Look for the neon sign
You might think New York City has everything
But that’s not exactly true. It doesn’t have cockroaches/waterbugs/demon insects that only stay outside.
It doesn’t have a Cheesecake Factory.
It doesn’t have have bikers that yield to pedestrian crosswalks.
And it doesn’t have enough great sushiya with an actual menu.
I’m not sure if it’s a case of ‘follow the leader’, or the economics of the friendly neighborhood sushiya just don’t work, but there’s so few.
Energy of St. Marks. Also love the long exposure shot. Credit to me.
Actually odds are it’s the former
For all of New York’s great traits, it’s penchant for following trends is uncanny. Don’t believe me?
Poke Bowls. Cronuts. Rainbow Bagels. Case closed.
I still wax poetic about Uogashi and Uogashi part 2 – gone far too soon – and now Sushi Azabu. Marumi is fantastic, but they’re the exception, not the rule.
And so, after returning to Hasaki almost 15 years after my first visit, I was kicking myself for forgetting all about one of the great non-omakase sushiya in the city. Re-read my first review here, and don’t kill me. I was a younger, stupider blogger back then.
What makes it special isn’t the sushi, the staff or the 41 years of institutionalized knowledge. It’s the entire package, which, if you’ve read this blog before, is how I judge sushiya (shocker).
Two legends making the sushi
Hasaki is located in St. Marks
It opened in 1984, so it’s truly an iconic part of New York’s sushi fabric. You can find it down a flight of stairs under a neon sign, which is both close enough to the action, but also far enough away to avoid any melees on the street.
The sushiya has a counter – more on that in a second – but it’s the usually-packed tables I recommend.
Inside Hasaki
Perfect for couples-night-out
I’m no expert, but surely there is a market for “hey Tina, Tom and Angela want to grab sushi tomorrow night, but don’t want to spend $1,800 and three hours sitting four across while an asshole blogger listens to our entire conversation”.
Enter Hasaki.
Though please do note that this asshole blogger still listened to an entire first date right next to me. Two kids, fresh out of college, just finding their way in the world. The young man probably spent his entire life savings on that meal, and by that I mean he plucked down his parents credit card like he had the nuts at the Rio.
My order
I was on sushi meal number two of the night – thanks to an insanely underwhelming experience at Wegman’s sushiya which is a thing for some reason – so my appetite was slightly diminished.
In such cases, I stick to staples for my proprietary quality assessment: hikarimono (silverskinned fish), because shittier sushiya don’t usually serve it, sashimi, because it’s an easy way to tell fish quality, and kanpyomaki, because it’s both traditional and effective – for me – in tasting the shari (rice). I’m sure some scientist will tell me why. Email scienceshit@thesushilegend.com for more.
Kohada (gizzard shad) preciesly prepared with salt and vinegar. Bonus for good knife work.
Umeshiso with kanpyomaki
Hasaki Sashimi (non-premium). Sake, Akami, Hotategai, “Madai”
But if you’re going, I’d stick to a few of the ‘platters’.
Where I’d play on Hasaki’s menu
And yes, they do have an Omakase
It’s $96 and servded by Isoda-san. I haven’t tried it yet, mainly because it feels like cheating on what makes the sushiya special. I think that makes sense.
The team are beauties
As you might expect with a sushiya 41 years young, Hasaki is a well-oiled machine. Servers well-trained, sushi comes fast, and the vibes are immaculate. As I said in the video above, enjoying a post-meal green tea at Hasaki – even solo – is one of my respites from the city’s energy.
Post-meal happy
Recommended.
For my complete list of non-omakase sushiya in NYC, click here. Fair warning, it’s barren.
