I feel like this is over-romanticizing sushi. I mean, you're skipping some steps there. Sushi is also considered fancy food in Japan today. Of course, there's sushi at every price point, but...
Exemplary
I feel like this is over-romanticizing sushi.
Sushi as we know it started out as working-class food sold in the streets of 19th-century Edo (today Tokyo)
I mean, you're skipping some steps there. Sushi is also considered fancy food in Japan today. Of course, there's sushi at every price point, but that's also true in the US: you can get sushi (not good sushi, but sushi) at many grocery stores.
At Sushi Nakazawa in the West Village, you might have your choice of A5 Wagyu, truffles (a Japanese food writer I consulted expressed concern that the scent would be “distracting”), a tweezering of gold leaf over caviar and a pairing of Krug Champagne and kinki (thornyhead), a rare and opulently fatty fish sometimes called the Wagyu of the sea.
If we're talking about anecdata, I recently had sushi at Omakase Shihou on upper east side, and it was exactly the experience the author wants; some gruff Japanese chef that doesn't speak english served us the best seafood he could buy on that day with no adornments.
What the author has noticed is more that omakase has broadened - it's less that the old omakase places disappear and have been replaced, but there are much more of them, and some of them are more "mass market" or trying to appeal to the American tongue.
And that's fine. There's a lot of ol' heartland Americans that would puke eating Shirako who are having a blast at their more "mass market" omakase, and their enjoyment is no less valid than someone who is experienced with sushi and gets some monkfish cuts.
Fusion food is as valid as the original. Tex-mex isn't worse than mexican, it's just different.
I also think the assertion that omakase has become the "dominant" form of Sushi in LA, NYC, etc is an assertion that seems unfounded to me. A simple look on google maps indicates that the reverse is true; most places that serve sushi are not omakase. I mean, this is almost certainly just true statistically. Omakase restaurants serve like 7-8 people at once for an hour at a time. Numerically there's no way for them to be the "dominant" way sushi is served.
This is definitely Food Reviewer problems. I treat this like the "this couple is shopping for a condo with these wants, and here's the absolutely ridiculous cost of any of these options, which did...
I also think the assertion that omakase has become the "dominant" form of Sushi in LA, NYC, etc is an assertion that seems unfounded to me. A simple look on google maps indicates that the reverse is true; most places that serve sushi are not omakase. I mean, this is almost certainly just true statistically. Omakase restaurants serve like 7-8 people at once for an hour at a time. Numerically there's no way for them to be the "dominant" way sushi is served.
This is definitely Food Reviewer problems. I treat this like the "this couple is shopping for a condo with these wants, and here's the absolutely ridiculous cost of any of these options, which did they pick? Or the super rich wedding things. I'm sure there is an Americanization/fusion of these restaurants, so go highlight the smaller places that do it right, reviewer.
I'd forgotten my shirako memory until just now. :| I remember not caring for it.... But there are many types of food I'd be eager and willing to try again when I visit Japan or can afford these...
I'd forgotten my shirako memory until just now. :| I remember not caring for it.... But there are many types of food I'd be eager and willing to try again when I visit Japan or can afford these experiences from overseas . My sibling tells me they have many different and wonderful kinds of mollusks eaten fresh and raw, that aren't fishy or chewy ... One day.
From your experience, what's the key for a prospective dinner to distinguish between the kind of US omakase experience you just had at Shihou, from the kind the author is talking about?
Look at the a la carte menu. It shouldn't have gold flakes, or saffron, or truffles. It should have a focus on fish, with few other ingredients other than rice. It shouldn't have too much salmon -...
Look at the a la carte menu. It shouldn't have gold flakes, or saffron, or truffles. It should have a focus on fish, with few other ingredients other than rice. It shouldn't have too much salmon - some is OK, but fundamentally salmon is not a fish native to Japan, and isn't served at more traditional sushi places.
You can also just look at pictures people put on google map reviews.
Maybe I just don't get it, but to me, this article feels a bit like "rich person complains about how expensive food is at expensive restaurants." Yes, sushi is more expensive than I think it...
Maybe I just don't get it, but to me, this article feels a bit like "rich person complains about how expensive food is at expensive restaurants."
Yes, sushi is more expensive than I think it probably should be, but so is almost every restaurant everywhere, so that's not a very illuminating idea to me.
I mean, McDonald's was supposed to cheap and simple, but look at how expensive it's become (I don't actually know because I haven't been there, but I remember all the articles about their insane price increases "due to iNfLaTiOn").
Maybe a little askew from your impression: that these days even crazy amount of money won't buy you the experience that it's now labeled under. It's like tying to buy a wool suit because you heard...
Maybe a little askew from your impression: that these days even crazy amount of money won't buy you the experience that it's now labeled under. It's like tying to buy a wool suit because you heard it's so much better than synthetic, but at the end these came out of the same factory with poor stitching and not even lined. Or you heard cruises are a luxury of the past, but these days the cheaper ones cater to partying drunks and every experience on board gated by microtransactions and passenger class like the Titanic .
Omakase was a thing you could do at any hole in the wall sushiya when you have some relationship with the chef. Now it's marketed as "I went for expensive food" where maybe the diners don't even know the name or story of the chef.
I got more “it’s a shame these places no longer challenge and surprise us… also they’re really expensive so I don’t think I’m asking too much”. It’s a rich people problem either way, but I do have...
I got more “it’s a shame these places no longer challenge and surprise us… also they’re really expensive so I don’t think I’m asking too much”.
It’s a rich people problem either way, but I do have a lot more time for someone saying they wish their experience hadn’t been sanitised so much than I do for someone who chooses the most expensive option and then complains about the price in particular.
I’ll be the first to say this is my personal bias talking here, but gently lamenting that an exceptional experience has been watered down speaks to me very directly, even if they’re talking about a problem in a tax bracket far higher than my own. Things being done well in the world - superlatively even - is something that matters to me for its own sake, and I see it as a broader loss when any instance of the best <whatever> loses its edge in the interests of commercialisation.
Another example of losing its edge, airport lounges. When everyone feels like a VIP, nobody feels like a VIP. I've seen this sort of watering down / commodifying of previously wonderful and unique...
Another example of losing its edge, airport lounges. When everyone feels like a VIP, nobody feels like a VIP.
I've seen this sort of watering down / commodifying of previously wonderful and unique experiences in many inexpensive ways too:
Previous Nicety
Corporate Shadow Version
The local grocery clerk who knows your name
Scan app for points > member name > punish clerk who doesn't say your name
Special price for regular
Scan app for "discount"
Extra little thing for regulars
loyalty app reward
Actual family pricing
public annual sale event
Product quality gaurantee from pride in craftsmanship
manufacturing defect only, shipping / labour not included "warranty"
Brand name = quality, save time having to compare
brand sold off; or B-model /Outlet verison / holiday versions
Mom&Pop means better than big corporations
Mom&Pop means no refunds and you just bought drop ship garbage they themselves Amazon'ed or Temu'd
I remember reading somewhere that people would spend a much higher amount proportionally for their furniture, but that it was meant to last. My wife (then girlfriend) and I bought a table from...
Product quality gaurantee from pride in craftsmanship
I remember reading somewhere that people would spend a much higher amount proportionally for their furniture, but that it was meant to last.
My wife (then girlfriend) and I bought a table from someone who was selling us a couch because they said they'd throw it in for $10 if we took it with us when we were furnishing our college apartment with our roommate. We used that table for 5 years, and honestly, I never saw us getting rid of it (at least any time in the next 10-20 years if we stayed in the US) since it had leaves for extending to a decent size when we hosted friends, and even if we bought a bigger dinning table it would have still be useful for hosting events.
I needed to clean something my kid dropped and was under the table and saw the manufacturer information. The table was (IIRC) almost 60 years old, and had been manufactured at an old furniture regional furniture shop that was ~15 miles from where we went to university. I spent a bit looking into the history of that company, and it was sad to see it went out of business near the turn of the century due to pressure from the expansion of large mass-produced furniture companies.
That is super sad :'( those would have been good jobs too I bet My current dining room table is at least 20 years old. Probably nothing fancy to boast about but table is table is table, just has...
That is super sad :'( those would have been good jobs too I bet
My current dining room table is at least 20 years old. Probably nothing fancy to boast about but table is table is table, just has to stand and be flat. Most things shouldn't fall apart and need replacing randomly.
Expensive sushi isn’t anything new, but I’m extra surprised to hear it started life as a working-class meal. Getting flashbacks of the Maine lobster story. Sadly, this is a reality I will likely...
Expensive sushi isn’t anything new, but I’m extra surprised to hear it started life as a working-class meal. Getting flashbacks of the Maine lobster story.
Sadly, this is a reality I will likely never know. The prices involved these days simply aren’t justifiable for me. That said, this is the first time hearing of omakase and I’m intrigued. However, seeing how most places appear to just copy-paste an experience makes it much less appealing. Regardless, I’m going to ask the chefs behind the counter at my local Japanese restaurant if an omakase is available. Hopefully, I can come back with something novel to share.
If you have a relationship with the chef at your local already, if you're a regular anyway, ask them what's good today even if off the beaten path. Tell them how much you appreciate them and that...
Exemplary
If you have a relationship with the chef at your local already, if you're a regular anyway, ask them what's good today even if off the beaten path. Tell them how much you appreciate them and that they're you're trusted source to try something new. They might not have anything weird on hand this time though: ask them if there is an upcoming season or festivity you would love to come back and try something new. It could be something as small and humble as lotus root tempura.
I went for omakase sashimi at a very small restaurant recently, where the prices were completely reasonable, in Canadian dollars:
Sashimi plate (S) For 2 to 3 people appetizer
42.00
Sashimi plate (M) For 3 to 4 people appetizer
53.00
Sashimi plate (L) For 4 to 6 people appetizer
63.00
No gold flakes no caviar no truffles (??!?!), and it wasn't cephalopods innards just to weird you out either , just "what is super fresh today that Chef is proud to serve". Could have been called "catch of the day plate", really no different from local diners's Soup / Salad of the day.
One of my favourite Izakaya restaurants from years ago, had calligraphy hand written menus of what they cooked up each day. Maybe no more than 20 choices, there is maybe two or three crowd pleasing regulars but if it's not on today's menu don't bother the staff by asking for it. In a way, that's one kind of omakase, to order off the daily/seasonal menu.
Look for the weirder items that's on a regular menu too: what is ankimo and why is the waiter asking "are you sure". It can go wrong, yes, I've also been served transparent baby eel swimming in what looks like their natural habitat.... But even outside of Japan, chefs put their items on a menu because they are proud of it, and we shouldn't turn our noses up at weirder menu'd choices just because many chefs have had to learn to cater to North American baby tastes. Thats what the article is saying, I think, that pricy omakase now is just another way the chefs have had to create a California roll or ginger fried beef or chop suey, literally spoon fed at a trough.
When we say "I leave it all up to you" in North America, we're not truly giving ourselves up to new experiences, but instead we're asking to be catered to: for chef to spend extra cycles reading us, thinking what is it what we really want, is this too much, and what if we got challenged and become insulted and angry and write a poor review or make a viral rant. [Edit: we're demanding the food be Instagram worthy and make us feel like the big spender we are. We are not asking for skill or freshness or relationship, we are looking to gloat.] We're asking to be (at risk of using a phrase I don't actually understand) topping from the bottom.
Edit: once you have a genuine relationship and they know you are truly adventurous and appreciative, they might even let us know hey want to try X tonight. You might be invited to be part of their new year heavy box osechi ryori pre-order next new years.
Back in the long ago, I had omakase at a restaurant which catered to Japanese manufacturing executives and workers living in the US. The meal wasn't tailored for American tastes at all. From what...
Back in the long ago, I had omakase at a restaurant which catered to Japanese manufacturing executives and workers living in the US. The meal wasn't tailored for American tastes at all. From what the article describes, it sounds like what we had was much the better for it.
The chef-curated experience was aimed at providing diners with the best, freshest fish available, presented so that the flavor of the mainly uncooked, unaugmented morsels was as close to nature as possible. The plating emphasized simplicity and elegance, exactly what was needed to present each piece with the appropriate condiment, and no more. The only miss for my tastes was uni, which had a slimy texture and tasted the way Elmer's Glue smells (it may not have been totally fresh). It's considered a delicacy and I was game to try it, but that experience was unpleasant enough that I haven't had it again.
I won't say that meal was cheap relative to restaurant meals at the time, probably the equivalent of $75 USD/person now. Considering that the fish selections were flown into the midwestern U.S. daily, before carbon pollution was a widely known thing, it was a bargain. These days, wild ocean fish is a precious rarity and best avoided due to overfishing, the carbon cost of rapid transport, supply chains that include slave labor, and the price escalation from vanity consumption.
We had Omakase on our honeymoon, and it was amazing! It was such a fun experience, especially being able to have it not only be the chef's selections but also be tailored to our dietary...
We had Omakase on our honeymoon, and it was amazing! It was such a fun experience, especially being able to have it not only be the chef's selections but also be tailored to our dietary preferences at the time, especially food allergies. The chef was fabulous, and the fish was incredibly fresh. It was the best meal I ate up to that point in my life, only overthrown by the chef's table experience at a Michelin-star restaurant a few nights later.
I'm also incredibly fortunate to live in California and to be able to get at least somewhat reasonable pricing for sushi that is also incredibly fresh, since I live less than an hour away from the ocean. It's my favorite food, and we have sushi a few times a month.
I feel like this is over-romanticizing sushi.
I mean, you're skipping some steps there. Sushi is also considered fancy food in Japan today. Of course, there's sushi at every price point, but that's also true in the US: you can get sushi (not good sushi, but sushi) at many grocery stores.
If we're talking about anecdata, I recently had sushi at Omakase Shihou on upper east side, and it was exactly the experience the author wants; some gruff Japanese chef that doesn't speak english served us the best seafood he could buy on that day with no adornments.
What the author has noticed is more that omakase has broadened - it's less that the old omakase places disappear and have been replaced, but there are much more of them, and some of them are more "mass market" or trying to appeal to the American tongue.
And that's fine. There's a lot of ol' heartland Americans that would puke eating Shirako who are having a blast at their more "mass market" omakase, and their enjoyment is no less valid than someone who is experienced with sushi and gets some monkfish cuts.
Fusion food is as valid as the original. Tex-mex isn't worse than mexican, it's just different.
I also think the assertion that omakase has become the "dominant" form of Sushi in LA, NYC, etc is an assertion that seems unfounded to me. A simple look on google maps indicates that the reverse is true; most places that serve sushi are not omakase. I mean, this is almost certainly just true statistically. Omakase restaurants serve like 7-8 people at once for an hour at a time. Numerically there's no way for them to be the "dominant" way sushi is served.
This is definitely Food Reviewer problems. I treat this like the "this couple is shopping for a condo with these wants, and here's the absolutely ridiculous cost of any of these options, which did they pick? Or the super rich wedding things. I'm sure there is an Americanization/fusion of these restaurants, so go highlight the smaller places that do it right, reviewer.
I'd forgotten my shirako memory until just now. :| I remember not caring for it.... But there are many types of food I'd be eager and willing to try again when I visit Japan or can afford these experiences from overseas . My sibling tells me they have many different and wonderful kinds of mollusks eaten fresh and raw, that aren't fishy or chewy ... One day.
From your experience, what's the key for a prospective dinner to distinguish between the kind of US omakase experience you just had at Shihou, from the kind the author is talking about?
Look at the a la carte menu. It shouldn't have gold flakes, or saffron, or truffles. It should have a focus on fish, with few other ingredients other than rice. It shouldn't have too much salmon - some is OK, but fundamentally salmon is not a fish native to Japan, and isn't served at more traditional sushi places.
You can also just look at pictures people put on google map reviews.
I’d argue that the salmon thing depends on the chef and the market they are sourcing from. But otherwise I broadly agree.
Maybe I just don't get it, but to me, this article feels a bit like "rich person complains about how expensive food is at expensive restaurants."
Yes, sushi is more expensive than I think it probably should be, but so is almost every restaurant everywhere, so that's not a very illuminating idea to me.
I mean, McDonald's was supposed to cheap and simple, but look at how expensive it's become (I don't actually know because I haven't been there, but I remember all the articles about their insane price increases "due to iNfLaTiOn").
Maybe a little askew from your impression: that these days even crazy amount of money won't buy you the experience that it's now labeled under. It's like tying to buy a wool suit because you heard it's so much better than synthetic, but at the end these came out of the same factory with poor stitching and not even lined. Or you heard cruises are a luxury of the past, but these days the cheaper ones cater to partying drunks and every experience on board gated by microtransactions and passenger class like the Titanic .
Omakase was a thing you could do at any hole in the wall sushiya when you have some relationship with the chef. Now it's marketed as "I went for expensive food" where maybe the diners don't even know the name or story of the chef.
I got more “it’s a shame these places no longer challenge and surprise us… also they’re really expensive so I don’t think I’m asking too much”.
It’s a rich people problem either way, but I do have a lot more time for someone saying they wish their experience hadn’t been sanitised so much than I do for someone who chooses the most expensive option and then complains about the price in particular.
I’ll be the first to say this is my personal bias talking here, but gently lamenting that an exceptional experience has been watered down speaks to me very directly, even if they’re talking about a problem in a tax bracket far higher than my own. Things being done well in the world - superlatively even - is something that matters to me for its own sake, and I see it as a broader loss when any instance of the best <whatever> loses its edge in the interests of commercialisation.
Another example of losing its edge, airport lounges. When everyone feels like a VIP, nobody feels like a VIP.
I've seen this sort of watering down / commodifying of previously wonderful and unique experiences in many inexpensive ways too:
I remember reading somewhere that people would spend a much higher amount proportionally for their furniture, but that it was meant to last.
My wife (then girlfriend) and I bought a table from someone who was selling us a couch because they said they'd throw it in for $10 if we took it with us when we were furnishing our college apartment with our roommate. We used that table for 5 years, and honestly, I never saw us getting rid of it (at least any time in the next 10-20 years if we stayed in the US) since it had leaves for extending to a decent size when we hosted friends, and even if we bought a bigger dinning table it would have still be useful for hosting events.
I needed to clean something my kid dropped and was under the table and saw the manufacturer information. The table was (IIRC) almost 60 years old, and had been manufactured at an old furniture regional furniture shop that was ~15 miles from where we went to university. I spent a bit looking into the history of that company, and it was sad to see it went out of business near the turn of the century due to pressure from the expansion of large mass-produced furniture companies.
That is super sad :'( those would have been good jobs too I bet
My current dining room table is at least 20 years old. Probably nothing fancy to boast about but table is table is table, just has to stand and be flat. Most things shouldn't fall apart and need replacing randomly.
Am with you on this one. I read the article hoping to learn something about one of my favorite food items and learn nothing.
Expensive sushi isn’t anything new, but I’m extra surprised to hear it started life as a working-class meal. Getting flashbacks of the Maine lobster story.
Sadly, this is a reality I will likely never know. The prices involved these days simply aren’t justifiable for me. That said, this is the first time hearing of omakase and I’m intrigued. However, seeing how most places appear to just copy-paste an experience makes it much less appealing. Regardless, I’m going to ask the chefs behind the counter at my local Japanese restaurant if an omakase is available. Hopefully, I can come back with something novel to share.
If you have a relationship with the chef at your local already, if you're a regular anyway, ask them what's good today even if off the beaten path. Tell them how much you appreciate them and that they're you're trusted source to try something new. They might not have anything weird on hand this time though: ask them if there is an upcoming season or festivity you would love to come back and try something new. It could be something as small and humble as lotus root tempura.
I went for omakase sashimi at a very small restaurant recently, where the prices were completely reasonable, in Canadian dollars:
Sashimi plate (S) For 2 to 3 people appetizer
42.00
Sashimi plate (M) For 3 to 4 people appetizer
53.00
Sashimi plate (L) For 4 to 6 people appetizer
63.00
No gold flakes no caviar no truffles (??!?!), and it wasn't cephalopods innards just to weird you out either , just "what is super fresh today that Chef is proud to serve". Could have been called "catch of the day plate", really no different from local diners's Soup / Salad of the day.
One of my favourite Izakaya restaurants from years ago, had calligraphy hand written menus of what they cooked up each day. Maybe no more than 20 choices, there is maybe two or three crowd pleasing regulars but if it's not on today's menu don't bother the staff by asking for it. In a way, that's one kind of omakase, to order off the daily/seasonal menu.
Look for the weirder items that's on a regular menu too: what is ankimo and why is the waiter asking "are you sure". It can go wrong, yes, I've also been served transparent baby eel swimming in what looks like their natural habitat.... But even outside of Japan, chefs put their items on a menu because they are proud of it, and we shouldn't turn our noses up at weirder menu'd choices just because many chefs have had to learn to cater to North American baby tastes. Thats what the article is saying, I think, that pricy omakase now is just another way the chefs have had to create a California roll or ginger fried beef or chop suey, literally spoon fed at a trough.
When we say "I leave it all up to you" in North America, we're not truly giving ourselves up to new experiences, but instead we're asking to be catered to: for chef to spend extra cycles reading us, thinking what is it what we really want, is this too much, and what if we got challenged and become insulted and angry and write a poor review or make a viral rant. [Edit: we're demanding the food be Instagram worthy and make us feel like the big spender we are. We are not asking for skill or freshness or relationship, we are looking to gloat.] We're asking to be (at risk of using a phrase I don't actually understand) topping from the bottom.
Edit: once you have a genuine relationship and they know you are truly adventurous and appreciative, they might even let us know hey want to try X tonight. You might be invited to be part of their new year heavy box osechi ryori pre-order next new years.
Back in the long ago, I had omakase at a restaurant which catered to Japanese manufacturing executives and workers living in the US. The meal wasn't tailored for American tastes at all. From what the article describes, it sounds like what we had was much the better for it.
The chef-curated experience was aimed at providing diners with the best, freshest fish available, presented so that the flavor of the mainly uncooked, unaugmented morsels was as close to nature as possible. The plating emphasized simplicity and elegance, exactly what was needed to present each piece with the appropriate condiment, and no more. The only miss for my tastes was uni, which had a slimy texture and tasted the way Elmer's Glue smells (it may not have been totally fresh). It's considered a delicacy and I was game to try it, but that experience was unpleasant enough that I haven't had it again.
I won't say that meal was cheap relative to restaurant meals at the time, probably the equivalent of $75 USD/person now. Considering that the fish selections were flown into the midwestern U.S. daily, before carbon pollution was a widely known thing, it was a bargain. These days, wild ocean fish is a precious rarity and best avoided due to overfishing, the carbon cost of rapid transport, supply chains that include slave labor, and the price escalation from vanity consumption.
We had Omakase on our honeymoon, and it was amazing! It was such a fun experience, especially being able to have it not only be the chef's selections but also be tailored to our dietary preferences at the time, especially food allergies. The chef was fabulous, and the fish was incredibly fresh. It was the best meal I ate up to that point in my life, only overthrown by the chef's table experience at a Michelin-star restaurant a few nights later.
I'm also incredibly fortunate to live in California and to be able to get at least somewhat reasonable pricing for sushi that is also incredibly fresh, since I live less than an hour away from the ocean. It's my favorite food, and we have sushi a few times a month.