Sushi Yasuda & NYC’s Favorite Sushi Joint

When I visited New York, my buddy asked what I wanted to do in New York while I was there.  As a true fatty, opps I mean foodie, I sent him a list of restaurants I wanted to try and Sushi Yasuda was one of them. 

The others being Totto Ramen, Peter Lugar, Ippudo, Halal Guys, and any where with a good ole fashion New York pie that turned out to be Prince St Pizza.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get reservations at Peter Lugar.  However, I got to try all the rest.  It goes to show that you shouldn’t get in the way of anyone and their goals.

Chef Naomichi Yasuda has been featured in a few of David Chang and Anthony Bourdain’s episode discussing his technique.  Sushi Yasuda is New York’s favorite sushi restaurant without a Michelin star; however, it is highly regarded on Zagat.  Who gives a flying fuck about Zagat when you have a restaurant in a Michelin rated city?  That’s like asking someone whether they want to be a millionaire in a billionaire city.

Sushi Yasuda is located in Midtown, which is a couple of blocks from Grand Central Terminal.  The restaurant’s decor is beautiful.  The restaurant is composed bamboo planks that was imported from Japan and the blades used to cut them were from the Last Samurai.  Yes, Tom Cruise cut those bamboo himself like how a white man saved the Samurai culture.

The service is similar to any Michelin rated one star restaurant in its class.  We were greeted with warm smiles in the dead of winter; the smiles continued through out the night until we paid the bill.  At that point, they told us to get the fuck out of their restaurant and please come back again.  No really.  They asked us to come back.

Now, the food. We decided to go with Omakase.  Unfortunately, I can understand why Sushi Yasuda wasn’t awarded a Michelin star.   The sushi wasn’t impressive and didn’t have any qualities of great sushi.  The rice was too cold and the fish was rubbery.  Sushi Yasuda’s omakase didn’t have anything that stood out for me; it’s like Donald Trump trying to host a beauty pageant at a Senior Citizen home or solicit unwanted gropes at the Rikers Island.

Overall, Sushi Yasuda was a good dining experience, but the sushi wasn’t impressive like Donald Trump’s apologies about the Access Hollywood hot mic.  It was a bit disappointing and Sushi Yasuda didn’t live up to the hype.  To be honest, the best sushi outside of Japan would be in Los Angeles, California.  It definitely beats out New York in this category without a doubt.

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