstroke-main/brushstroke-menus/brushstroke-sushi
Date: February 11, 2013
Notes:
I’ve been wanting to try this sushi bar–only restaurant for a while now. It’s in a more private dining area than the main dining area of Brushstroke, and there’s been a lot of hype around this restaurant. Reservations are pretty hard to get for this place right now, and there are only 16 covers a night (two rounds of eight).
There was a pretty large selection of fish, and apparently the vast majority of the fish gets shipped from Japan every few days. Everything was really fresh and high quality. Chef Ichimura had the usual choices (tai, saba, otoro, kohada, uni, and so on), but it was nice being able to try kuromutsu (black bluefish), higetara (a type of cod) , shirasu (baby anchovy), and shiraou (icefish).
The rice was soft and fluffy, though I like the sushi rice more at a few other places in NYC (like Yasuda). On the negative side, it started off too warm at first before finally getting to a good temperature (just sliiiiiiiightly above room temperature).
Anyway, you start off with an appetizer or two (chawanmushi and then some fish/vegetable bite-sized tastings) before trying sashimi, sushi, or a mix of the two. I went sushi-only because I was in a sushi mood. (Then again, I’m usually in a sushi mood…)
Positive dishes/pieces:
-The anago, akamutsu, kuromutsu, tai, and uni were really good.
-The ōtoro and chūtoro were AMAZING. Winter is a great time for toro haha ^_^.
Negative dishes/pieces:
-The one disappointing part was the tamago, which didn’t taste special at all.
I had a really good time here, and I thought the meal was really well-priced for what you get. The value to quality and quantity ratio is REALLY good here for sushi! Chef Ichimura is also REALLY nice. That might have helped haha.
Bánh Tét
Happy Lunar New Year! A lot of Asian cultures celebrate the new lunar year and see it as the most awesome holiday of the year. Yesterday marked the new year and year of the snake. For Vietnamese people, we celebrate with a giant feast that features a bunch of different foods. My awesome parents sent me a traditional dish called Banh Tet, a log of rice cake stuffed with mung bean and roasted pork, and wrapped inside banana leaves:
NYC Sushi: 15 East (Dec. 2012)
March 13, 2014 Note: We’re going to have a second update on this restaurant soon. We’ve come back at least five times since December, and right now it’s probably Monty’s, Steven’s, and my favorite sushi restaurant in the city. The rice is generally great, and the fish is always fresh.
Authors: Victor and Monty
Restaurant: 15 East
Chef: Masato Shimizu
Date: December 4, 2012
Victor’s Notes:
-The fish was great, though it was worse than Sasabune’s, Yasuda’s, or Masa’s.
-Temperature-wise, the rice was about right. Texture-wise, it was lacking at times; the rice would occasionally be too hard, while at other times it was just right. The fluctuation was bizarre.
-In terms of the whole experience, we really enjoyed it. The chef smiles and talks with you a lot, so it’s more enjoyable to eat here than at some other great sushi places.
Monte: The experience is definitely uplifted by the pleasant chef behind the counter who is so friendly to the diners. This place is super unpretentious while still maintaining excellent sushi.
Monte
Victor
tadv3
Happy Noms 