Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
***New York*** (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jamny
- Start date
Alias
Footballguy
Reaper
Footballguy
I can't wait to go to YAMA in Gramercy Park... We usually eat at Choshi which is amazing but heard great reviews on YAMA - Apparently it's tiny but, the sushi is huge - You have to put your name down and then go drink accross the way at Pete's Tavern...
YAMA has a reputation of BIG Sushi and good prices...
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Attack of the Giant Sushi: A Knife is the Only Defense
By ERIC ASIMOV
Published: October 11, 2000
THE name of the small sushi bar in Chelsea should have been a tip-off: Monster Sushi. But I was still surprised by what was put before me there.
The sushi was huge, dwarfing the cylinder of rice under each piece. As I lifted a piece of fluke to dip it in soy sauce, one tapered end flopped away from the rice. Whatever this was, it was not sushi. It really was monstrous. I made notches on a chopstick to gauge just how big it was, then went home and laid the chopstick against a ruler.
The fluke was five inches long, twice as big as its two-and-a-half-inch roll of rice. The yellowtail was also five inches; the bonito was a full six inches. At four inches, the maguro was the shrimp of the bunch, except, of course, for the shrimp, which was only three inches but really couldn't help it.
Monster Sushi is not unique these days. It doesn't even serve the biggest sushi in town. That honor most likely goes to Yama, a sushi bar with three locations in Greenwich Village and Gramercy Park, where everything I ordered was six to six and a half inches long, by my chopstick calculations.
Such mammoth dimensions would seem to violate all the rules that characterize the Japanese art of sushi-making. Particularly with nigiri-zushi, the unit of fish and vinegared rice that is most familiar to Americans, the balance among vinegar, fish, rice and wasabi is considered crucial. Sawing through oversized raw fish with your teeth is virtually impossible. Unless you get out a knife and fork.
''It's supposed to be a one-bite food,'' said Eisaburo Ishikawa, the owner of Salon Ishi on East 55th Street, voicing the traditional Japanese position. ''The top-quality places never serve you the big pieces.''
Yet, more and more, you can find big sushi all over the city. It's big at Tomoe in Greenwich Village, at Iso and Sandobe in the East Village and at Haru, which has branches on the Upper East and West Sides. These are all mid-priced sushi bars, catering mostly to Americans, who have expressed their approval of big sushi over the last few years in the Zagat Surveys.
The sushi at Yama, which received a 25 on the Zagat scale of 30, has been progressively described as ''mega-sized,'' ''whale-sized,'' ''Jurassic-size'' and ''orca-sized'' in Zagat Surveys. The sushi at Tomoe, which earned a 27 in the most recent survey, was once described as ''thick, mouthwatering slabs,'' and more prosaically, ''the largest proportioned.'' (Nobu, which ranks highest for Japanese food in Zagat, has a 28 rating but deals in classic proportions.)
''It's the Americanization of sushi,'' said Wayne Nish, a co-owner and chef of March on East 58th Street, who has offered variations on sashimi on his menu. ''There is a phenomenon here.''
I confess that in the past I've liked the sushi at Yama and Tomoe. I thought that these restaurants offered good value, but I've learned that delicacy, lightness and proportion are as necessary to good sushi as fine fish is. Otherwise, you might as well be eating one of those footlong hot dogs with a four-inch roll.
The difference is apparent at sushi bars popular with Japanese patrons, like Sushihatsu on the Upper East Side, where every piece of fish was two to three inches long when I visited. The proportions of fish to rice were balanced and I could eat each piece in one delicate bite. At Sushi Rose on East 52nd Street, which also has a large Japanese clientele, the sushi is a little bit bigger, with some pieces more than three inches long. But again, it's one-bite sushi.
Both places, which earn 23's in Zagat, are much more expensive than sushi bars that specialize in big. You could spend $125 at Sushihatsu and probably ingest considerably less protein than you would after paying a third of that price at Yama.
Clearly, there's a link between popularity and perceived value with big sushi. Yama's owner, Katsuyuki Kurosu, says his sushi is so big that he makes a very small profit. ''We have to serve a lot of customers,'' he said through an interpreter.
Mr. Kurosu, who opened Yama in 1989 and began serving big sushi in 1991, acknowledges that he has adapted his style to suit Americans. ''The traditional Japanese style is very small, but I wanted Americans to be happy with the portions,'' he said. ''Americans want big, like hamburgers.''
By its nature, sushi is a luxury item, and efforts to democratize it are bound to result in compromises. Yama does not serve big pieces of toro, the ultra-expensive, fatty portion from the tuna's belly.
When it comes to eating habits and desires, of course, Americans are an easy target. Italians snicker at how Americans demand more sauce than pasta, just as Chinese laugh at how Americans order one huge dish per person and skimp on the rice that is actually the basis of the cuisine. Clearly, Americans are having sushi their way as well.
''I still see them dropping the fish in the soy, or using lots of wasabi, and I'm sorry to say we laugh at that,'' said Reiko Akehi, a Japanese food journalist based in New York. She also sees bigger problems than big sushi. ''Americans think that sushi is very, very healthy,'' she added. ''Maybe compared to hamburgers and pizza, but the soy has tons of salt and sugar.''
As American as big sushi may seem to be, though, it is an issue in Japan, too, she said.
''Even in Japan some places do serve that kind of sushi, but they're very cheap places, maybe for college students or people who don't care and just want a lot of fish,'' Ms. Akehi said. ''But if you go to nicer places, it's still served at its real traditional size.''
Otis
Footballguy
Agree completely re Top of the Rock at night. Really nice view and much more accessible than Empire State.I've never done the NBC tour but I work in the building..Coney Island probably isn't worth the trip this time of year -- if it were June I'd say go for it.
cowboysin07
Footballguy
Anyone been to Churrascaria Plataforma?? Heading there on Friday.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Choshi? Whoa... really? Wife used to live in Stuy-Town and so we were in the Irving St hood a bit. Gave Choshi three chances and it flat out sucked every time, so it went on perma-ban for us. Bad fish, poor service, sloppy rolls... I think they even got the rice wrong.
Yama- meh. It's got big rolls I guess 
and it's not bad, but there are so many better places out there it just seems like a why bother. Great tempura green-tea ice cream sandwiches however...
saintfool
Dead sexy
they're all pretty much the same.
shadyridr
Footballguy
Yep was awesome. I dropped $80 there though
Alias
Footballguy
Burger Joint is good, IMO this place is better (five guys).
shadyridr
Footballguy
will have to try that
cowboysin07
Footballguy
Also this little spot in Financial district called Dakota Roadhouse. Actually just a bar but the burger is on par with best in the city.
Hear-the-Footsteps
Footballguy
Corner Bistro - end of discussion.Best burger - Corner BistroBest sushi - forget Nobu, Haru, etc. The two best sushi places in the city are: Tomoe (west village) and Poke (upper east). In terms of just quality - forgetting ambiance and other ancillary things - on just quality, Tomoe and Poke are the best.Best chinese - Wo-Hop. It is in china town - at the very end of Mott Street. Don't be fooled by the other Wo-Hop that looks like a big street level restaurant. Go to the one where you take stairs down below street level. Small place - maybe about 10-12 tables or so. But awesome chinese food.Churrascaria Plataforma - someone mentioned this place. Very good. Go hungry. While all the different steaks come by often (as well as chicken, pork, and some fish), one of the steaks it seems you almost always have to ask for there is the garlic steak. Just trust me. It is insane. You often have to request it a few times b/c a) they don't bring it out as often as some of the other less tender steaks, and b) when they do bring it out, it doesn't make it far since it is so good!(Also don't know which of these were already mentioned in this thread already.)
Last edited by a moderator:
Alias
Footballguy
We used to make "road trips" from Hoboken when in college to go to Wo Hops!Five Guys just opened up a week ago, so give them a chance before proclaiming them "not" the best burger in nyc.
Reaper
Footballguy
Hmmm... I ate there last week and LOVED it....My wife lived on 20th and 3rd and we'll be using that place for a little while.....I've been to Choshi over a dozen times without complaint...Choshi? Whoa... really? Wife used to live in Stuy-Town and so we were in the Irving St hood a bit. Gave Choshi three chances and it flat out sucked every time, so it went on perma-ban for us. Bad fish, poor service, sloppy rolls... I think they even got the rice wrong.
But, I'm definitely ready to listen to what you've liked.... FESS UP??? 
BTW.... As I sat in Choshi last week with the wife's back to the window, i thought of YOU.. As the model-like wimmins passed by one after another, I was thinking of that thread you had going - SHEESH!!!!!Btw - I have a few friends that lives in Stuy town... around "our age" - Mitch / Dana/ Rob Sue Anything????
Last edited by a moderator:
shadyridr
Footballguy
I noticed they are a chain. I find it hard to believe a chain has the best burger in NYC but I will try before my final judgement.
Reaper
Footballguy
Floppo - I'd love to see a rough list of your favorite places down that way - Grammercy, Irving, Union Sq.... As I'll be spending a ton of time that way in the next few months.....
Eas Village as well - Mostly not the mega-expensive places.. Bars, restaurants etc...
I've been to Max which has a kick ### lasagna... Bar on A....
I've been to quite a few places but, I'm still finding my way and I'll have a bunch of buddies in soon and I'm looking to possibly do a Bar Crawl type thing - I have Pete's down, I know Bar fly - Need a bunch more in walking distance... Also looking for some good music / open mike type things...
Sushi?
Chinese?
Pizza?
Italian?
Tks.
Eas Village as well - Mostly not the mega-expensive places.. Bars, restaurants etc...
I've been to Max which has a kick ### lasagna... Bar on A....
I've been to quite a few places but, I'm still finding my way and I'll have a bunch of buddies in soon and I'm looking to possibly do a Bar Crawl type thing - I have Pete's down, I know Bar fly - Need a bunch more in walking distance... Also looking for some good music / open mike type things...
Sushi?
Chinese?
Pizza?
Italian?
Tks.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Hmmm... I ate there last week and LOVED it....Choshi? Whoa... really? Wife used to live in Stuy-Town and so we were in the Irving St hood a bit. Gave Choshi three chances and it flat out sucked every time, so it went on perma-ban for us. Bad fish, poor service, sloppy rolls... I think they even got the rice wrong.and it's not bad, but there are so many better places out there it just seems like a why bother. Great tempura green-tea ice cream sandwiches however...
My wife lived on 20th and 3rd and we'll be using that place for a little while.....
I've been to Choshi over a dozen times without complaint...
But, I'm definitely ready to listen to what you've liked.... FESS UP???
BTW.... As I sat in Choshi last week with the wife's back to the window, i thought of YOU.. As the model-like wimmins passed by one after another, I was thinking of that thread you had going - SHEESH!!!!!
Btw - I have a few friends that lives in Stuy town... around "our age" - Mitch / Dana/ Rob Sue Anything????
[Al Cervik] It looks good on you though [Al Cervik] I should've added the caveat that I haven't eaten there in over... probably 5 years. But with 3 strikes, there are just too many other places to eat in NYC to waste time on places you don't like. That said- I'm glad you like it.Wait... so I can't just crap on other people's suggestions? I have to :shudder: offer my own?The Tomoe rec a post or two above is dead-on. The cheapest, and absolutely best sushi in town, IMO. Supposedly, they have their own fishing boats, so they get the pick of the crop at the fish market. But I don't have an hour and a half to wait on line outside for their sushi.
There's a place on 2nd Ave up from St Mark's Church- probably at 10th St (n/w corner) that used to be called Iso. They changed their name for some reason and I can never remember it. That's a good standby for sushi and other japanese food that's a big step up from Yama (and obviously Choshi, IMO).
Our favorite is a neighborhood spot- Cube63 on Clinton St. TINY, and usually filled with groups of loud wimmens who seem to like the byob factor before going out trolling the LES for the Otisesque. Good fish, the usuals but also some interesting and delicious rolls (a bit pricey).
Went to Blue Ribbon in Soho the other week- first time in ages. Not as good as I remember it being- I used to think that place was the ####.
There's a place on the upper west side on Bwy around 80th St. Kind of a Nobu menu ripoff, but they're damn good-especially if you sit at the sushi bar and ask for recommendations... some of the best sushi I've ever had was there- but put a dinger in the wallet ordering that way. And of course I can't remember the name of that spot either... or even know if it's still there.
ETA: my friends with the means swear that Masa or Masa Cafe is the best stuff around. I'll take their word for it.
Last edited by a moderator:
El Floppo
Footballguy
Man... bars- you'll have to take what I offer with a grain of salt since the wife and I don't really go out much any more. But basically, if you head between Houston and Delancey between Allen and Clinton, you're pretty much golden in terms of bars/music/decent restaurants. Aves B and C too (above Houston). The bars on Ave A are pretty much sportsbar why-bother places for the most part (at least on lower A). There are a couple of FBGs who have talked about going out in the hood- TU, maybe?Clinton St has a ton of tapas style spots that are good for getting your drink on while eating, and not that expensive. The EVil has a ton of Italian restaurants that are all pretty inexpensive (damn... we had friends who used to live right above Bar on A... good times) and all pretty interchangable: Frank, Zoccoletti, Il Bagatto, La Tavagna, etc. There's a place on 2nd St right off of A (and B) that's always packed- but I have no idea what the name is.Sushi- c:above. I can offer more that are in the "ok" variety, but where we do a lot of grazing since they're close to home.Pizza- I like a place called Little Frankie's on 1st Ave around 2nd St. Nice thin crust, I think from a brick oven. A place just opened on Ludlow called Chickie Pig's that does interesting pizza- more like pizza on thin bread, not crust- but also with a brick oven. What we've gotten from them has been good, but they seem like they're still trying to figure out what they're doing. Also on Ludlow- Pizzeria de Santo- w/ Peronni on tap, but they've been pretty hit or miss (and I think they got shut down by the healt dept).Chinese- I'm not much of a Chinese guy. I've been going to a gb's spot called Chinatown Brasserie on Lafayette. Pretty standard American Chinese food, but made cleaner and less greasy. It's not bad. I don't know Chinatown restaurants at all.
Hear-the-Footsteps
Footballguy
In the Union Sq/Irving/Gramercy area...(Just an FYI, no one refers to it as the Irving area. Union Square or Gramercy are the actual areas.)
Sushi - Mizu (it is on 20th between Park and Broadway). You can't go wrong there. Best in the city? No. (Like I mentioned above Tomoe and Poke are.) But one of the best sushi places in the area you asked about.
If you like spicy scallop rolls - theirs is the best.
If you plan to go more than once - sit at the sushi bar in the back and get to know Paul. He is the head sushi chef back there. He is really nice. And once you know him and he sees you often, he gives you free stuff that is really good.
Chinese - The Cottage (it on 16th and Irving). FYI, their delivery time is amazing. Seriously. Often in just under 7 minutes. But beyond delivery speed, their chinese is very good.
Pizza - I never found pizza that I thought was truly great in that area. And I lived in Union Sq for almost 4 years.
Italian - Ditto on Italian food in the area that is truly amazing. Some decent places. But if you are really jonesing for good italian, I suggest taking a cab/subway to a better place.
Pipa - good tapas (19th between Park and B'Way).
Blue Water Grill - on the west side of Union Square Park is very good. Just about everything they do there is great...clams, shrimp, fish, etc. One of the best restaurants in the area.
Across the street from Blue Water Grill is the Coffeeshop. Fun place - especially for late night eating. We'd hit that up sometimes if it were late at night and we were heading home, but were just randomly really hungry. You can get anything from eggs to meatloaf. Again, not amazing, but fun to hit up once in a while real late.
Oh, and I forgot the name of it - but there is a little convenience store (no, not a bodega) on 3rd (probably between 16th and 17th - or maybe 17th/18th). Anyway, they deliver beer - and do so quickly. So that's a good phone # to keep around. Just stop by there and pick up their #. If you ever are having people over and realize you are out of beer, but have no time to run out and pick it up - they bring it over quick.
Hope those Union Square suggestions help.
Last edited by a moderator:
El Floppo
Footballguy
My Chinatown Brasserie buddy was good friends/partners with the guy who used to own BWG and all the other B R Guest restaurants- nice guy who set me up long ago on some kind of lower level VIP list for all his restaurants. BWG is our standby for going out last minute for a very good meal (they always squeeze us in). All of his restaurants are consistently very good and have great service- you can't lose with any of them- but I'd agree that BWG is probably the best of them. We just went last weekend- first time going since he sold, and everything seemed spot on (I was worried there'd be a downturn since I think he sold to a big conglomerate).ETA: I'm going to have to try that Poke recommendation... thanks!
Last edited by a moderator:
Mike Crimes
Footballguy
cowboysin07
Footballguy
Also very nice on the Pipa suggestion. My favorite date place in the city
Reaper
Footballguy
Good stuff - And I wasn't really refering to Irving as the are - Just using Floppo's descrption ; )Some drinking buddies will be in town - I thought I could do sorta a bar crawl in the area - sounds like LES might be better?
cowboysin07
Footballguy
Also, FYI, it's not a good idea to wear a Cowboys jersey to the Giants-Cowboys game. Thank God for roomates that played college football.
Alias
Footballguy
Sounds like a story here. Any fights averted?
cowboysin07
Footballguy
Nothing too crazy. Lots of yelling and throwing of beverages. Escalated once but was squashed when said roomate (6 4 260) decided he was tired of being hit with beer. He just politely told them they shouldn't throw anymore beer.
Hear-the-Footsteps
Footballguy
2 heads up if you go:1) Cash only2) Alcohol - it is byob. Bring a bottle of wine - they'll open it for you. Bring sake - they'll heat it up for you (if that is the way you like it).Definitely report back. I think it is one of the best sushi places in the entire city. And I've been to all the top places...Nobu, Blue Ribbon, Haru, Yama, etc. In terms of quality (again, leaving out decor/ambiance), it is great.And if you are cool with a little of an outside-the-box type of sushi - try their fried oyster roll. I know it isn't real sushi - but it is awesome. They do also have normal sushi obviously. But if you like some creative things, they do that too. In addition to the fried oyster roll, they have a calamari roll which is great. You can get it with eel I believe.
Reaper
Footballguy
Found a Good "Bar Guide".....
I recognize some of these names just walking by.... But, I've got a big drinking day coming up sometime soon...
NYC Bar Guide
I recognize some of these names just walking by.... But, I've got a big drinking day coming up sometime soon...
NYC Bar Guide
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
El Floppo
Footballguy
Good stuff, HtF
Just realized- that upper east side location makes Poke a tough sell for us, but . Fried oyster roll and calamari roll definitely work for me- I'm no sushi purist. If you like that kind of stuff too- you should check out my rec, Cube63 on Clinton St. Their house speciality rolls involve blowtorches, caviar and all kinds of mad scientist deliciousness.Another critical favorite in the Evil is Jewel Bako. We went once and had such a miserable experience, it joined Choshi on our perma-ban list after only the one visit. Not to say that the fish was bad- it was pretty good, and incredibly varied (I ate barracuda). But the service was reprehensible; they left us standing for over an hour past our reservation time, without offering anything on the house (drink, app, desert) or even a frigging comment or apology. It got so they could see the sparks shooting out of my ears and completely avoided me during the wait and throughout the meal.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Interesting... but it does a big dis-service to itself by not listing the bars by neighborhood. Seems like it'll work for destination drinking (you either know the name of the bar, or the type of bar you want) but not for crawling.
massraider
Footballguy
One of the best. My buddy Larry still bartends there, I think. A place to get hammered.
Hear-the-Footsteps
Footballguy
Hear-the-Footsteps
Footballguy
I'll have to check out Cube63. Never been. Actually, never even heard of it which is weird cause I thought I've tried all the top sushi places.Sushi and me equals an addicition.Good stuff, HtF
Another critical favorite in the Evil is Jewel Bako. We went once and had such a miserable experience, it joined Choshi on our perma-ban list after only the one visit. Not to say that the fish was bad- it was pretty good, and incredibly varied (I ate barracuda). But the service was reprehensible; they left us standing for over an hour past our reservation time, without offering anything on the house (drink, app, desert) or even a frigging comment or apology. It got so they could see the sparks shooting out of my ears and completely avoided me during the wait and throughout the meal.
But I will check it out and let you know what I think.
(Anything with a blowtorch has to be good, right?)
Last edited by a moderator:
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
next wed @ 4pm?
Koya
Footballguy
That's night before thanksgiving, yeah? If so, it is usually a big night out for folks meeting up with old friends... but im open to suggestions.
Koya
Footballguy
There have actually been 2. Only one of which ended up in "The Affair"Another?I didn't know there was an original one.
Dought Man
Footballguy
This place is awesome. I always hit that place before I see shows at the Bowery Ballroom. Last time I went, Neil fromthe band Clutch was hanging out drinking there before the show..
Great watering hole...usually plenty of females.Similar threads
