I thought Pete retired lol. (not a review) Some additional info on the Chef’s history.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/dining/sushi-sho-nyc.html
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I did wonder if it was a fluff piece for Sho to directly get ***
Alas, two stars is great already. Well deserved.
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Went to sho last month. It was insane. Best sushi in America hands down. I’ve been to the hawaii location with chef but this was another level up
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$50 bara chirashi now for Fridays and Saturdays, limited to 20 a day
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That’s a steal!
We thought the take out chirashi in Hawaii Sho (just way more fish for same price) >> NYC Sho ($60 when they first offered it) >>>> $100 Odo chirashi around new years (seasoning isn’t in the same league)
Sushi Sho is a God-level dining experience. And yet…I wouldn’t say any one of the 20+ nigiri is the best I’ve ever had. The tuna at Sushi Shikon (Hong Kong) last month had much more flavor. What makes Sushi Sho special on the world stage is probably the extravagance of it all: the ability to order 20 more courses—all exceptionally high quality—after you’ve already had a complete meal; and the creativity (e.g., 3-month fermented fish and frozen oyster-blue cheese puree). For America, what makes it special is the chef’s access to rare seafood like wild sea-caught unagi, baby kohada (shinko), and mehikari. Sushi Sho blows away all the LA sushi bars, as good as they are.
The most interesting thing I learned tonight: the chef believes that nodoguro and mehikari are inappropriate for sushi because sushi is primarily shari (the rice) and those fishes are too strong for the shari. I agree in a way. And yet, I’m not sure I can follow the logic that instead they should be served with no accompaniment (the mehikari was served grilled, on a plate).
I also encountered the repeat phenomenon of couples on the brink of breakup going to an expensive sushi bar to try to save their relationships. Here is my marital advice: it’s you that’s the problem, not the food you’re eating. Also, I don’t want to hear it, it makes me uncomfortable.
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one of my favorite sushi accounts (+owner of a place) also shares the similar sentiments about nodoguro. something about how the fat in nodoguro calls for an extended period of higher heat to melt and render properly which doesn’t happen at body temp or with the assistance of a slight sear or grilling, even. they preferred to steam the fish cantonese style. since deleted post, tho…
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trying not to find michael ligier vaguely annoying, but access is access.
edit: nakazawa is awesome though
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it was nice to see a video and hear Nakazawa-san talk about his appaaoch a bit. dinner seems like an incredible production.
ah, Yasuke must be from Tsurube Sushi Yasuke in Nara.
they’re still operating since ~1180ish (!!), but the current building is from ~1939. apparently they stopped serving their signature tsurube sushi in the 80s or so. it was ayu fermented for ~4-5 days in rice and yuba in a bucket hung from a pole. they still serve ayu in pressed sushi but it appears to be grilled an topped with sansho.
also famous from a kabuki play “Yoshitsune and a Thousand Cherry Trees.” the name “Yasuke” became a codeword for sushi around kabuki circles because of this. Nakazawa-san has mentioned sushi being like kabuki in various interviews, so maybe there’s another dimension to him serving Hitakami’s “Yasuke” sake (which was built for pairing with seafood/sushi specifically…really good with whitefish and otsumami, with a gentle sweetness). maybe it’s time to make a trek out to Nara later this month.
it’s nice to see Nakazawa-san paying homage to the origins of various kinds of sushi. some of his creations also pay homage to different parts of sushi lineage / other important shops from the 70s/80s or are plays on other Japanese dishes.
the “sharichi” of iburigakko with “rice cheese” is both a nod to early fermented rice and the drinking snack iburigakko with cream cheese, imo.
i’m going to Sushi Sho’s new branch by Mt. Fuji and will see what other info I can get. like Sushi Sho NY, it has a shorter omakase then offers okonomi.
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