i just had dinner at Masa in NYC - he used to be Urasawa's master. holy f*** - best sushi meal of my young life.

you feel like you're being raped - $700 in 1.5 hours - but this meal was absolutely sublime. b/c of the aforementioned feeling, i was very reluctant to return but this meal was *better* than Urasawa. i will write a proper blog post later and post it.

i've got to re-arrange my entire sushi scale now. here are the best sushi meals in North America, depending on your criteria - 10/10 grades for their respective categories - omakase (they choose, you sit at the bar) the norm *:

Best overall meal experience - Urasawa (LA)
most personal, warmest, extremely high caliber, meticulous, expensive ($300/pp) but feels like it's worth it, possibly the best *restaurant* in the country (with manresa, french laundry, alinea, and jean georges on that short list), does everything very well

Best raw fish - Sawa (Sunnyvale, CA)
pretty exclusve (though they let JKB in), limited selection, quantities are huge, you have to ask for sushi, but the fish reigns supreme, plate after plate of sashimi (with some special japanese ingredients when customs is lax), $250/pp

Best raw fish on the East Coast - Kuruma Zushi (NYC)
if Sawa is 10/10, Kuruma is 9.5/10, you get 10 pieces of sashimi, 10 pieces of sushi (the rice is merely 6/10), but that fish will blow you away, $350/pp

Best sushi - Masa (NYC)
for that special pairing of rice and fish - untouchable - $400/pp (before tax, tip, alcohol) - plan on $700/pp

Best sushi w/o re-financing the house - Sushi Yasuda (NYC)
it was my favorite sushi until tonight, the rice is special 9/10, the fish is 8/10, but significantly cheaper; also a very quick meal, 45 minutes for lunch, 1.5 hours for dinner - $140/pp

Honorable Mentions:
- Sebo (SF) - 7/10, the best in SF, $125/pp
- Sushi Kaji (Toronto) - 8/10, probably the best in Canada, $200/pp
- Go's Mart (Canoga Park, CA) - 8/10, definitely a unique experience
- Ushi Wakamuru (NYC) - 8/10, much more japanese feel

Places that Might Make the Cut (but I haven't been):
- The Hump (Santa Monica, CA)
- Sakae (Burlingame, CA) - i don't get this place but its supporters are quite vocal
- ????

- chuck


* - with the caveat that sushi is like football - on any given day, someone can rise up to the best.

 

Thanks for the list. I must now add them to places to see before I die. Only place I've been on the list is, Hump. I've been there many times. Only had one disappointment Christmas Eve. Otherwise it always been spectacular.

 

Thanks for the update, Chuck. Let me know when you are in SoCal...

 

Thanks Chuck. Living in Chicago does kinda suck for sushi...

 

SuperVixen, perhaps we can arrange a Sawa trip sometime in the future.

Tuuner, i should be down there soon.


I should also point out to anyone reading this thread - this is a lesson in diminishing returns. If you are a sushi neophyte, start at the bottom and work your way up to truly appreciate the most expensive options. If you haven't tried a place on this list, start with Sushi Yasuda (NYC) and see what you think. If you find that it blows away the standard you're used to, start moving up the scale; if not, you lucked out and you'll save a lot of money in your life

- chuck

 

Wow, $700/person for a meal. Haha insane, but the food probably is too. I have a question though--what sort of % do you guys tip for such expensive meals?

 

for masa, they include an automatic 18% tip. in europe, the tip is already added for you. in the US, i go with 15-20%....

- chuck

 

Sounds like a good time Chuck. I can't really imagine a meal better than Urasawa. I will certainly ad Masa to my short list. I definitely consider myself to be a sushi neophyte and learn quite a bit about what to be on the lookout for in your blogs.

 

I've yet to take a look at your blog, do you have a review of Go's Mart there? I'm intrigued as Canoga Park isn't where you'd expect a top notch Sushi joint to be located.

 

Maybe you just arent going to the right places!