10
Dec

Sushi Nakazawa – NYC

SUSHI NAKAZAWA – NYC

23 Commerce Street (nr. 7th) , New York, NY 10014

Date Dined: November 2013

Rating: 9.3

Daisuke Nakazawa!

Daisuke Nakazawa!

Sushi Nakazawa is one of the most highly anticipated openings of the year. And at just 10 seats upon opening, a reservation was quite hard to come by. By some miracle of miracles my persistence proved successful and I scored two reservations at the sushi bar simultaneously. I immediately called some friends for a double date and we counted down the days to our special meal. (They have now opened a 25 seat dining room which also only offers the Omakase).

Chef Daisuke Nakazawa comes to New York from Tokyo (via Seattle) where he trained as an apprentice to sushi legend Jiro Ono (from the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi).

The restaurant is located on a quiet, unpretentious block in the heart of the West Village surrounded by brownstones and small boutiques. Maybe it was the serenity of the street that attracted Nakazawa and co-owner Alessandro Borgognone. The serenity is carried into the restaurant where everything is super-modern and clean – black leather and white marble with accents of glass and metal. The only color comes from the activity behind the sushi bar.

Nakazawa’s former sushi master was known for taking his craft very seriously, but Nakazawa brings a different attitude to the fine art of sushi preparation. He is playful, funny and engaging. He wants his diners to enjoy themselves as they appreciate their meals. Between describing each piece to you as he places it on your plate he might let a mantis shrimp jump around on the counter before skewering it and dunking it in a pot of steaming broth.

Very Cranky Shrimp

Very Cranky Shrimp

They offer a full sake, wine and beer list but we opted for the sake pairings because without an excellent knowledge of sakes it seemed like the best way to go. It is also a good value with pairings starting at $40 per person.

The no frills Omakase menu offers about 20 pieces of sushi including a hand roll. You will not have any soup or salad with this meal but you will be served a hot cup of green tea and a glass of sorbet to top off the meal once the full meal of fish has been appreciated.

Most of the fish we were served had been flown in from either Maine, Santa Barbara or Tokyo Bay. Many pieces were served without any sauce at all so that the flavors of the seafood could speak for themselves. And speak they did.

Below is what were served, I tried to catch everything but missed a couple along the way:

Nakazawa King Salmon

Pacific Salmon from Alaska (I borrowed this picture from www.handi-eats.com

Hay Smoked Salmon from Alaska

Hay Smoked Salmon from Alaska

Maine Scallop (Hotate) with sea salt and yuzu

Maine Scallop (Hotate) with sea salt and yuzu

Geoduck from Washington - blowtorched

Geoduck from Washington – blowtorched

Triggerfish with Triggerfish Liver from Long Island

Triggerfish with Triggerfish Liver from Long Island

Fluke (Hirame) from Long Island

Fluke (Hirame) from Long Island

I unfortunately missed this one...

Unfortunately I missed this one…

Mackerel (Sanma) from Long Island

Mackerel from Long Island

Aged Mackerel (Saba) from Japan

Aged Mackerel (Saba) from Japan

Mantis Shrimp (Shako)

Mantis Shrimp (Shako)

Blue Shrimp

Blue Shrimp

I missed this one as well but it might have been Alaskan White Salmon

I missed this one as well but it might have been Alaskan White Salmon

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Hay Smoked Skipjack Tuna (Katsuobushi) from Japan

Tuna Belly (Toro)

Tuna Belly (Toro)

Tuna (Akami) with Japanese Mustard

Tuna (Akami) with Japanese Mustard

Marinated Medium Fatty Tuna (Chutoro)

Marinated Medium Fatty Tuna (Chutoro)

Fatty Tuna (Otoro)

Fatty Tuna (Otoro)

Sea Urchin (Uni) from Santa Barbara

Sea Urchin (Uni) from Santa Barbara

Saltwater Eel (Anago)

Saltwater Eel (Anago)

Tuna hand roll (Toro)

Tuna hand roll (Toro)

House Specialty - Egg Custard (Tamago)

House Specialty – Egg Custard (Tamago)

Salmon Roe (Ikura) from Alaska

Salmon Roe (Ikura) from Alaska

The chef gives you the option at the end of the omakase to have additional pieces but of course these are at an incremental cost and can quickly add up.

Sushi Nakazawa should definitely be on your list if you are a sushi lover for a special occasion or even just a nice date. The quality and the experience make it worth the price tag.

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