Dinner | Thirty Acres

We found ourselves across the Hudson River three Fridays ago for a much needed date night at Thirty Acres. The restaurant had been sitting on my mind for quite some time (hat tip to Mr. Ryan Sutton during his tenure at Bloomberg), and we finally just decided to go for it. It was a super quick PATH ride to Grove Street in Jersey City (merely two stops from the Christopher Street station), so for the ambivalent New Yorker, no need to worry too much over logistics.


I quickly fell in love with the understated marriage of multicolored woods and industrial funk.


Chef Kevin and Alex Pemoulie, the husband-and-wife team behind this very Brooklynesque watering hole, actually began a Kickstarter campaign to open Thirty Acres back in December 2011. While the initial fundraising goal was $10,000, the campaign was met with such enthusiasm that thirty days later, it had raised a little over $18,000. With his experience as a chef at Momofuku Noodle Bar, Chef Pemoulie wanted to open Thirty Acres not only to "looking to showcase all that New Jersey has to offer" but to also continue developing Jersey City "by providing for our neighborhood locally grown and prepared products."


What I love about Thirty Acres is that it keeps the menu on its website as current as possible. Look at the flavor combinations that incorporate lovely seasonality with inspiring creativity!


As expected, the wines were categorized by color and arranged by increasing gradient (i.e., white to red). But what particularly intrigued Marcus about the wine list here was the unusual inclusion of orange as a category. While there was pink to indicate the restaurant's selection of rosés, we both had never heard of orange wine or any wines that were necessarily orange colored, so we weren't sure what that meant (Update: In the same fashion that red wine is fermented red grapes with skins, orange wine is the same, only with green grapes). There was only one way to find out, and that was how Marcus decided he would try the 2011 Bloomer Creek gewürztraminer from the Finger Lakes. I went with the other "non-traditional" shade and had the 2013 Channing Daughters refosco rosé from Bridgehampton, New York. Both were lovely and very fruit-forward (with the rosé a tad bit sweeter) -- perfect for the summer evening we were having.

We pretty much decided to share everything (with the exception of the second course dishes where we just stole a few bites from each other's plates), so here comes the rundown of what we ate.


First up with the chilled squid with chili shrimp vinaigrette, cilantro, and peanuts. Holy mackerel was this so incredibly good! I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of noshing on such tender pieces of chilled squid before. Not only was the texture and consistency done perfectly, the Asian-inspired flavors weren't any less punchy.


Here's a peek of what the dish looked like under the cilantro leaves. The flavors were bold with lots of heat from the vinaigrette and rounded out with the addition of peanuts. And man, the generous portion was shocking to say the least. I've been dining in New York City for way too long considering how spoiled I felt with each and every dish at Thirty Acres. Don't worry -- not one morsel of the squid was wasted.


Next we had the raw sea scallop with apricots, sugarplums, and tomatillos. Again, crazy me was expecting a crudo dish like this have the scallop diced into small cubes and plated in those Asian soup spoons (like a ceviche). I was pleasantly surprised to have my expectations thrown out the window to bear witness to such a colorfully playful dish. This is where you really see how Chef Pemoulie truly highlights the gorgeous produce of the summer season. I've never had a sugarplum before (could only guess what they might taste like from that number from The Nutcracker, haha), and it was ripened with a subtle sweetness to it. Pair it with the slightly denser apricots and the thin slices of tomatillos, and you have a striking combination with the scallops. While there seemed to be so much that could overwhelm the scallops, the overall dish remained very light, capturing the delicate essence of the scallop with these beautiful flavors.

The next dish that followed were shishito peppers with peaches, guanciale, and basil. I was interested to see how the flavor compilation would work here as it was something I had never really tasted before. Even Marcus teased me for really, really wanting to try them, but then again, would you trust someone who isn't very fond of peppers? I insisted that he just give them a try, only to get an answer, "Don't worry -- I'll just eat the bacon part." Well, not without a fight!, I thought. Instead, I just smirked to myself, knowing that he'd be proven wrong pretty soon.


The salty-savory crunch from the guanciale, sweet crisp from the slices of peach, and the juicy, mild heat from the shishitos made for a very satisfying combination. Marcus finally relented to my insisting on just trying a bite, pleasantly surprised at how spot-on of a dish it was. I have since been inspired to try to make these at home (just gotta figure out where to find those little shishitos...:P). Needless to say, we gobbled this up to the last morsel.

Our next wines consisted of a cabernet franc for me (2012 Aha Wines "Bebame" from El Dorado, California) and a riesling for Marcus (2011 Boundary Breaks "No. 198 Reserve" from Finger Lakes, New York). Both went really well with the following courses.


For the secound course, I opted for the spaghetti nero with cherry tomatoes, mussels, chili flakes, and oregano -- I mea, how could I have resisted another foray into the world of squid ink pasta? With the chili flakes really packing in a solid spicy punch to the course (so be prepared!), the pasta was a nice bitey al dente and the mussels a delicious tender bite. While it was a well-executed dish, I would have to say that it might be my least favorite (that is, if I had to pick one) of the evening just because it wasn't something that wowed me like the other dishes had.


Marcus went for the corn gnocchi with shrimp, basil, lime, and jalapeño. I had been under the impression that when you see gnocchi on a menu, it would almost always be the soft pillows of savory potato. So when the plate arrived to our table, I was quite taken aback by the appearance of said gnocchi. The exterior looked fried, boasting a crisp, golden brown shell -- pretty much resembling tater tots. After Marcus sampled a bite of each component, he motioned that I do the same. The inside of the gnocchi had a really sweet and savory fill of juicy white corn (which I assume comes straight from the Garden State) -- simply perfection with the generous pieces of shrimp and heat from the jalapeño. While we still remain a bit ambivalent about the frying technique used on the gnocchi here, the flavors layered here really captured the essence of summer very well.

For the main course, we shared the poussin (i.e., young chicken) with broccoli and spicy lobster broth. I've always been a fan of simple preparations (good ol' salt and pepper), and the poussin at Thirty Acres is no exception. It was simply roasted (at least from what I could see and taste), so the showstopping punch came from the spicy lobster broth. The broth was super concentrated, seeping the broccoli with the bold flavors from lobster shells and heat from chili flakes. Although I totally understand what this dish was trying to do, I felt that the broth was a tad over-salted and would've definitely been less intense if it was slightly diluted. However, since the flavors were spot-on, I still very much enjoyed all the elements together that dressed a perfectly cooked poussin.


For dessert, Marcus tried Kevin's Mom's lemon bar, and we came to the conclusion that this dessert is better to be shared than to be tackled on solo. It is a very tart lemon bar, making it a great dessert to be enjoyed after three bites. Any more might be a little too much.


I had a single scoop of fresh peach sorbet, which tasted like the ripest summer peach, making for a lovely way to end a fantastic meal.

Findings: All in all, I was thoroughly impressed with the dishes we had at Thirty Acres -- to find cuisine of this caliber just a stone's throw away (okay well, across the Hudson) was both refreshing and hopeful. The seamless fusion of the Garden State's seasonal bounty with Chef Kevin Pemoulie's odd yet perfect flavor combinations weaves its way through the restaurant's fun menu, where you're bound to find something that'll wow and satisfy (ahem, the shishito peppers with guanciale and peaches come to mind). So don't be scared to venture from the Boroughvilles of NYC, or else you'll miss an awesome find like this one.

Price point: $11-14 for each first course; $16-17 for each second course; $28 for each main course; $5-6 for each dessert; $13-14 for each glass of wine.

--August 1, 2014

Thirty Acres
500 Jersey Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07302
http://thirtyacres.tumblr.com

Chef's Tasting | Sushi Nakazawa

A couple weeks ago, Marcus took me to Sushi Nakazawa as an early celebration for my birthday. Chef Daiksuke Nakazawa, the shy and humble chef who had appeared in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, had been in pursuit of making the perfect tamago for Chef Jiro Ono at his famed restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, in Japan. So when I first heard that Chef Nakazawa would be opening his very own sushi restaurant here in New York City this past fall (with partner/owner Alessandro Borgognone), I knew we had to make it there for a meal here as soon as we could fit it in. With that being said, we were so incredibly psyched to finally meet Chef Nakazawa and experience his apprenticed mastery of sushi-making that garnered from his eleven years with Chef Ono.


 We planned the dinner as precisely as we could (i.e., 30 days in advance) via OpenTable. Tables are released nightly at 12:01 AM for both the sushi bar and the dining room. As these reservations get snatched up quite quickly, I recommend logging into OpenTable about fifteen minutes before, preparing all the desired reservation settings ahead of time so all you have to do is press "Find a Table" at midnight. All the advice I can offer aside from this is to be quick and DO NOT hesitate. If you can, the dining experience at the sushi bar is -- hands down -- the way to go. Interacting directly across from Chef Nakazawa and his team is so much fun and also makes for notable dining theatre. Please note, though, there are only ten seats at the sushi bar, and the restaurant does three seatings per evening.


The décor of Sushi Nakazawa's sushi bar is simple and minimalist -- a greyscale combination of a white countertop, a black speckled marble platter for sushi presentation, and the remaining fixtures a tasteful mix of blacks, greys, and whites.


Each diner gets his/her own ramekin of fresh housemade ginger. Very biting and refreshing!


Shortly after we were seated, the sushi chefs made their way to their stations and speedily began preparing for the omakase ahead.


Chef Nakazawa got things started quickly, preparing the first pieces of sushi for us.

Sushi Nakazawa "proudly serves one of the most in-depth sake collections in NYC with a focus on each element of the omakase menu." Sommelier Rick Zouad has curated this list, "focusing on all prefectures of Japan featuring some of the most elite sakes and best microbrews available." Along with by-the-glass options, the restaurant also offers two sake pairings with the omakase: a basic pairing of five different sakes for $40, and the premium pairing of seven different sakes for $80.


The first sake was Joto Junmai (if I recall correctly), which was to be paired with the first two pieces of sushi, both of which were from the salmon family. The sake had a very fruity taste to it (mainly pear fruit) and was slightly chilled.


The first piece of the omakase was cherry salmon from Hokkaido with a sprinkling of sea salt. It was a bit meaty, but not in the traditionally expected way, making it the perfect first nosh. It went beautifully with the sake, as the temperature of the fish and sake blended very nicely to enhance each other's flavors.


Next up was the hay-smoked chum salmon from Hokkaido. It had that texture of cured salmon (it was smoked, after all) as well as a gorgeous smoky flavor to it. The ridges of the salmon made for a nice bite, and this also went really well with the sake -- the smokiness really brought out even more from the sake.

The second sake was Kaori Junmai Ginjo, which was lighter and less aggressive than the last sake. With touch of white pepper on the palate, this sake was to be enjoyed with the next five pieces.


This was hotate (scallop) with yuzu peper and a sake sauce from Maine. This piece was very memorable in that it was still live when Chef Nakazawa served it to us -- he even asked us to give it a little poke to see that it could still move. While that may have seemed unsettling to the timid of diners, I was unbelievably excited to try live hotate for the first time. It was peppery and tiley -- a texture that was less "blobby" than most scallops I've had previously. Having it served live truly does make a difference. The hints of white pepper from the Kaori sake played well against the yuzu pepper in the scallop.


This next piece was mirugai ("giant clam" or geoduck) from Washington state. Lightly torched, the mirugai was thinly sliced and had a delightfully snappy texture to it. Mirugai is always a treat for me, and this ocassion at Nakazawa was even more so. The barely blackened exterior from the blowtorch gave it that extra dimension of je ne sais quoi that sets this apart from your typical mirugai sushi experience, plus the hint of white pepper from the Kaori sake complemented this flavor profile well.


The following piece was a variety of fish that I've never heard of before (and thus, have never had either) -- silver pomfret from Japan with black pepper flakes. It was a combination of light and savory with a denser punch from the black pepper flakes and the Kaori sake.


Another variety I got to try for the first time was the black gnomefish with lemon seasoning. It was a really fun combination of crackly, smoky, and zesty -- another solid complement with the Kaori. Definitely one of my favorites in the omakase.


The last piece paired with the Kaori was the hirame (fluke) with yuzu. The yuzu added some pretty citrus notes, making a solid piece of fluke. Hirame isn't necessarily my favorite when it comes to sushi, but it was probably the best prepartion of fluke that I've ever had.

The third sake in the pairing was the Kurosawa Junmai Kimoto for the next five pieces. This sake is meant to be more granular and velvety than the previous sakes to take on the oiliness of the next pieces of fish (especially with the shellfish) and really bring out the latent umami flavors.


The first mackerel in Chef Nakazawa's omakase was the aji (horse mackerel) with ginger. You know mackerel is prepared to perfection and really damn good when it doesn't taste like mackerel. Yeah, yeah -- it definitely sounds like a senseless tautology, but it's totally, 100% true. When it doesn't taste any bit fishy, you know the sushi chef really knows his stuff -- and Chef Nakazawa really, really knows his stuff. The aji was a nice introduction to the coming flight of mackerel, as it had just a touch of oiliness, and was a stellar pairing with the Kurosawa Junmai (which cut right through the oils and enhanced its umami experience).


The second mackerel was konoshiro (gizzard shad), which had a more intense oiliness to it compared to the aji. It was very wise to serve the mackerel pieces in a progressive order, from light to heavy, this way the sushi bar patrons can gradually sink their teeth into this bold family of fish. Mackerel isn't necessarily a variety of fish that I crave (like uni, hamachi, or salmon), but I do appreciate it when it is showcased in a beautiful way like it was here to show the contrasting repertoires of fish in the world of sushi. Since the konoshiro was heavier than the aji, it went even better with the sake pairing.


The last of the mackerel was the kohada (mackerel) from Fuji, Japan that had been pickled and aged for seven days. The kohada had a smoother and tamed oiliness to it than the preceding pieces, most likely as a direct result from its aging process. The mackerel is no doubt something to ooh and ahh about at Sushi Nakazawa.


This next piece was a pretty lively one -- quite literally, too. Chef Nakzawa placed ama-ebi (tiger shrimp) from Florida on the counter, and instantly, it started to move and jump around a little. It was still alive!


After that brief show of dancing ama-ebi, Chef Nakazawa bid farewell to the shrimp with a simple, tongue-in-cheek "Sayonara, Shrimp!" and quickly snapped its head to prep to serve it as pretty much live sushi.


Here it came -- the ama-ebi served (pretty much) live. Before, I had had my fair share of sweet shrimp and ebi, but never had I experienced it served that fresh. It is worth noting that the shrimp indeed tasted sweeter than any raw shrimp I had enjoyed previously. Filed away as one of the most surreal eating experiences, eating live ama-ebi was such a thrill (perhaps it was just knowing that the ama-ebi was just alive seconds before serving). Either way, doesn't matter -- it was crazy good, end of story.


To follow the ama-ebi was just kurumaebi (tiger prawn) of the Madagascar rouge variety. This was prepared similarly to the ama-ebi, only with a couple extra steps. During the first half of the omakase before the ebi, I watched the apprentice sushi chefs preparing the kurumaebi in a manner both precise and seamless for the dining room patrons in true Jiro Ono style -- the prawns are killed merely minutes before (just like the ama-ebi) and immediately flash-boiled. I also just found out from reading A Life Worth Eating's review of Sukiyabashi Jiro that the kurumaebi "is sliced in such a way that the flavor and juices of the head are incorporated with the meat, and so the head itself is not necessary." The result was tiger prawn exquisitely cooked to perfection. It had that magical texture, balancing between barely touched and lightly cooked (descriptors inspired by Chef Eric Ripert), with none of that unfavorable mealiness you get sometimes with shrimp. One of the most impressive dishes that evening (though to be fair, I was really impressed with nearly everything), a true testament to the care and discipline that goes into the art of sushi making at Sushi Nakazawa.

The fourth sake pairing was Seikyo Omachi Namazake which was to be paired with the next five pieces of sushi. This sake has a hint of clove flavor and was selected to be enjoyed with meatier fish as it has more structure to cut through these fattier and more savory cuts.


The first of the fattier sorts of fish was hamachi (wild yellowtail). It had a delightful marbledness to its texture, one that melted the same way as toro (fatty tuna) would, which is something I haven't really experienced with hamachi so that was a really fun surprise. I loved this piece so much that I ordered it once more at the end of the omakase.

My camera decided to stop working at the most inopportune time, when Chef Nakazawa served hay-smoked bonito from Japan (you can find a shot of it here from Time Out New York's review). The bonito had a peppery-ginger flavor to it along with its light smokiness where the texture was part structured, and part savory (i.e., melty). Many dimensions of umami here, making it one of the most delicious pieces in the omakase.


Just as he did with the mackerel, Chef Nakazawa began the next flight of tuna with the leanest of cuts -- akami (lean bluefin tuna) from Boston. I typically find akami to be bland in taste/flavor and boring in texture -- there usually isn't much going on. However, the bona fide sushi chef knows exactly how to coax the hidden flavors from this lean cut of tuna, and Chef Nakazawa is truly an honest-to-goodness wizard of these sorts. While the akami here was very meaty, it also had a soft tenderness to it -- pretty close to the kind of tenderness experienced with the fattier cuts of chu-toro and o-toro, without marbleization to help bring that out (meaning it all comes from the preparation of the fish alone). If the akami at Sushi Nakazawa doesn't turn the tuna skeptic onto Team Tuna, then for him/her it will forever be a lost cause.


Next came chu-toro (medium fatty tuna) marinated in soy sauce, which you can tell from just looking at it that it was going to be amazingly good.  I didn't pass up a chance for an encore of this. Chef Nakazawa hit that culinary sweet spot with just the right amount of soy marinade, tucked sweetly in the small crevices of tuna fat.


And the epitome of all that is good in the world of sushi, here was served o-toro (fatty bluefin tuna) with a marbledness that glistened with the most captivating luster. Quite (well, almost) literally the sopressata of the sea, kindred spirits in appearance and fattiness, the o-toro was a divine spectacle to witness firsthand. It not only had that rich, melty quality to it (as you would expect in the fattiest of tunas), but it also boasted a refined texture, one that is deliberate and precise for the purpose of bringing the ultimate mouthwatering rumination.


The last sake pairing was one that had to be photographed because of its unique opaque quality. This sake, Murai Family Nigori Genshu, is just as interesting as it appears as it emphasizes the umami flavors and textures of the remaining four pieces of sushi in the omakase. It has subtle hints of coconut and boasts a sweet, creamy finish. Probably my favorite sake from the entire flight of five -- need to track this down and get a few bottles to enjoy at home!


First to be paired with the Murai Nigori Genshu was the uni (sea urchin roe) from California. Uni from California consistently has that subtle brine to it along with a rich, buttery texture, which I always look forward to when I have an evening out to take in New York City's sophisticated sushi scene. You would imagine my surprise when I encountered a twist to my regular favorite -- the sake pairing brought forth a tropical element that was both playful and unexpected. The quality of the uni is simply exquisite, right in line with the quality establishment that is Sushi Nakazawa. Can't imagine what live uni would taste like here if regular uni is like this!


After the uni wasthe soy-marinated chum ikura (chum salmon roe), surrounded by the perfect strip of nori, one that was well-toasted with a quiet, delicate crunch. These briny orbs bursted right into the warm rice for the wonderful combination of salty and richness. Really well done!


The last fish of the omakase was the anago (sea eel), and it was the best anago that I've ever had. It was just the right amount of kabayaki glazed on top (a very light coating) and had a sweet toastedness to it. It was a very lean cut of the eel, which really brought out the true flavors of it without any distractions of the overly fatty and oily ones you see regularly.


Last but not least was the famed tamago (sweet, fluffy egg custard) -- the recipe that Chef Nakzawa had made over 200 times before he finally received a nod from Chef Ono during his time at Sukiyabashi Jiro. This tamago was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. It wasn't at all like the steamed egg deal that you would usually find in your everyday sushi joint. It was more of a dessert in sushi form, one that had a brilliant dichotomy of sweet and savory, dancing between a fluffy sponge cake and a dense pound cake -- incredible culinary ingenuity at work, for sure! What's also interesting is that Chef Nakazawa is deeply meticulous in that he "cuts the tamago in two pieces forwomen so bites aren't as cumbersome." It was truly surreal to try Chef Nakazawa's signature dish firsthand -- to witness the result from disciplined perseverance to achieve the ultimate version of something. You won't truly understand what I'm talking about here until you try the tamago for yourself!

After the tamago, Chef Nakazawa asked the ten patrons at the sushi bar if there was anything else they wanted. Marcus and I couldn't resist having another piece of chu-toro to savor. I also had another hamachi, while Marcus had another hay-smoked salmon.


Before the official end of the meal, we were served some green tea and a palate cleanser -- yuzu sorbet with pomegranate and raspberry. Tangy and citrusy, the sorbet ended our meal in a pleasant and refreshing way.

Findings: I am happy to report that hype surrounding Sushi Nakazawa is not one of myth or disappointment -- instead, it is everything you would imagine it would be and more. A dining experience here is both relaxed and magical. You get to hang out for an evening with a chef who is not only unbelievably talented but one who is adorably entertaining and has a contagiously upbeat spirit. Watching him work his wizardry on gorgeous varieties of fish is such a treat -- his muscle memory in sushi-making brings out the best and brightest flavors is simply astounding, especially his "Goldilocks balance" with just the right touch of wasabi in between the fish and rice.

Unlike many of the upscale sushi bars in this city, the ambiance at Chef Daisuke Nakazawa's eponymous restaurant is relaxed and comfortable with modern Zen touches abound. In fact, the dining style is what Chef Nakazawa refers to his style as New York-mae --  "not quite as traditional as his training in Japan, but it’s not entirely Americanized either." If this is what the future of New York City sushi looks like, then I definitely want to stay on board. I've had the pleasure of visiting many of the city's top places (including Sushi Yasuda, Sushi Dojo, Ichimura at Brushstroke, Sushi Azabu, Jewel Bako, Sushi of Gari, and 15 East), and while most are pretty damn good, they pale in comparison to the birthday dinner I had at Sushi Nakazawa, which was bar none the best sushi dining experience I've ever had (though, if I had to pit another place to be close to this, it'd be Ichimura). So if you have a chance to come here, there's no need to think about it -- please do!

A big thank you to Marcus for such an unforgettable birthday dinner -- love you! :)

Price point: $150 for a 20-course chef's omakase, $40 for sake pairing of 5 varieties.

--February 21, 2014

Sushi Nakazawa
23 Commerce Street
New York, NY 10014
http://www.sushinakazawa.com

Dinner | Soto

Firstly, I would like to apologize my absence over the last 3-4 months. I got caught up with the bean counting part of my life, and I hope to make a more regular return to Four Tines in 2014. I definitely had really great expectations of how the year would finish on the blog, but I ended up spreading myself too thin, burning out before the year was over. I apologize for this unexpected radio silence, so I hope that I can focus on quality (over quantity) from here on out. In the last year, I've found my favorite niches in this grand city and have become the regular patron of a handful of places -- something I thought I could never commit to doing because of the sheer variety and choices New York City has to offer. A lot has changed for me, so I hope to regain my voice again and share with you my adventures in eating -- however few/many and far between. Thanks for all of your support -- it really means so much! :)

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Last Friday, I found myself in the West Village with Lisa, once again to celebrate our upcoming birthdays this month -- another year gone by. We had celebrated at Atera last year, so we thought to return to our alternating tradition of New American and Japanese. Soto had been on our list for the longest time, making it a fitting choice of venue for us this year.


The restaurant resides right on Sixth Avenue, but even then, its exterior is pretty unassuming. I nearly passed it at the first go. Like a well-kept secret in the middle of the neighborhood's hustle-bustle, Soto is hidden away behind these windowed walls with smaller cut rectangles speckled throughout. 

Once inside, the restaurant is serene and pretty quiet -- just the occasional echoes of service plating and soft chatter. It is a temple for Japanese cuisine. 

 
The menu is dated, which implies it is updated daily. There are about fifteen or so items on each side (two pages, front and back), so there were quite a lot of dishes from which to choose. And in case you were wondering if there was ever a restaurant offers an emporium of sea urchin on its menu, Soto is that very spot. There are nearly ten dishes that contain it alone. That's a whole lotta uni -- you can bet your bottom dollar that we got on board with that right away. Let the uni feasting begin!

Our waitress guided us through the menu, suggesting that we sorder about twelve dishes in total from the menu -- roughly four from each page of the menu if you're not getting any sushi/sashimi (we decided to focus on the menu dishes rather than the sushi selection as there were many original creations to explore). We could only really decide on eight definite dishes ourselves, with the remaining three selected with help.


We started with sharing the miso soup -- lobster and uni broth, sliced fresh ginger shoot, and chives. It had those clean yet profound flavors that you would expect from a solid miso soup, yet there was a really interesting twist with the added savories of plump lobster meat and creamy uni as well as a flavor highlight from the freshly sliced ginger. I highly recommend starting out your dinner with this -- very fun as it paints your palate for what's to come.

Next came that aoyagi clam cocktail with sliced live sea clam marinated in truffle-ginger soy sauce with fresh ginger shoots. We had no idea what "cocktail" meant until it arrived in this frosted martini glass. While presentation was quite exquisite, the execution of flavors was not so much. The ginger soy sauce was pretty bland, and there was an overload of fresh ginger shoots which were so pungent that it took away from the live sea clam slices. A sad and disappointing dish for us. ;[

This next dish made up for the previous mishap. We were very curious about the ankimo -- steamed monkfish liver with ponzu and scallion -- one of our favorite Japanese dishes. I've only had it a couple times before (incidentally, my first time ever trying it was with Lisa at Ichimura at Brushstroke), and just with those experiences alone, I can tell that it must be difficult to prepare it well, as much of the flavor comes from the quality of liver. I am happy to report that the ankimo at Soto is fantastic -- savory and creamy all at once with the perfect balance struck with ponzu and scallion. The rounded cuts in the back and the square-ish cuts in the front each had slightly different textures, the square-ish being a bit softer and more buttery. Almost quite literally the foie gras of the sea, this is a dish that cannot be missed.

Also from the small plates section was uni and yuba -- black soy bean milk skin with the restaurant's finest uni and served with shiitake broth and shredded nori. Look at those golden lobes of uni roe, glistening atop the silky heap of yuba in a flavorful broth. This was a very delicate dish, one that had a lighthearted interplay between rich, savory minerality (the uni) with the clean, silken feathers (the yuba) swimming in a broth that captured the beautiful essence of the shiitake. You wouldn't think this unusual combination would work, but it magically does.

From the sushi bar, we opted for the octopus carpaccio -- steamed octopus with citrus, sea salt, sesame oil, yuzu-kimizu, and salmon roe -- garnished with pickled cucumber. I love all preparations of octopus, but always remain skeptical when it is served raw, where it becomes a slippery slope to get it at its optimal texture (i.e., not chewy or slimy). I'm not sure how Soto gets it right, but this carpaccio not only is a gorgeously plated dish, but one that shows off the octopus with a favorable texture, an excellent preparation, and a spot-on pairing of ingredients. You need to have a little bit of everything in each bite -- a slice of octopus carpaccio with the yuzu-kimizu, an orb of salmon row, and a slice of pickled cucumber -- making for a playful composition of flavors

In alternating order, our waitress brought out our first dish from the kitchen -- braised black cod (i.e., soy broth braised sable fish) with Japanese vegetables (i.e., satoimo, turnip, and shimeji mushroom). Can't ever go wrong with ordering black cod, and that also applies here at Soto. It is a very savory variety of fish -- one that melts onto your palate with its smooth flakes of meat. The cod also was nicely marinated, as the filet captured the soy broth quite graciously. Not a bad dish to have alongside the uni-heavy menu! ;)

Another dish from the sushi bar was the tuna tartare with chopped big eye tuna, pine nuts, Asian pear, cucumber, scallion, sesame seed, and shredded nori in a spicy sesame sauce. For me, this was probably the most vibrant and playful dish of the evening (even more so than the octopus carpaccio), if merely because of the deep magenta colored tuna mixed with the greens of chopped cucumber and scallions and the pop of the cream-colored, shredded Asian pear. This may have seemed like your typically Americanized tuna tartare dish, but I thought the addition of pine nuts and Asian pear made it really unique. It had fun textures (refreshing crunch from the pear and a nuttiness from the pine nuts) and interesting flavors blending together (again, the sweetness of the pear with the more savory nature of the remaining ingredients). It was a brightly painted dish in many aspects, and if you're a tuna lover, this is right up your alley.

Returning back to the sushi bar menu, next came the uni ika sugomori zukuri -- Soto's finest sea urchin wrapped in a thinly sliced squid with shiso, quail egg, and tosa soy reduction. There was SO much going on with this dish -- we had to take a few moments to brace ourselves with how to properly proceed eating it. It totally looked like a bird's nest, with the shredded nori as the nest and the quail egg yolk emulating the unhatched egg.

So we just decided to say, Screw it, and we just tossed it all together -- it was gonna taste however it was gonna taste no matter what. What a gorgeous mess, right?! Hahaha, oh man. Anyway, this course certainly made for a memorable one, as the strings of squid were like udon noodles and the uni and everything else were like the sauce. It reminded me of a combination of dishes I've had at Yuji Ramen (i.e., the broth-less uni miso ramen) and Sakagura (i.e., the abundance of shiso in the uni soba). For me, it was the remarkable texture of all the ingredients that made me fall in love with dish. Lisa just said it was her favorite -- done and done.

Another dish from the kitchen, the shiso agedashi -- deep-fried shiso wrapped scallop and fluke served in dashi broth -- was something recommended by our waitress. The scallop and fluke were well-battered (it had that golden, loose crunch) and had a great dashi broth, but other than that, it wasn't necessarily anything else noteworthy to add. It's a great basic dish, but there are other items on the menu that are probably worth exploring if you're looking for something more out-of-the-ordinary.

Geez, Soto really nails it with the plating -- here's yet another awe-striking sight, another one from the kitchen: layers of steamed Maine lobster with uni mousse in lotus wrap, daikon radish, and caviar, all under dashi broth. The uni mousse had us pretty curious, and sure enough, it gave the steamed lobster an alternative dressing (as opposed to the typical melted butter) to go with the Japanese touches of lotus wrap and thinly sliced pickled cucumber. The briny-ness from the caviar added another dimension to the clean flavors of the lobster and the creamy butter of the uni mousse. Overall, a well-curated dish.

The last dinner course for the evening was another recommended by our waitress (one that I am glad we didn't miss out on!) -- lightly broiled New Zealand langoustine under shiitake sauce and covered in thinly sliced shiitakes. I've never seen a langoustine in its shell before, so guess I can finally cross that off my list! The presentation here is undoubtedly captivating, and upon diving into the broiled langoustine forks first, it was so perfect -- easily the most savory dish of the evening (suggesting the dinner's course progression from refreshing to savory). The meat was at the ideal temperature (lightly cooked) with the lightest coat of a delicious cream over which the thinnest mushroom slices were layered. It all came together as a beautiful synergy of rich flavors, surprising me how this could easily be my favorite at Soto (and thereby making this one of the can't-misses).

Lisa and I could never end an evening at a Japanese restaurant without dessert of some sort (usually just a couple scoops of green tea ice cream) so the shared platter of assorted mochi ice cream (left to right: strawberry, green tea, red bean, vanilla, and mango) really hit the spot.

Findings: If there's something true about Soto, it would be that it takes the cake for having the most uni offered on a dinner menu (as the main ingredient or an accompaniment) AND that these dishes are outside of the typical offerings of just uni sushi/sashimi or uni pasta/ramen. If sea urchin is something you love and dream of, then you have come to the right place -- Soto will totally satiate any and all cravings. Along with the creative uni-inspired items, Soto is also quite imaginative in its plating and presentation -- we were thoroughly impressed with the beauty and precision of all our courses.

So with that in mind, while we loved the majority of the things we ordered (a little over half, give or take), we were also underwhelmed by the other courses which made us question the restaurant's two-Michelin star rating. Bearing cost in mind (it is pretty hefty at roughly about $100 per person, before gratuity), I'm not sure how confident in recommending a trip here, given the ratio of wows and mehs that we balanced that night as well as the vast offerings on the menu that we didn't have room to try. With Soto, you should definitely go with recommendations (like the ones I gave above) from seasoned diners so you can be sure to hit all of the can't-misses.

All in all, I'm going to err on the side of favorability and say that if you're looking for a culinary adventure in the realm of Japanese creativity, then Soto will be that place for you. Lisa and I didn't have a chance to tackle the sushi/sashimi by-piece/omakase available (a whole separate beast, in my opinion), so I would definitely be willing to return to check that out. In the mean time, please enjoy the photographs that documented our birthday celebration at Soto!

Price point: $9-18 for each small plate, $16-26 for each dish from the sushi bar, $14-28 for each dish from the kitchen.

--February 7, 2014

Soto

357 6th Avenue

New York, NY 10014

http://www.sotonyc.com