Archive
NYC: Eleven Madison Park (Nov. 2012)
Authors: Victor
Restaurant: Eleven Madison Park
Exec Chef: Daniel Humm
Date: November 20, 2012
Notes:
I’ve been wanting to try EMP’s new tasting menu for a while, ever since I heard that they were changing up their menu. It’s still somewhat similar to their previous setup, except that everything is more focused on dialogue about New York. The carrot tartare and Greensward cheese “picnic” courses were REALLY good, and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. I also enjoyed the magic trick, though I can see why others wouldn’t—I have some friends who just want to focus on food and not have all this dialogue and “something as showy as a magic trick” get in the way of things. Oh well; I enjoyed it!
Unfortunately, the pics aren’t great because we ate here for dinner. The lighting wasn’t great :(.
I really need to go back to EMP more often. I’m kind of curious as to how many dishes they actually change. I’m guessing that some dishes are staples: the black-and-white cookie variations, the sturgeon course, the carrot tartare course, the cheese “picnic” course (though the cheese might change), that WONDERFUL egg cream, and the magic trick!
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.
NYC Sushi: Kurumazushi (Feb. 2013)
Author: Victor
Restaurant: Kurumazushi
Chef: Toshihiro Uezu
Date: February 1, 2013
I’ve been craving sushi lately, and I decided that I’d go eat sushi today—of course, choosing somewhere and then making reservations is always a pain. I’ve been wanting to try Kurumazushi for a while now since I heard about it from some friends, so I called to check if there were any available seats at the sushi bar.
Reservations are REALLY easy to get as the restaurant has a lot of empty seats. That makes me a little sad—Chef Uezu seemed really nice and pleasant to talk to, and the sushi was definitely good enough that one would think there would be more diners at the restaurant on a Friday night. Anyway, we booked a reservation and made our way there a few hours later!
Notes on the food:
-The fish was VERY fresh and delicious, and the selection was amazing—there were lots of choices, and there were different cuts/areas for each type of fish. Being able to choose pieces with meat from the collar/neck area make me a happy, happy eater.
-The rice was good, but there were a few issues. On the plus side, the temperature was solid, though it was a touch warmer than I would have liked; it wasn’t as warm as Sasabune’s rice, though. On the negative side, the rice was grainy and a bit too hard at times. I would have enjoyed the nigiri more if the rice were a bit softer and fluffier.
Monte
Victor
tadv3
Happy Noms 