I actually liked Tanoshi a lot, in my single visit. I almost went in wanting to dislike it, given all the hype, but in contradistinction to several people's fears, the rice is really quite good -- seasoned almost precisely to my taste, and not at all too hot.

What can I remember? Some nice mackerels of different stripes, kinmedai, albacore, nakaochi, miso-cured gindara, a truly awesome piece of iwashi... I don't remember ever having sunazuri (yellowtail belly, also in the SE writeup) before, and, torched lightly, it was as good as you'd think. Less wonderful pieces included some kohada (lovely braided presentation but lacking in flavor), magurozuke (oddly chewy), and ikura (tasted almost the same as a random low-rent joint). I turned down a spicy tuna hand roll and ended up with a chu-toro one instead. Won't argue that!

I mean, of course the place isn't Yasuda or 15 East or Ichimura -- you can't offer a price point like Tanoshi's and expect pure magic. But with the huge caveat that I have not been to Inase, I'd pick Tanoshi over anything else on the UES for a revisit. It's a great deal, especially if, like me and apparently SE's Kenji, you're obsessed about places nailing the rice.

(N.B.: While I love dropping by Seki for ultra-late-night sushi or for taking eaters more accustomed to crazy American-style rolls, I prefer the austere preps of places like Tanoshi. I do not really like Sushi of Gari.)

Despite my defense of food trucks, I also think Smorgasburg is a great idea if the day is nice and you're willing to take that much of your limited time to get out there. The beautiful ferry ride from Midtown alone almost makes the trip worth it. You risk big lines/waits if you get there at the wrong time, though.

I think this is a little harsh. It is certainly true that the NYC food truck scene, while large, isn't quite as vibrant as some other cities'. And sure, if you step back and think, "What if I was served this at a brick-and-mortar?", many trucks' fare suffer, especially considering the mobile-food tariff.

But you're not being served the food at a brick-and-mortar, you're getting it a food truck, which many people find refreshing and fun! Especially if it happens to be nice outside (whether it will be when the OP gets here is a whole other issue). It's like Malcolm Gladwell's explanation of the failure of the Pepsi Challenge: even if you actually prefer Pepsi to Coke on a single-sip basis, *that is not how soda is consumed*, and you have to consider the whole experience.

So, yes, for a pure gastro-tourist, I'd steer them to real restaurants for lunch, but perhaps the OP is interested in quick but tasty options around wherever she might be that day. I think there are certainly food trucks out there that wouldn't disappoint her.

Solid recommendations? I may not be the best person to ask (for an idea of my taste, my fave recent mobile bite was veal heart from Morocho), but just for some substance...For my money, Coolhaus serves the best ice-cream sandwich in the city, mobile or otherwise. And Calexico's carne asada taco could've been a hipster disaster but actually holds up well next to any of the Roosevelt Ave vendors in Queens.

There was this hilarious moment at Kura when the inspector looked dubiously at the raw fish on ice on the counter and said something to the effect of "That'll never comply with code." But then he stuck a thermometer into a couple of pieces and was surprised to find that everything was, indeed, up to regs.

I almost wanted to cheer.

Sorry, I did mean the sushi chef. Ask him next time you go...

I'd certainly be willing to give Kura another go for the sushi: a visiting DOH inspector may have messed with their rhythm a bit while I was there. Actually, I wouldn't mind going with you one of these days -- I've always appreciated your passion for food on CH, and among other places, you turned me onto Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya. Drop me a line if you feel like you need another eater sometime!

Just another data point here... I went for the kappo omakase, with similar prepared dishes to what's been already mentioned -- ankimo, marinated tuna with grated mountain yam, cold sliced duck, tamago dofu (that looked *exactly* like lecheflan), stewed tilefish. All quite good, and certainly genuinely Japanese.

Really, though, I was there for a taste of the sushi. I will agree that the fish was near top-notch. Flounder was mild but impeccably fresh, as was red snapper. Scallop was wonderfully sweet. Chu-toro (both nigiri and a hand roll) was the precise level of fattiness I love.

On the other hand, the rice was a little overseasoned, with a sweet note emphatic enough to be distracting at first, though I got used it. As Shirang did, I thought it seemed overly compressed.

So, a good deal for the price. With the rice issues, I could never call it top-tier, but the neta was so lovely that I think I'll be drawn back. The staff is unfailingly amiable, including the chef -- he said he used to work at Umeda in the Gramercy Park area about 25 years ago but has spent the past few years in Michigan. Whether you think the food is great or merely pretty good, I'd say that NYC is lucky to have him back.

Where are you seeing that it's closed on Sundays? Copied-and-pasted from their website...

Sundays-Thursdays:
11:30AM-9:00PM
Fridays & Saturdays:
11:30AM-9:30PM

(Can anyone name a Chinatown restaurant that's closed on Sundays? Heh.)

The Peter Luger one lives up to the hype: best steakhouse burger I've had (though I'm not sure when I'd ever stray again from the porterhouse there).

I have heard that Wolfgang's is also off-the-hook. Can't speak to that one personally, but the one at the Smith & Wollensky Grill was surprisingly satisfying -- undersalted, and I wouldn't call it destination food, but does quite well in a pinch if you're in the area.

I went relatively recently to Tsukushi for some late-night shoyu ramen. I think it's a sleeper hit for that particular dish (though I also enjoyed their regular multicourse-but-homey menu about a year and a half ago). I'd be hard-pressed to name a definitively better shoyu ramen in NYC proper, actually.

What Il Lab outpost is anywhere near the UES? Are you referring to the fact that their product is sold in the cafes at the MoMA? Because if so, there's a bit of a tariff to get in... But maybe I'm missing some freestanding cart somewhere.

I honestly don't know what the differences between the "Tasting Menu" and the "Sushi and Sashimi Omakase" are supposed to be at 15 East, as I am like foodwhisperer and generally leave myself in the chef's hands.

An anecdote, though: A few months ago, I brought along a convive whose appetite doesn't quite match mine and who wanted to focus on the sushi. So I asked Shimizu-san to lay off a bit on the few cooked dishes and sashimi, since my convive didn't want to fill herself up prematurely.

He complied with style, neatly halving most of the pre-sushi dishes for her (one piece of ankimo instead of two, fewer pieces of sashimi, that sort of thing) while serving me the regular portions. He even noted me talking up the famous octopus, so he gave her a full portion of that. And when the nigiri rolled around, he gave us both the full experience. The restaurant charged me somewhat less for my convive's meal compared to mine, which was a pleasant, wholly unexpected surprise.

The point is, if you're sitting at the sushi bar, I don't think any of this will be an issue. Just tell them/him what you want! He's one of the most personable of all the top-tier sushi chefs, and he will surely adapt your meal to whatever specifications you desire.

Just to add 2 more cents... (Spoiler: I pretty much agree with the general sentiment in this thread; the food is quite good.)

I had a late-ish-Thursday-night dinner here a week ago with two other friends, one of whom was an out-of-towner. The visitor wanted to eat on the LES but also wanted to be able to converse. So, based on this thread's comments -- that the venue was oddly not-busy -- I chose here. It was indeed merely pleasantly busy, at a time when other LES spots are absolutely slammed. The three of us were seated at a table outfitted with a lazy Susan that could've easily sat 8. I kept expecting another party to be seated with us, dim-sum-parlor-style! But no, it just turned out to be a lot of comfortable space to spread our smorgasbord out in.

We went hog-wild, ordering virtually all the dishes already mentioned in this thread:

hearts of palm kinpira - clean, refreshing
leek sunomono - even cleaner and refreshinger. nice dish for a hot summer.
beef tongue - lived up to foodwhisperer's billing; deeply meaty, the brush of teriyaki sauce providing a nice counterpoint, perfect toppings. could've eaten 4 of these.
sea scallop & miso butter skewer - another palpable hit; perfectly cooked, and the most satisfying scallop dish I've had this year this side of Tocqueville.
smoked pork belly & pickled onions - very good, with the pickled onions cutting the fat of the pork belly nicely.
eringi mushroom skewer - inoffensive
anago tempura - a little disappointing. usually I find fried food at izakayas to be spot-on, but here the tempura crust seemed a touch heavy, and the eelness got lost in it.
wings - also disappointing, to my great surprise; I love the fried chicken at the original Blue Ribbon. someone already used the word "chalky" to describe the skin texture, which I agree with. very moist meat, though, and addictive chile and wasabi honey dipping sauces.
smoked hamachi shiitake hakozushi - amusing flavor combo. passable sushi rice. nothing really wrong with it, but probably would not order again.
squid, squid ink & uni fried rice - really good. nice texture on the the squid ink rice as well as the squid itself. not sure the uni really adds that much to the dish, though who am I to argue with generous tongues of solid uni?
oxtail & bone marrow fried rice - holy crap. this alreadyhas been available at other Blue Ribbon restaurants?! what have I been doing all my life? this was friggin' amazing, the warm slick of the marrow fat incorporating into the rice after breaking it out of its omelette purse. perfect amount of tender oxtail. perfect salting. just a phenomenal dish.
aji two ways - better sashimi than I was expecting, and the frying of the head/fins/bones was of course just as awesome as it sounds like it's going to be.

The service was a bit wonky, everything coming out sort of haphazardly, and me having to ask them to fry the bones despite them telling me when I ordered that they'd do it automatically. But they were quite nice, for sure.

All that food ended up being rather expensive, which seemed fine for celebrating my visitor's trip to NYC, but YMMV. Perfect atmosphere for our needs, and obviously I was a fan of a lot of the food. Not sure I'd primarily go with the sushi there, the rice in the hakozushi being what it was, but admittedly didn't really explore that part of the menu.

Anyway, I think the place deserves the support of even the most discerning Japanese-foodie. Very satisfying meal.

I actually posted this to Yelp, but then I thought about it and realized that I should've turned to CH first. :-) Check me out at http://sappidus.yelp.com if you need any reassurances about my eating cred...

"too long, won't read" version: I have an extra seat for the Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare on May 31 (a Thursday), 7pm. E-mail me at callipygous@me.com if you want it.

* * *

"too long" version: A few weeks ago, I was feeling flush after winning a small cash prize at a trivia competition of sorts, and I decided, "With this free money, I will finally book my spot at Brooklyn Fare!" When I called, though, I was told, sorry, they don't do parties of 1 (or 3, oddly enough). "Reserve me for 2, then!!" I said in a burst of ill-conceived enthusiasm.

After I hung up, the enormity of what I'd done hit me. See, while I have plenty of dining companions for my usual eating out (as any glance at my Yelp reviews will reveal), Brooklyn Fare is another animal. I couldn't think of anyone among my friends who'd be willing to shell out the price of its admission.

But I am NOT dropping this reservation, dammit.

Thus I turn to you, Yelp. Have you been itching to sit at Cesar Ramirez's counter but were never willing to hit "redial" for 45 minutes to actually land the spot? This is your chance to squeeze yourself in. Oh, sure, you may have to make some strained conversation with a total stranger, i.e., me, but I hope that even a cursory look at my Yelpings will show that I'm not an unreasonable convive. Besides, there'll be the food to concentrate on.

Again, the resy is at 7pm on 5/31. E-mail at callipygous@me.com if you think you can convince me you're the right person for this

Yeah, it looks like they're doing the katsu sandwich thing, which I'll never argue with, though one wonders how much of an upgrade their version would be over the Panyas of the world.

Thanks for the info regarding the semi-frozen salmon; my Yelp review was updated accordingly, heh. Next up, Yuba.

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Panya
8 Stuyvesant St, New York, NY 10003

Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

I would say that the a la carte portions are quite small. The most egregious offender is the foie gras "sushi", at two pieces for $12 (!). On the other hand, the prix fixe menus ($35 and $45) are actually good deals, with a fair amount of choice afforded to the diner.

For my part, I usually throw price-to-portion ratios out the window when I go to high-quality Japanese restaurants, but YMMV.

I normally don't bother cross-posting a Yelp review to here on Chowhound -- usually, I end up Yelp-reviewing places I've been turned onto BY Chowhound, so that they get a bit wider exposure -- but I thought that Wasan deserved a bit more discussion than it seems to be getting, so...

* * * * *

"Semi-frozen salmon sashimi": you have to give some begrudging respect to a place that'll put that on its menu.

After welcoming a convive to NYC last year with Recette's iconoclastic New American plates, I thought the even more offbeat Japanese fare at Wasan would be right for her return this year. Unlike most serious Japanese restaurants, which will unhesitatingly proclaim the Hokkaido provenance of their fish or whatnot, Wasan instead rings the locavore bell. "Local" may be the magic buzzword when it comes to American food these days, but here in NYC the opposite might be said of Japanese cuisine. So the whole concept of Wasan is sort of outre.

Wasan is outre in more than just concept -- that semi-frozen business isn't even the half of it. Here's another thing off the menu: "Open roll sushi filled with red onion, jalapeno, and shiso, topped with fish of the day marinated with shiso pesto, covered with mozzarella and grilled." Grilled sushi? Shiso pesto? Mozzarella? The purist in me shudders. It sounds like fusion cuisine from hell, Sushi Samba as run by Beelzebub.

And yet, things made a weird sort of sense when they actually hit your tongue. The cold cheese tofu managed to surprise despite tasting exactly like a mix of cheese and tofu, its firmly creamy mass accented by a fresh tomato pulp cap and a concentrated dashi broth. Mussels went well with a shallow layer of tasteful wasabi mayo. Anago tonkotsu (fried breaded sea eel) had all the crunch that makes tonkotsu appealing, then upped the ante with a moist interior not so often found in the form. Even that crazy open roll (which was, I must point out, rather closed) turned out to be tasty, the rice, mozzarella, and lightly cooked fluke combining into something far better than it deserved to be.

But there were two out-and-out highlights. Foie gras sushi has been done before, but the strawberry balsamic vinegar glaze on the foie gras here paired perfectly with the vinegar of the (very respectable) sushi rice, everything melting together blissfully. And a simple bedding of crisp endive gave the sinfully fatty piece of "sushi" a fine textural counterpoint.

And the "uni lover" was, quite simply, the third-best uni-containing prepared dish I have had in NYC. (Soto has my #1, Kyo Ya #2; sorry, Marea.) A generous amount of uni was perched on a small mound of avocado, which was in turn on some kind of salty, homemade uni "chip". A garlic-peanut oil concoction was drizzled on top. All those other ingredients should have threatened to overwhelm the delicacy of the uni, and yet the elements melded into this perfect storm of sublimely balanced flavors. There are two major ocular responses to exceptional bites: closing one's eyes, or opening them wide. I did both.

In a place that takes so many liberties with convention, you can't expect everything to be perfect. The eggplant with garlic sauce in one of my convive's dishes was reportedly wonderful, but on the same plate the shrimp tempura had an interesting but ultimately superfluous tortilla chip crust. An asparagus mousse with king crab was disappointingly weak in both of its major components. And that salmon sashimi? My convive put it best: "Well, if nothing else, it's perfectly semi-frozen."

Should I forgive Wasan its missteps? Eating is sometimes all about expectations. The ultra-Japanese Brushstroke recently left me faintly unsatisfied, suffering compared to the near-perfection of my kaiseki experiences in both Japan and the East Village's Kajitsu. But a place that sells semi-frozen sashimi defies any and all expectations simply by existing. Like Jackie Chan's "drunken master" character, Wasan's off-kilter stylings lulled me into a vulnerable state, then hit me right between the eyes.

Sure, you can Aburiya yourself into more authentic waters, Kyo Ya your way to Kyoto. Wasan delights with something different: a sense of humor backed up by formidable technique. It's a trait shared by precious few (Shopsin's, M. Wells, Momofuku Ssam), and it should be celebrated.

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Wasan
108 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003

FYI... According to an announcement from the restaurant itself on Yelp:

"George is no longer with Yuba, thank you all for all the kind words and support!"

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Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

I'll be taking a convive to the "super omakase" at the counter in Kanoyama this weekend. What is the general etiquette regarding the gratuity in such a situation?

The other time I did the Kanoyama omakase (solo), I couldn't figure out what to do, so I just left the tip (a huge one, since the meal was phenomenal) on the bill. But should I have been giving some of the gratuity directly to the chef? Granted, it was Nobu-san, whom I gather owns the restaurant anyway, so in some sense it probably doesn't matter much. But how do people normally handle the tipping-at-the-sushi-counter thing?

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Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

For what it's worth... The Breslin may have its high points, but I thought the sweetbreads were overfried, thus destroying all the funk that is the whole point of sweetbreads.

I was a big fan of the scrumpets, though.

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The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

I Yelped my first-visit review already (check it out at http://sappidus.yelp.com ), but in short, my major recs are the ciabatta with poached duck egg and the mushroom ravioli. The scallop carpaccio (really a ceviche) was also damned tasty. The hyped-up tajarin with "ricci de mare" was good, but I don't know, it didn't really make me sigh with pleasure or anything. Guess I'll have to wait to visit Marea for sea urchin pasta heaven.

The only off-note was a rather boring fried rock shrimp plate. Overall, though, an excellent meal, I thought, and it definitely has earned my future return business to try out more of the wide-ranging menu. Scarpetta is, as expected, still better, though.

I recently moved to NYC, something I'm extraordinarily excited about; to a huge degree, this is because of food. Although it's been over a decade since I spent most of my year in NY (because of schooling), my family has always lived in the metropolitan area, and I am thus quite well-versed in the food scene. This is due in no small part to Chowhound -- I have you all to thank for turning me onto such varied hits as Soto, Apizz, and the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing.

Anyway, I'll be starting work soon in the West Village (specifically St. Vincent's at 7th Ave and 12th St), and I was wondering what CHers had to say about the neighborhood. I have a generally good sense of destination restaurants, but I'm more interested in the neighborhood haunts and personal faves people might have. As the list of CH-endorsed eateries above hopefully shows, I'm up for anything food-wise. I just want it to be pretty good, heh.

I had a seriously great lunch at dell'anima the other day, and that place strikes me as the upper end of the price point I'm interesting in getting all y'all's opinion about. Any other good lunch options in the area? Casual dinner recs appreciated too. Thanks!