NYC is catching up to major Japanese cities in terms of its sushi scene. World class sushi can be had for big $$$$. And very good sushi can be had for far, far less. There are many mid-tier, mid-priced sushi-ya -- not famous, but locally beloved -- tucked away in just about every residential neighborhood in Tokyo. Here, on the UWS, Tsumo is just this sort of favorite.
I guess the biggest difference between Tsumo and its Japanese cousins is that unlike many neighborhood joints in Tokyo, Tsumo isn't owned and operated by a third generation sushi chef working alongside his (invariably his) son and wife. Tsumo UWS (one of two locations) features numerous sushi counters and many sushi chefs working for a nameless (to us) executive chef, working for a nameless (to us) company. For better or for worse, that doesn't make the sushi any less delicious.
The sushi chefs are impeccably trained. Maybe there is something factory standardized about it all, but like it or not, the shari is prepared perfectly (more competently than One Bite these days), each piece of neta aged to a good texture and flavor and well cut. In short, the quality is on par with (perhaps even better than) a good neighborhood sushi-ya in Tokyo. At Tsumo, however, the "omakase" (read: set menu) doesn't vary much if at all. It's the same from season to season, from year to year. You can choose your own adventure to some extent by adding on pieces after the set meal is over.
Missing is the element of surprise and the thrill of trying something new and unexpected that an itamae pulls out from a box under the sushi counter just for you. And missing is that special relationship you can develop with a kindly itamae who saves you a helping of special early May hotaru ika, or specially prepared shiokara or other chinmi b/c he knows it's the only week of the year when you'll be able to try it.
But present:
- I really do mean it when I say the shari is perfect. The short grain rice is seasoned with a touch of akazu, not too much sugar or salt, compressed into the right density, size, temperature and shape for how the neta is cut.
- Each piece of neta is perfectly aged, in some cases garnished in a restrained way with, e.g. radish and chives, sturgeon caviar, black truffles, fried leeks. I like that the garnishes are not over the top and do not overwhelm the high quality fish. At our most recent meal, some pieces were overdressed with the viscous, almost syrupy soy sauce used in house (e.g. the hand roll and, to my great sadness, the uni), but this isn't always the case, here.
We continue to be pretty darn happy with Tsumo, especially for this price point. read more