My question is, if Sushi Yasuda is better than Azabu, then how is this the best deal? Sushi Yasuda's Matsu set gives you 12 pieces + 1/2 roll for $36. Azabu is 10 pieces (+ soup and tiny appetizer) for $35. Seems like Yasuda is better quality AND the better deal.

btw, i went to sushi azabu based on your rec. the koi course is a good deal - esp bc they threw in an extra piece on the house (my choice - i chose uni) - not sure if this is standard procedure or not. the quality of the fish was very good. but there were at least 3 pieces where he used a heavy hand on the wasabi - it made my eyes smart, and i'm no wasabi wimp. this was my 1 serious complaint, and it caught me by surprise - this never happened to me at yasuda. the other weird thing was that the chef preparing my sushi wasn't in front of me. so i had a nice conversation with the guy in front of me (in the middle) but i couldn't talk to the guy making my sushi, and his pacing was a bit off at times b/c of that.

I agree with others that the wait staff needs some work - I saw at least 4 miscues just while I was there. but it's not a big deal to me. probably really annoying to the chefs.

thanks!

my local hmart has a sale going for norwegian mackerel, spanish mackerel and pike mackerel. what are the differences and what are each best suited to?

where are you going? are you going someplace with no asian grocery stores at all, or just no korean/japanese stores? chinese and vietnamese grocery stores will often carry a lot of this stuff. also - nowadays, even the mainstream, non-asian supermarkets will carry some of these ingredients. korean ingredients tend to be harder to find than japanese. i went to a Tom Thumb in Fort Worth, TX of all places and was actually shocked at some of the japanese ingredients they carried, albei less selection and higher prices - but they still had things I'd never expect them to have. worth looking into.

Thanks for all the responses. This is very helpful. After reading all these threads about the high end places where people say things like "I dropped $200 without even trying" or "I love going to ____ but it's so expensive", I felt like some of these places were out of the price range. I had also heard conflicting reports about kanoyama's price range - sounds like it's more mid-range unless you go for omakase or the fish specials - all good things to know.

so besides kuruma (or masa), all these places should be able to accomodate. azabu or cotan sound like front runners... or I go on a day other than Sunday and try yasuda, 15 east or ushiwaka maru (if i'm feeling hungrier). i'll let you guys know what happens in a few weeks.

I'm looking for a traditional sushi omakase experience, where I sit at the bar, tell the chef some general preferences and the chef paces the meal, piece-by-piece. I'm looking to spend in the neighborhood of ~$80 per person, so obviously I need to be able to specify a price range. We won't be drinking alcohol (grean tea or water only). i'm looking for sushi (and sashimi), not so much cooked foods. Some obvious things - looking for quality and variety of fish, quality of rice. We're not looking to get stuffed but also don't want to leave the restaurant hungry. ideally the restaurant would take reservations for sunday.

recommendations?

based on what i've read, it sounds like if I tried to do this as yasuda, 15 east or kuruma zushi, they would laugh at me. ushiwakamaru and kanoyama seem to come up as less pricey, although i've also heard kanoyama can be very expensive too and doesn't take weekend reservations. and i feel like every restaurant does things a little bit differently, so i'm kinda confused.

thanks in advance for your help!

I'm thinking of going to a high end sushi place in Manhattan, places like yasuda, 15 east, kuruma zushi, etc. I'd like to sit at the bar, where I can interact with the chef and he can pace the meal, etc.

what are the rules/etiquette about what you can order at the bar? I hear stories of people dropping hundreds of dollars, which I assume means they told the chef omakase. but I also see things like "sushi omakase" on the 15 east menu for only $55 or "sashimi plate" at kuruma zushi for only $70. is the bar reserved only for the "no price limit" kind of dinners? is there a minimum spend expected at the bar? what are all the unspoken assumptions/rules about this kind of thing?

is it worth it to order these cheaper menu items from these restaurants? it seems like the only threads I've read about these restaurants all imply the no limit omakase type experience. i'd like to have a great meal at a serious sushi restaurant - is it possible to do so for under $100 a person, and what tips should I follow to get the most out of the experience without stepping on anyone's toes?

It's grilled mochi (yakimochi) with soy sauce. Where can I get this in new york ??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakimochi
http://japanesefood.about.com/library...

I've just recently had this very same question. In Seattle, there is a japanese supermarket called "Uwajimaya" where they sell a variety of live oysters in water tanks.

Apart from flavor - do you think these are safe to shuck and eat raw?

I'd assume so since they sell them raw (...unless everyone else buys them raw and then cooks them b/c they know it's not safe to eat from a tank!) Anyone know about the safety factors?

I actually couldn't resist buying some and eating them raw anyways. They tasted/smelled fresh and I was fine afterwards. But I'm wondering if this is something I could do every day or should generally avoid. In favor of water tanks, there are a few topics on chowhound where they mention a market in LA where they sell them in water tanks and they are supposed to be good:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/67602
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/53919

Thoughts?