Tanoshi, Upper East Side, New York

• Cost: $70-$110, before drinks, tax, and tip
• Size: 12 seats at counter
• Style: Otsumami (a la carte) + sushi
• Reserved: 2 weeks in advance

Let's get this out of the way: Tanoshi isn't the "best" sushiya in New York.  If you're looking for the highest quality neta, or the zen-like surroundings of a Michelin-starred sushiya, you'll be disappointed.  But there are a number of other reasons why Tanoshi is a destination-worthy spot for those looking for a serious and authentic omakase experience.

Tanoshi is a neighborhood shop in a fairly out-of-the-way location, which explains the more casual environment and lower price point.  Otsumami are offered a la carte and range from more authentic items (ankimo, steamed sazae) to selections that might be more at home in a more casual shop, like a "spicy scallop" concoction.  The only offering is a 10-nigiri omakase, though diners can add on to this.  The variety of neta offered is not on the scale of some of New York's highest-end shops.  On one night  I visited, the only maguro offerings were zuke and nakaochi toro (a more economical cut than your standard chutoro, but no less delicious).  Some neta considered to be "lower-end," like albacore and farm-raised salmon, are served.

The real magic of Tanoshi is that there is serious skill and care behind neta that might otherwise be unremarkable when compared to other top American sushiya.  The aforementioned zuke nigiri came with dabs of smoked moromi shoyu.  A slice of farm-raised king salmon was marinated in egg, yuzu, and salt (a preparation in Japan sometimes reserved for kuruma ebi or rich shiromi).  What would have been an otherwise typical slice of kanpachi was elevated by virtue of a six-hour cure in sakura leaves.

The shari is warm and very lightly seasoned with akazu.  Texture-wise, the rice is consistently excellent: fairly dry, of medium firmness, and very loosely packed, with each grain distinctive (for me, this is one of my preferred shari styles).  The size of the nigiri are on the larger side - a decent meal for me at Tanoshi is in the ~15 piece range, whereas at other sushiya I'll routinely consume more than 20 pieces. 

Sushi is more than just the neta quality; the rice and overall balance of flavors is critical, and Tanoshi is very good at getting these components right.  To this end, I've enjoyed the nigiri at Tanoshi more than at some other "better" sushiya where I have spent twice as much money.

There are a number of non-food reasons that make Tanoshi endearing.  Oguma-san has decorated the walls with his hand-annotated maps depicting ocean currents and fish migration patterns.  The wall of a la carte items includes a few tongue-in-cheek suggestions like "crab brains" (kani miso) and "triple x" (the aphrodisiac overload of uni, ikura, and raw quail egg).  Notably, since the shop's opening Oguma-san has employed various female itamae; commendable because traditional attitudes towards female sushi chefs are overtly sexist, and it's nice to see a shop make a conscious effort to buck this trend (in New York, I've also noticed that 15 East, Jewel Bako, and Sushi Dojo have at various times also employed lady chefs).

At the end of the day, "tanoshii" (楽しい) means "fun" and this shop lives up to the name.  It may not be your first stop for top sushi in New York, but it's a worthy candidate.

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Tanoshi Sushi Sake Bar

1372 York Avenue (near 74th St.), New York

http://tanoshisushinyc.com/

Sushi Zen, Midtown West, New York

Note: In mid-2016, Sushi Zen abruptly closed. It was one of NYC's oldest authentic sushiya and will be missed.

• Cost: $100-$150, before drinks, tax, and tip
• Size: 9 seats at counter, plus dining room
• Style: Otsumami/kaiseki + sushi
• Reserved: 2 weeks in advance

If you were to search the most common rankings of "best sushi" in New York or America (or even message boards like Chow), it is unlikely that Sushi Zen will be among the more prominent results.  I wonder if this is simply due to the fact that the restaurant is so much older than many of the other New York sushiya that tend to get all of the press (it opened in 1983).  There are a handful of sushiya to which the New York Times has awarded two, three, and four stars.  Sushi Zen has none.

This is puzzling, as Sushi Zen not only serves an omakase on par with the "more famous" New York sushiya but also offers a number of specialty items that are nearly impossible to find elsewhere in the city.  My otsumami included house-made mentaiko and karasumi, buri that had been cured in sake lees for 6 months, and green papaya that had been pickled in miso for more than a year.  The taisho, Toshio Suzuki, is also a licensed fugu specialist, and serves a seasonal set that includes fugu sashimi, fugu karaage and nikogori (fugu skin set in a gelatin of its own dashi).  Fugu shirako, the Japanese equivalent of white truffles (both from a rarity and cost perspective), is also available when in season with advance notice.

The nigiri have large and slightly "thick" neta, with shari that is very firm, barely seasoned, and almost hard.  I also noticed that in many nigiri there were a lot of broken rice grains, suggesting the shari was old or improperly prepared.  Despite this, the sushi is overall quite good.  I did not find the quality of some of the neta to be quite as high as other top sushiya in New York, though some items (such as the anago, namadako, and kohada) were excellent. 

It is important to mention that it makes a big difference to request a seat in front of Suzuki-san for omakase.  The other itamae are often preoccupied with orders for tables, and serve different items to diners.  Suzuki-san is a legend (I would pit his knife skills against any other sushi chef in New York) and has been the taisho and owner since the restaurant's inception.  He has a wealth of knowledge about Japanese cuisine and its history, which makes any meal with him a truly educational experience.

My biggest issue with my meals at Sushi Zen is that the pacing is very fast, and the chefs typically do not wait for diners to eat one item before serving another.  In my experience, it is generally advised to eat nigiri within a minute or so of being served (and some chefs will urge diners to consume nigiri immediately) so as not to upset the delicate temperature balance and composition of the neta and shari.  At Sushi Zen, this is almost impossible due to the pacing - on my last visit I was almost gobbling nigiri to keep up, which is not really enjoyable.

Regardless of the above, Sushi Zen deserves a spot in the pantheon of New York's best sushiya and retains a loyal following of regulars despite its lack of formal press.  It is definitely a spot worthy of a visit for anybody seeking an authentic and high-quality omakase meal.

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Sushi Zen

108 W. 44th St., New York

http://www.sushizen-ny.com/

Kanoyama, East Village, New York

• Cost: $150-$160, before drinks, tax, and tip
• Size: 9 seats at counter, two dining rooms and second counter
• Style: Otsumami + sushi
• Reserved: 1 week in advance

In a lot of ways, Kanoyama typifies the struggle of an American sushiya vacillating between pleasing the crowd and offering an authentic omakase - it is essentially a maki-driven neighborhood sushi spot in which there lies a very serious sushi counter.  This confusion extends through the menu, where there is a $39 "omakase" (really, just a basic nigiri set) and another "omakase" available at the counter from junior chefs in the main dining room.  However, saying the magic words "super omakase" (which kind of sounds like requesting the most boring member of the Justice League) will land the diner at a second sushi counter in the back room, in front of head chef Nobuyuki Shikanai.

The "super" omakase is fairly similar to what one would get in a Japanese sushiya - a few otsumami, followed by sashimi (which can be foregone for more sushi), followed finally by a long procession of nigiri.  Kanoyama is most well-known in New York for a long daily "specials" menu with eye-popping prices (some single nigiri will run upwards of $15), and it is a good bet that many of these will be served during an omakase.  Some of the neta I have had at Kanoyama (for example, the freshly-boiled shako) are among the best versions I have had anywhere.

The nigiri style is definitely unique - it unambiguously favors the neta over the shari, and the rice itself is a blend of two types, one of which has a very small grain size.  The shari is moderately seasoned, and has a subtle sweetness. The nigiri are small and extremely delicate, to the point where Nobu-san will hand them directly to diners rather than placing them on the counter to be picked up again.  Interestingly, some nigiri are brushed with a housemade ponzu rather than shoyu.  Whether this is your preferred style is really a personal matter, but the ingredients, skill, and care are pretty undeniable.

One non-sushi note about Kanoyama: they are the only restaurant I have been to that serves maguro nakaochi (tuna ribs) on the bone.  This features infrequently as a two-part appetizer - first the diner is invited to scrape the raw meat from the ribs, and second, the rib bones are fried and served with ponzu for dipping.  If this is on the menu, order it, sushi be damned!

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Kanoyama

175 2nd Ave., New York

http://www.kanoyama.com/

Ichimura, Tribeca, New York

• Cost: $195, before drinks, tax, and tip
• Size: 10 seats at counter, plus one table for 4
• Style: Otsumami + sushi
• Reserved: 2 weeks in advance

Ichimura is a sushi counter that sits adjacent to David Bouley's Brushstroke, a more kaiseki-focused Japanese restaurant.  Eiji Ichimura formerly ran his own restaurant in Midtown East, which gained quite a bit of under-the-radar acclaim in its own right, and which closed during the 2008-2009 recession.  It appears that Bouley recruited Ichimura-san for a second act in what was originally Brushstroke's bar/waiting area but which now is basically a separate restaurant.

The style of omakase at Ichimura adheres pretty closely to what one might expect in Japan.  A plate of otsumami showcases the chef's technique (but perhaps lack of plating ability), and includes some seldom-seen items like house-cured uni and kazunoko.  This is followed by a small chawanmushi prepared in the Brushstroke kitchen, which in my experience is the best I've tasted in New York.

The nigiri are somewhat rough-hewn, on the larger side, and irregularly shaped; the shari is moderately seasoned.  Overall, this is a unique balance of flavor and style, especially when compared against other top-notch sushiya in New York.  In some respects, Ichimura-san's style of preparing neta and nigiri is more evocative of a "traditional"-style Tokyo sushiya than any other shop I've encountered in America.

Subtle touches are also notable, like house-cured gari and myoga (reminiscent of my experience at Umi in Tokyo) and a thicker, dashi-rich tsume on the anago.  Ichimura is also the only sushiya in New York where I've seen labor-intensive items like 10-day aged otoro, or types of hikari mono aged even longer.

I was lucky enough to visit Ichimura before it received a glowing 3-star New York Times review, and have been several times after.  I am not a regular there, but can't help the feeling that over time some of the more unique flourishes that evoked my experiences in Tokyo (like aged fish, and some rarer shiromi) have disappeared in favor of "crowd pleasers" more aimed at satisfying the well-heeled Tribeca clientele (for example, Ichimura-san is now famous for serving a nigiri piled with 3-4 slices of otoro).    This fact seems to be supported by the price inflation of omakase (from $130 two years ago to $195 today), which puts it towards the high end of the range for New York sushiya.

Regardless, in my book Ichimura is definitely one of the best sushiya in New York, and a unique experience worth a visit. 

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Ichimura at Brushstroke

30 Hudson St., New York

http://www.davidbouley.com/brushstroke-main/brushstroke-sushi-%E9%AE%A8/

Sushi Yasuda, Midtown East, New York

• Cost: USD $80-$150, before drinks, tax and tip
• Size: 14 seats at counter, plus dining room
• Style: Nigiri sushi omakase
• Reserved: 1-2 weeks in advance

When it opened in 1999, Sushi Yasuda introduced many New Yorkers to a traditional sushi omakase meal for the first time.  Prior to this, most authentic sushi experiences in the city could only be obtained at hidden, lesser-known restaurants (such as Kurumazushi) or were only available to especially discerning clients and regulars at shops like Sushi Zen or Hatsuhana.

Yasuda-san's style is one that is markedly different from the traditional "edomae" and newer "Ginza" nigiri styles that are found most high-end sushiya in America and Tokyo.  The nigiri are small, irregularly-shaped and almost jewel-like, and there is a definite emphasis on the short-grain shari (which is consistently excellent) over the neta.  Seasoning is spartan and simple - either shoyu, or sea salt with a dab of yuzu.  What is especially remarkable is that even after Yasuda-san's return to Japan in 2011, the 6-7 itamae on duty at any given time can consistently replicate this style.  Yasuda certainly falls into the realm of a sushiya where a meal with any one of the itamae is an accurate representation of the experience.

One notable difference since Yasuda-san's departure is that the once-daunting list of daily specials and seasonal fish has continually dwindled to the point where the shop is no longer a go-to place to experience the best of whatever may be in season.  At the shop's peak, the variety and the ability to "surprise" (for example, one time I was served a procession of 8 different tuna cuts) was one of its most enjoyable aspects, and it seems this element is gone.

In line with a more mild price point (it is worth noting that the menu has seen very little price inflation over the last 10 years), the fish quality is also not the highest that can be experienced in New York, and on recent visits I've come away with a few disappointments.  While I still believe that Sushi Yasuda offers a great omakase experience, in my view the shop has been eclipsed at the top end by numerous other American sushiya in terms of quality and overall experience in recent years. 

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Sushi Yasuda

204 E. 43rd St., New York

http://www.sushiyasuda.com/