Sushi You

I knew pretty quickly I’d fall in love with Sushi You.

Sure, I’m not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but after 13 years of the blogging life, I’ve learned to recognize the signs.

The first was the neighborhood. A few years ago, I proclaimed TriBeCa as the centre of New York City sushi. Well, dearest legends, I am here today to tell you – nay, remind you – that I am a moron. The centre of New York City sushi continues to be midtown east, as it’s been for decades.

Before the sushi boom, sushiya here were clustered near Japanese ex-pats and business travelers. Hatsuhana, Sushi Ann, Sushi Den (RIP), Restaurant Nippon and more are all nearby.

And so is, down a flight of stairs, Sushi You.

The second sign was making the reservation itself. Text or phone call only; no Resy, no Tock, no OpenTable. If you know how much I hate Resy, you’ll know that warmed my cockles.

The third are the Google reviews, or the lack thereof. 98 reviews (4.8) for a sushiya that opened 16 years ago is bonkers; to put it in perspective, the far worse KazuNori opened around the corner 3 years ago and has 434 reviews. 5 times younger, 4.5 times more reviews.

Why?

Probably a few reasons, but I’d venture that Sushi You’s customers and owner don’t give a flying fuck about Google reviews. Just a wild guess.

Which brings me to sign four

The Itamae. Miku. Well, not just Miku. It’s Miku’s sensibilities. Step inside Sushi You, and right after he gives you a warm greeting, you’ll notice it. 

It bleeds through the two mounted televisions behind the counter, the wrestling music over the loudspeakers, the figurines and original Nintendo consoles that dot the backdrop.

It’s my old friend nostalgia.

And then we got to the menu

Sushi You has a robust Okonomi  and daily special menu, but it also offers an Omakase at the counter. A more traditional Omakase.

What does that mean?

Give Miku a budget and allergies, and he takes it from there. Still hungry? He keeps going, pulling out extras like Botan Ebi and Aji until you signal the end.

That is the spirit of Omakase. You leave it to the Itamae to serve you a meal based on what he’s got; no chalkboard behind the counter. And if you’re still hungry, there’s more options available than a UnixToroxIkuraxWagyu frankenstein’s monster.

Here’s how Sushi You’s website describes it:

The hours are uh, fluid

Tuesday and Wednesday lunch, Wednesday to Sunday dinner. And those hours aren’t always accurate. I had a recent lunch reservation cancelled because the United Nations was in session, and Turtle Bay’s blocked streets made

Since – spoiler – I loved this sushiya, I recommend checking their Instagram if you plan to go.

But what about the food Mr. Sushi Legend?

I’m glad you asked, sprite (a word made famous by the hit Canadian tv show, ReBoot). I’m pleased to share that it matches the hype (that I just introduced 300 words ago).

I’m going to run through the nigiri, but a reminder: Miku serves based on feel and dietary restrictions.

Most sushiya finish the maguro (tuna) courses because, like WrestleMania 15, it’s better to reach the ragin’ climax at the end. Not Miku. The only tuna course of the night is the first.

And by the way, despite what you may have heard from your friend, there is no rule for the order.

Madai, the king of the snapper, with a small amount of Uni on top, was next. I despise the Uni combinations, but this is exactly when it should be used. Madai is a white fish (shiromi), which tend to have muted tastes. Uni (sea urchin) has a stronger taste. Put them together. It’s not rocket science.

Suzuki (sea bass) and shiso is another case of pairing a muted, shiromi with a stronger tasting friend.

I need to talk about the Anago

Anago (conger/sea eel) is a classic Edomae staple. Though it’s simmered (ni-shogoto, or simmered work), it requires just as much talent to prepare as many of uncooked favourites.

But if you’ve had it before, you’ll likely be used to Tsume, the ‘sauce’ that covers the eel. It’s a mixture of mirin, sake, shoyu and more. It’s sweet. It’s usually delicious. But it’s not necessary.

Some itamae will serve it strictly salted, like I suspect this one was. That move is more common in the summer, the best season for Anago, when it’s at fattiest. No tsume makes it easier to taste.

The last course was an outrageously stuffed negitoro

This was the size of a small cat. The nori couldn’t even be wrapped, forcing me to eat it hot dog style. Quite the adventure. No third hand for photos.

But we weren’t done

That 14-course Omakase was priced at $125, but Miku will keep you going for as long as you want. A good excuse to keep watching old Nippon Professional Baseball highlights.

Some caveats and wrapping up 1000 words

The lighting isn’t great for photos – and who really gives a shit on that – but eagle-eyed addicts may have some nits (that’s what boomers called little edits. As in, “just a few nits, can you turn this around by 6am?”).

The Ikura-Uni combo wasn’t overflowing. The nigiri in the rice may have been loose. And yes, the special course wasn’t my usual style.

But for me, sushi isn’t just taste and technique, but also a feeling. I love decompressing in a quiet sushi temple (and still remember the lunatic who watched a feature film on his phone at Icca). Some Chalkboard Omakase sushi may taste great blindfolded, but I despise the “pig-on-an-assembly-line-feeling” they give me.

Sushi You is the opposite. Sharing a drink with Miku at that counter, with Yomiuri Giants highlights in the background and sushi in hand, feels fucking comfortable. It feels like being an invited guest in someone’s home. And in a world where seemingly everything is transactional, where recommendations always have an underlying motive and the best food experiences are manic – make the reservation, take this picture, tell your friend, ask what you’re eating, people are waiting for the table – Sushi You is none of that (unless you’re a blogger that has to bang out 1,000 words because of a narcissistic desire to share your sushi life).

So I can’t really explain why I loved it so much, other than to say, it’s the feeling.

Hopefully it stays that way.

Recommended. 

(editor’s note: if that last paragraph was unintelligible slop, I had a Mumford and Sons concert playing in the background and was heavy in my feelings. Blame them).