Dreaming of Sushi...

Don't you love it when dreams become reality? I just recently began discovering the luxury of sushi counters and piece-by-piece omakase courses. So expensive but so good...

Sushi Azabu

Sushi Azabu was my first sushi counter dining experience. We all ordered the middle-tier omakase menu (~$150 per person), which included a few cold and hot appetizers, an uni tasting flight, sashimi and nigiri. I've always found it harder to justify spending this much money on sushi, as I am much more accustomed to cheap(er) sushi on Seamless or medium-priced chirashi bowls in Seattle, and I usually save most of my "splurge" meals for the typical French or American-style establishments such as Eleven Madison Park or Barclay Prime (in Philly). That being said, I think the quality of the food and service definitely merits its two Michelin stars - thanks again to Jerry for getting us a reservation!

A few of our favorite courses were during the beginning of our meal... the uni flight of course, but also the oyster and the horse mackerel sashimi

We were served the freshest oyster to start the meal... can't remember the sauce it was paired with, but malt vinegar/horseradish just doesn't compare. Next, we had a lightly seared trio of mackerel (I think) and a ridiculous amount Hokkaido and Santa Barbara uni :D Then, the sashimi courses - I had requested "no squid/octopus" during the order process when our waitress asked about preferences so was served abalone instead. I think I actually would have preferred the squid as I didn't enjoy the crunchiness of the texture as much... lesson learned haha. 

The reason we came... omakase nigiri courses - everything was perfect! Too many favorites to even list or consider favorites... I liked them all! Unfortunately forgot to keep track of the type of fish each one was

Just a few other photos from the night: my friend's grilled/hot appetizer dish, amazing miso soup our toro scallion hand roll at the end, and of course, dessert - sweet potato ice cream, which was very light /refreshing and the perfect way to end the meal

Sushi Dojo

Omakase Experience #2: I took my brother to this East Village sushi counter the night after Thanksgiving - we both love sushi and Jiro's documentary, so it was a great bonding and culinary experience. We opted for the 15-piece sushi omakase for $80 each, as well as a $20 add-on for an uni tasting flight. We actually ended up getting 19 pieces of sushi including a toro scallion handroll at the end, so compared to other places that charge ~$120-150 for a 20 piece omakase menu, this was a great value. The quality/freshness of the fish was also of very high quality for the price point, although the uni was noticeably less sweet compared to a similar flight at Sushi Azabu.

Row 1 (from left to right): Red Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, Yellowtail / Hamachi
Row 2: Bluefin Tuna / Akami, Horse Mackerel, King Salmon
Row 3: Striped Jack, Medium Fatty Tuna / Chutoro, Scallop (with grated yuzu)

Row 1: Uni, White Shrimp, Monkfish Liver
Row 2: Tasmanian Sea Trout, Amberjack, Ikura
Row 3: Fatty Tuna / Otoro, Seared Toro, Sea Eel

And to end the meal... toro scallion hand roll and uni flight! 

Happy Holidays!