23 Commerce St (between Bedford St and 7th Ave, West Village)
Fatty Kat Eats: EVERYTHING OMAKASE, especially the Freshly Shucked Scallop, Skipjack Otoro, Tamago, and on and on...
If Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Fatty Kat definitely dreams of sushi. My brother, Andrew, is a die hard omaka$e fan, which means I (so willingly) get dragged to all the new hot spots. Sushi Nakazawa is making strides as the newest member of New York's elite omakase lineup, with namesake, Chef Daisuke Nakazawa, at the helm. You don't see it in the movie or in the picture below, but Nakazawa is super funny and goofy. I just want to hug him and steal the keys to his secret uni dungeon, which I'm sure exists.
I don't even know where to begin. There was too much damn good sushi, and it's all a blur now. I only have so many deserving adjectives in my fatty word bank, but I’ll try and do justice to this meal. There was not one piece of sushi that failed to impress me and my fellow sushi fanatics: @yimbabwe, @emilycao and @aulex. Seriously, not one!
(L-R, top-bottom)
- Alaskan Salmon with sea salt and citrus: Holy shit.
- Alaskan Salmon smoked with hay: Freshest smoked fish I've ever had. NOT at all related to smoked salmon, which is a completely different and inferior species.
- Freshly Shucked Scallop: Eloquently shucked right in front of our eyes...like a symphony. So silky. So sweet.
(L-R, top-bottom)
- Seared Geoduck: Sweet and crunchy, but I still can't get over what this thing looks like. Yes, I'm so sophisticated and mature.
- Mackerel Pike: Fishy and fresh. What a contradiction. This sushi is a miracle.
- Boiled Abalone: I typically hate abalone, but Nakazawa's seductive ways have clearly succeeded. It's still chewy but in a familiar and delicious way.
- Jack Mackerel: Mmm...
(L-R, top-bottom)
- Tiger Prawn: Yes, I'm evil and hungry. All day, everyday. Sweetest shrimp, alive or dead.
- Fluke with yuzu pepper: OMG. Yuzu pepper on everything, please.
- Triggerfish with Triggerfish Liver and daikon: Ain't no thang unless it's topped off with liver!
(L-R, top-bottom)
- Cooked Blue Shrimp: So big, so sweet, so juicy.
- Warm Skipjack smoked in hay with mustard: Melt in your mouth bomb of fruity flavors and textures. Is this even fish? It reminds me of ripe honeydew. Crazy sushi.
- Chutoro - Duh.
- Blue Fin Tuna - Double duh.
(L-R, top-bottom)
- Aged Blue Fin Tuna: Never knew aged fish was a thing. Just liked a fine aged steak.
- Live Uni (for show): Aka porcupine?
- Otoro: The fattiest tuna in the whole world and it's in my mouth. Hah!
- Uni from Santa Barbara: My heaven. I want to swim in a vat of uni.
(L-R, top-bottom):
- Chef Nakazawa: "The Man."
- Toro Hand Roll: Match made in heaven...perfect dried seaweed + toro.
- Anago (saltwater eel): Nakazawa made sure to correct me when I called this unagi (freshwater eel). #foochebag #loveit
- Tamago: Infamous from Jiro Dreams of Sushi. As an apprentice, it took Nakazawa 3 months and 200+ attempts to get this right. GET IN MAH BELLY.
The most interesting thing about Nakazawa’s “menu” is how he would serve the same species of fish/shrimp/clam in extremely different ways to highlight various characteristics about each fish. For instance, we had salmon and shrimp 2 ways and tuna 5 ways. It’s experiences like these that highlight a real sushi chef’s skill, creativity and ability to find the freshest ingredients. You realize it’s not as simple as putting knife to fish.
Tanoshi has been my favorite sushi restaurant since the summer, and for $65, the omakase certainly is a bargain. However, Sushi Nakazawa made a big impression and an incredibly bigger dent in my piggy bank. But...YOLO.
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