Omakase at Sushi Nakazawa in NYC

Chronologically preceding theMasterChef reunion spanning three generations and my first visit to the Bronx, here’s my final installment of my New York City 2.0 series. Upon touching down at Newark, I checked into my hotel, freshened up, met up two friends and my cousin, and headed straight to Sushi Nakazawa.If you’ve ever seen Jiro Dreams of Sushi, you may recall Daisuke Nakazawa, the chef who, under the tutelage of sushi master Jiro, learned to perfect tamago, a beloved Japanese egg custard, but only after having prepared it 200 times.Nakazawa is located, like so many NY eateries, inside an unassuming narrow storefront in West Village. It was bustling on the Monday evening we had reservations (which my cousin managed to score on a double-stroke of good luck—she had dined at the Nakazawa bar just the week before).Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get seats at the bar this time—we were led past the coveted bar into a back dining area—but I guess when you’re dining as four, a table is more conducive to conversation anyway.The back room was dark, sleek, and modern. No lengthy menus because omakase (chef’s tasting) is the only option. (Of course, you can always prime the server on food allergies or aversions…and don’t say, “I’m allergic to raw fish.”)We opted for the sake pairing (which my cousin said she’d regretted not getting last time), an additional $40 (or $80 for premium) to the $120 omakase (not a cheap meal, but I was rewarding myself for the HKAA). Now, like with most libations, I am no connoisseur; I only know if I like something or not, and I don’t usually account for price point, etc. But I must say, the various sake were smooth and charmingly different from one another: some sweet, some mild, none acrimonious. The sommelier curated sake from different prefectures of Japan and included top shelf and micro-brews.The omakase includes 20 pieces, most served as dynamic duos on one dish. Each diner was given a moist towelette, which I used to clean my fingers between each bite (sushi is traditionally meant to be eaten with the hands—my kind of food as, being blind, I use my hands for everything). No condiment saucers for mixing wasabi and shoyu—masterful sushi doesn’t need to be dressed. Pickled ginger was, however, set on our table as palate cleansers. I don’t like the neon pink pickled ginger molded into a strange nub on the side of my plate typical of so many mediocre sushi restaurants, but Nakazawa’s ginger tasted light and refreshing, and I found myself nibbling on countless paper-thin slices (although it could very well be because I knew I was paying a lot for this meal and so had to ingest everything on the table).We were taken through an epic pleasure ride of amberjack, giant clam, salmon, snapper, sea urchin, and whatever else you see in those photos above. (Sorry, by the way, the photos are not great--lighting was very dim, and I had a friend who claims to be a not-so-great photographer take them.) It was only appropriate that Nakazawa’sinfamous tamago (fluffy and smooth) was the climax of the meal, followed by a denouement of encore—any piece(s) you request a la carte. We all requested another uni each.I was surprised many of the fish weren’t super exotic (read: from faraway seas), but upon reconsideration, I believe that’s what marks Nakazawa a stellar chef: to be able to take seemingly average fish and create masterpieces from them. And then I read on their website: ”Chef Nakazawa is a strong believer in the food he serves representing the waters he is surrounded by, so only the best and freshest find its way to your plate.”Reservations are available 30 days prior online or by phone in parties of two (bar or table) or four (table only). Visit Sushi Nakazawa’s website for details.Have you dined at Nakazawa? Thoughts? What’s your favorite sushi place in NYC? How about in the world?