Otoro is to Japan as White Truffles are to Italy

We have tasted perfection and its name is Ushiwakamaru. This Japanese restaurant on W. Houston Street is home to quite possibly the best sushi in New York City. We dined there last night for Ellen's birthday and both agree it is an experience worth repeating.

We had an early reservation which enabled us to sit at the sushi bar, right in front of the three chefs. Watching them prepare for the evening meal was worth eating early. We witnessed them sharpening their knives with the wet stone, perfectly filleting a variety of fish, preparing the vegetables and condiments - all with surgically precise movements. We hadn't tasted a bite yet, but it was beautiful.

Mark has visited Ushiwakamaru before, under the guidance of some Japanese friends. So we had an idea of what we were after - specifically Otoro, the fatty belly of the tuna fish. We decided to order a few things at a time, to pace ourselves and savor this magnificent culinary experience. After all, this restaurant has the atmosphere of being in Japan, not lower Manhattan.

Before ordering, a waitress brought us two small dishes of marinated mushrooms and onions to prepare our appetites. Mark and I both ordered shochu on the rocks with lemon - a liquor made from sweet potatoes (usually) that tastes like fragrant water and has the uncanny ability to put the crabbiest curmudgeon into the best of moods. Shochu pairs well with sushi, better than wine ever could. It's sweetness acts like a palette cleanser, not unlike pickled ginger, and it prepares your taste buds for the next bite.

To start we ordered Saikyoyaki, (a marinated, broiled fillet of cod), a spider roll (soft shell crab) and negitoro, a roll made of otoro and scallions. The cod had been marinated in miso and broiled so that the miso caramelized slightly on the outside, giving the fish a sweet flavor and buttery texture. It was presented artfully on a banana leaf with a sword-like shoot that looked something like a heart of palm and was accompanied with what appeared to be shredded, fried sweet potatoes. The crunchy potato and the sweet, melty fish made for a wonderful pair. The spider roll was cut in five pieces: two "heads", and three middle pieces. On the heads, you could see the light batter coating the soft crab shell; inside was a whole crab, layered with avocado and cucumber. This was the freshest tasting, most delightful spider roll we have ever had. Next we sampled the otoro roll. We had the pleasure of watching the chef in front of us make this. He expertly moistened the nori, applied steaming rice (we noted how it was still a little warm) and then a handful of semi-mashed otoro and scallion. The rice warmed the otoro just enough to allow the fat of the tuna to blend with the scallion and rice - soooo good! We savored each piece as the tuna simply melted away in our mouths. Ellen then decided she needed to try otoro sashimi - an unadulterated version of this fish - in order to experience it the way nature intended.

We asked our waitress for otoro sashimi and the sushi deluxe - approximately 12 pieces of sushi including jackfish, amberjack, otoro (again!), large clam, egg (tamago), eel (unagi), mackerel, fluke and salmon. Each fish was "glued" to the rice with a dab of wasabi. The jackfish and amberjack were both light in taste and texture. The otoro sashimi was divine, the entire piece melting in Ellen's mouth as a tear of joy slowly came to her eye. The large clam was a bit tough, but we suppose this is how it should be. While we did not like it, we attributed it to a cultural difference rather than a diversion from quality - it was still extremely fresh. The egg was seasoned perfectly with salt and pepper, and as light as an omelette should be. The eel was incredible. If we were to go back, we would probably order an entire plate of this. The sweet sauce was light and not overpowering. The fish itself had a perfect texture, meaty but light. The mackerel and fluke were like the jack, fresh and sweet. The salmon was a winner. Ellen usually doesn't like this type of sushi, but she did at Ushiwakamaru. It was not stringy and had a light, rather than pungent flavor. Additionally, the sushi deluxe is served with miso soup or salad. We opted for the soup. It had a robust flavor and was served with a prawn's head for decoration. We asked the waitress if we were supposed to eat the prawn's head, and while she said some people suck out the insides (Ellen tried but was unsuccessful at this), some see it as only decoration. We think the head added a nice flavor to the soup.

The winner for the night however was the otoro sashimi. At $8 for one piece, this certainly seems extravagant. However, the head chef Hideo made this himself - with a gleaming two-foot-long knife. The otoro was cut into two smaller, bite-size pieces and served over shredded daikon. Ellen braced herself as she knew she was about to experience culinary perfection. The otoro first is a cool and pleasant tasting fish, but as it sits in your mouth, it develops into a buttery, full-flavored delight. The fish literally melts in your mouth and as you begin to chew, the flavor intensifies in the same way that a truffle would. It is the most delightful experience. While Ellen savored the two pieces in maybe three minutes - she estimated the pleasure was worth so much more than the price.

We both decided to skip dessert, and enjoy a cup of green tea as we were happily full - energized and not overstuffed. Plus, the shochu still provided a gleeful feeling as we exited Ushiwakamaru two hours later, feeling as if we had indeed traveled to Japan.

Overall, this is the best restaurant we have experienced in New York City. While the price is a bit high for our wallets, it was worth every penny! Ushiwakamaru makes other Japanese restaurants look like the Olive Garden. The quality, experience, unpretentious atmosphere, expert service and cleanliness make for an unforgettable culinary experience.

And trust us, this blog is still about eating cheap, but it was Ellen's BIRTHDAY!!!

http://www.ushiwakamaruny.com
136 W Houston StreetNew York
NY 10012-2512
(212) 228-4181