15 East

I've had some amazing sushi dinners here. If you don't mind spending a decent bit of money (e.g. $150-250 pp without alcohol), just tell the sushi chef you want to do a sushi/sashimi omakase and go from there. Throw in the cooked octopus and the fresh tofu at the beginning, they're both excellent. Always make sure to sample the different kind of Uni's, as well as the selection of more obscure...+READ I've had some amazing sushi dinners here. If you don't mind spending a decent bit of money (e.g. $150-250 pp without alcohol), just tell the sushi chef you want to do a sushi/sashimi omakase and go from there. Throw in the cooked octopus and the fresh tofu at the beginning, they're both excellent. Always make sure to sample the different kind of Uni's, as well as the selection of more obscure fish if you like....however, the sushi chef will pretty much follow your lead.
When the sushi chef starts to ask if you're still hungry (it might be a while), that's pretty much when it starts being charged a la carte above the omakase price. I assume that's normal, but just be aware in case you are really hungry, and decide to do a couple of tastings of the three kinds of tuna or uni or similar, haha.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (32 Replies) (by streamwise, created February 5, 2012)

»15 East: A truly impressive all-out meal from start to finish

As usual, full review with photos (AND VIDEO!!) on the blog: http://ramblingsandgamblings.blogspot.com/2012/01/15-east-my-favorite-meal-of-2011-food.html

I know 15 East got plenty of love on the recent best sushi thread, but I want to reiterate that what makes 15 East special goes beyond just sushi. I've written about 15 East before, but this meal was a much more complete experience than...+READ As usual, full review with photos (AND VIDEO!!) on the blog: http://ramblingsandgamblings.blogspot.com/2012/01/15-east-my-favorite-meal-of-2011-food.html

I know 15 East got plenty of love on the recent best sushi thread, but I want to reiterate that what makes 15 East special goes beyond just sushi. I've written about 15 East before, but this meal was a much more complete experience than previous meals. I asked the chef to give us his best and was wowed all the way through.

While we were waiting for our seats, they were nice enough to offer us some complimentary champagne. One of the things about the second seating is that the previous customers may linger.

The meal started off with an amuse of belly button mushroom with chrysanthemum leaf.

SLOW POACHED OCTOPUS with sea salt, ANKIMO (MONKFISH LIVER) with spicy radish and sake vinaigrette
The first course of the chef's omakase was the signature slow-poached octopus. It had a rich umami flavor and was wonderfully tender. Ankimo is one of my favorite things and this was quite good.

MAINE SEA URCHIN IN SHELL
Maine uni is actually my least favorite of the unis one usually gets in restaurants, but this one did taste fresher and creamier than normal, although it's unclear whether I'm affected visually by seeing it in the shell.

ISE EBI SASHIMI Although this was from San Diego, the chef did say that this was the same clawless spiny lobster variety as the famously expensive Ise ebi. The flesh was delicious and sweet, and the knife work was excellent, with slices of perfect size and texture.

SASHIMI PLATE FEATURING: HAMACHI (YELLOWTAIL), ARCTIC CHAR, SPANISH BLUEFIN CHUTORO, SABA (MACKEREL), BOTAN EBI (SPOT PRAWN), SEARED ISAKI (GRUNTFISH), AND LONG ISLAND AOYAGI (ORANGE CLAM)
The large fish slices were tasty and the spot prawn was very sweet, but the real winners here for me were the seared gruntfish, which had a lovely smokey flavor from the searing even though it was cold, and the orange clam, which came from one of the largest pieces of such a clam I have seen at a sushi bar.

COLD SOBA NOODLES WITH HOUSE MARINATED SALMON ROE
The soba here is lovely, with a simple traditional cold soba preparation. The key here is the salmon roe, which come in fresh and whole and get marinated in house. This makes them less salty and more delicate in texture. Each egg popped with flavor under the delicate skin.

ISE EBI TEMPURA with smoked sea salt and sudachi
Well-fried, tender lobster meat, heightened with extra umami from the smoked salt and citrus.

We weren't sure on the sake, and they were nice enough to bring a tasting of three for us to choose. We ended up with the seasonal URAKASUMI HIYAOROSHI sake, which was the smoothest sake I've ever had.

Sushi:
SHIMA AJI (STRIPED JACK)
MADAI WITH UME (RED SEA BREAM SNAPPER WITH PLUM PASTE ON TOP)
I found this rather unique, as I've not had plum on sushi before, but it works here with the robust fish.
SEARED KINMEDAI (GOLDEN EYE SNAPPER)
One of my favorite pieces here. The searing definitely makes it, and I prefer it to the kinmedai I had at Masa.
AKAMI (LEAN TUNA)
While lean tuna is what one gets when one orders "just" tuna (maguro), I find the akami both here and at Masa to be leaner, redder, and more robust in taste than tuna I've had elsewhere.
CHUTORO (MEDIUM FATTY TUNA)
I prefer chutoro to otoro when it comes to sushi, and this was perfect deliciousness suitable for a single bite as the fat melts with each chew.
SANMA (PIKE MACKEREL)
SAYORI (NEEDLE FISH)
A very interesting texture as the fish itself is firm yet so thin. Almost like how perfectly cooked shrimp would be.
IKA (CUTTLEFISH) WITH SUDACHI
I'm usually not big on things like octopus and squid, but this was very tender without needing scoring, and brightened up by the citrus.
SHIRO EBI (TINY WHITE SHRIMP)
I first had these at Kurumazushi, and these things are just sooo sweet. Sweeter (not in a cloying way) than any other sweet shrimp.
SANTA BARBARA SEA URCHIN
Santa Barbara uni is larger and creamier and my favorite of North American uni.
HOKKAIDO SEA URCHIN
But my favorite in NYC is the Hokkaido uni here, with a dirtier, brinier taste of ocean.
ANAGO (SEA EEL)
Warm, rich, and full of fish flavor without too much reliance on the sweeter sauce.
TAMAGO (EGG CUSTARD)
Our meal had ended with the anago, but I had to get this egg custard and specifically requested it. A traditional preparation not available everywhere (though they do have it at Yasuda, it's not as good as this version), it's made with egg, minced shrimp, and mountain yam. The key is the technique in cooking both sides, creating a cake that is airy yet more robust than a sponge cake.

ISE EBI MISO SOUP
One last course made from our lobster. The hot soup was well flavored with miso and the head and tomalley of our lobster.

DESSERT PLATE FEATURING: PUMPKIN FLAN WITH ROASTED CARAMEL SAUCE, SOBA TEA ICE CREAM, CHESTNUT RED BEAN CAKE, STRAWBERRY
The chef gifted us this assorted dessert plate, and I really enjoyed the soba tea ice cream, which had that rich, slightly bitter flavor, yet rounded out by the creaminess. I think 15 East has some of the best desserts for a Japanese restaurant in NYC.

15 East is my favorite Japanese restaurant in NYC, with Kajitsu a very close second. The sushi is first rate, prepared by someone who actually apprenticed his years in Japan. The rice is among the best in NYC (different, but comparable in many ways to Yasuda), and the traditional Japanese cooked items such as tempura and soba are terrific.

I also believe that 15 East offers great value. While the Ise lobster is a more expensive delicacy ($120 per lobster, comprising 3 courses: sashimi, tempura, soup), the base omakase is $140 and well worth it. Most importantly, it fills you up. While many people claim to spend less at some of the top sushi restaurants in NYC, they do not eat like I do, and I've never gotten out of a place like Yasuda satisfied for less than $250.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (20 Replies) (by fooder, created January 23, 2012)

I've had both lunch and dinner at the sushi bar and thoroughly enjoyed both. IIRC, the sushi/sashimi omakase is about $65 at lunch. A supplement of uni soba and/or their amazing slow poached octopus makes for a delicious, and very reasonable lunch considering the quality of the fish. I did not notice any difference in quality between lunch and dinner, although the lunch omakase not surprisingly...+READ I've had both lunch and dinner at the sushi bar and thoroughly enjoyed both. IIRC, the sushi/sashimi omakase is about $65 at lunch. A supplement of uni soba and/or their amazing slow poached octopus makes for a delicious, and very reasonable lunch considering the quality of the fish. I did not notice any difference in quality between lunch and dinner, although the lunch omakase not surprisingly consisted of less food than the $115 dinner omakase.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (5 Replies) (by deesher, created January 6, 2012)

I would also add 15 East to the list. Their sake pairing with the chef's tasting is fabulous. REPLY (15 Replies) (by Yaxpac, created January 5, 2012)

I recently had lunch at 15 East. I enjoyed the cooked dishes very much and thought the sushi was good but not great. The cod appetizer was delicious and the hot soba with mushrooms was also very good. I feel the soba noodles are better made at Soba Totto and the sushi at Yasuda is tastier. I did enjoy the ikura (marinated in saki) and uni. A few pieces of fish were forgettable. For a combination...+READ I recently had lunch at 15 East. I enjoyed the cooked dishes very much and thought the sushi was good but not great. The cod appetizer was delicious and the hot soba with mushrooms was also very good. I feel the soba noodles are better made at Soba Totto and the sushi at Yasuda is tastier. I did enjoy the ikura (marinated in saki) and uni. A few pieces of fish were forgettable. For a combination of cooked dishes and sushi then go to 15 East. If you just want sushi I would go with Yasuda. This was my only dining experience at 15 East so I think it is unfair to make a strong judgement based on just that one experience. I would certainly go back though.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (5 Replies) (by ASL123, created January 5, 2012)

Had the eel at 15 East a few weeks ago and it was, indeed, otherworldly. Almost puffy and soft, it melted on the tongue REPLY (116 Replies) (by Delucacheesemonger, created December 30, 2011)