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NYC Sushi: Hatsuhana (Mar. 2013)
Author: Victor
Restaurant: Hatsuhana
Owner and head chef: Keita Sato
Our sushi chef: I should know this, but I forgot to ask :(. He’s the guy in the picture!
Website: http://www.hatsuhana.com/
Date: March 29, 2013
Dinner: Omakase
Notes:
I’ve wanted to try Hatsuhana for a while because I’ve heard from many friends that it has great sushi that won’t completely empty out your bank account—it was yet another sushi restaurant in NYC for me to try haha. (There are so many…) Anyway, my friend decided to visit me in NYC this weekend, and he also wanted to buy me dinner as thanks for a previous favor. I figured we could go to Hatsuhana because he had been craving sushi, I hadn’t tried this restaurant before, and it wasn’t super expensive!
The restaurant’s located in Midtown and isn’t too hard to find. It’s very clean and spacious, and there are even two floors. The second floor has a big sushi bar and also a bunch of tables, while the first floor has a smaller sushi bar and no tables, where people can eat in a more private setting. People usually reserve for a certain chef that they like if they are regulars. There’s a pretty good selection of nigiri; they have around 50 pieces. Our sushi chef was pretty fast, but it didn’t feel rushed at all. The meal overall was pretty enjoyable and relaxing!
Our sushi chef gave us several pieces at one time. I personally prefer getting one piece at a time so that there’s less time between when the sushi chef prepares the piece and when it enters your mouth, but oh well. No big deal.
Sushi Notes:
-The fish was pretty solid. Honestly, I think the seafood from a bunch of these sushi places are starting to blend together for me now… I can’t quite tell the difference as well as I used to be able to :(.
-The temperature of the rice was about right, but it was a little too grainy at first. Fortunately, the rice improved and became softer in the latter half!
Asheville, NC: Tupelo Honey Cafe (Mar. 2013)
On this recent trip to the south I never thought I’d come across such a hidden gem as Tupelo Honey Cafe. It’s a pretty unassuming restaurant from the outside looking in, but after stepping into the cozy interior and glancing over the menu, I was immediately intrigued by all the interesting items offered by Chef Brian Sonosukus. The menu was distinctly southern, but with a lot of exciting unique twists and takes. I was able to try a few of the outstanding dishes and cannot speak highly enough of the great cooking being done at Tupelo Honey Cafe. When I got home, I went online and bought their recipe book; hopefully I can make a couple good items and share later on.
Their rosemary peach tea has a great aroma from the intense rosemary, and their raspberry iced tea is good too. I was intrigued by their local beer selection but we were halfway through a long drive so I passed. Onto the food!
Monte
Victor
tadv3
Happy Noms 