鮨食べる人 アメリカ人

Spring course at Kurosaki, to contrast with one of the previous posts. The flat-sliced kanpyo is a fantastic closer to any meal, and is always offered alongside makinono and tamago. Also notable is the "trimmed" kuruma ebi where the head and miso are tucked under the body for nigiri, which changes the flavor but also makes this huge bite more manageable. Many of the neta here are actually on the smaller size, even the clams, but they are definitely at the very high end of the quality range. Less

The hamaguri that Kurosaki-san sources are huge and tender - almost an oxymoron for this type of clam. To be honest, I'm not sure I can think of another sushiya that serves hamaguri of higher quality. Last April, it was part of the tsumami, served in poaching liquid. But last November was even more special - the ni-hama served over rice that was soaked in a sweet dashi with clear flavors of sudachi. It's exceedingly rare to find this hamaguri prep at modern sushiya, even in Japan, and it's a style probably made most famous by the late Mikkio-san at #宮葉, one of Tokyo's oldest sushiya. Seeing this style appear at a modern shop like Kurosaki is in some ways surprising, but also precisely in line with Kurosaki-san's focus on simplicity and his frequent nods to tradition. Less

Both of my meals at Kurosaki last year had a mid-meal standout item. Too big in flavor and size to be a tsumami course, but also not quite sushi either. In November, it was grilled sanma wrapped around matchsticks of grilled matsutake. Large sanma are typically used for grilling with salt, but this one had a shoyu-based glaze. It wrapped the mushrooms almost entirely, resulting in layers of earth textures that tasted like the season.
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In April, a huge slice of grilled miso-marinated Nodoguro was served simply with toasted nori and a large swipe of high quality wasabi. Another study in layers of texture and flavor, ranging from sweet to smoky to salty to herbal - and back again. Tough for me to understate the brilliance here. Less

Ingredient quality at Kurosaki is pretty much at the highest level, in my opinion. That includes those places where you need to raffle just for the chance to make a reservation, or where you might be able to buy a seat in an online auction for $1000 (or more). Across the board - shiromi, hikarimono, clams, tuna, and even ancillary items like kimo or nori - is a notable standout. The sushi is medium-sized, and the neta appears to be cut a bit larger relative to size of the shari. There is distinct sourness to the rice seasoning that isn't overpowering. Elegant. Less

Each one of my visits to Kurosaki, a chawanmushi has appeared mid-course. Last November, it was kobako kani with its roe. In April, it was botan ebi, also with roe. Elegant is a good descriptor for the food here, and the chawanmushi is no exception. It is a super smooth, unbroken custard, with an ultra-thin layer of dashi on top. The dashi isn't watery, but more like a concentrated stock, similar to how a layer of caramel might float on top of a well-executed flan. Less

Tsumami on my April visit were quite a bit different, and showcased a variety of cooking techniques rather than raw produce. Mehikari was grilled, komochi yari ika was served nimono, kinme as mushimono, and so forth.
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The quality of the ingredients was really on display here, including the huge "crunchy" torigai (the only sashimi). My favorite was the very large hamaguri that was presented simply in its own poaching liquid. It has pleasant chew, but was also notably tender. Less

Both of my meals at Kurosaki last year had a mid-meal standout item. Too big in flavor and size to be a tsumami course, but also not quite sushi either. In November, it was grilled sanma wrapped around matchsticks of grilled matsutake. Large sanma are typically used for grilling with salt, but this one had a shoyu-based glaze. It wrapped the mushrooms almost entirely, resulting in layers of earth textures that tasted like the season.
.
In April, a huge slice of grilled miso-marinated Nodoguro was served simply with toasted nori and a large swipe of high quality wasabi. Another study in layers of texture and flavor, ranging from sweet to smoky to salty to herbal - and back again. Tough for me to understate the brilliance here. Less

The hamaguri that Kurosaki-san sources are huge and tender - almost an oxymoron for this type of clam. To be honest, I'm not sure I can think of another sushiya that serves hamaguri of higher quality. Last April, it was part of the tsumami, served in poaching liquid. But last November was even more special - the ni-hama served over rice that was soaked in a sweet dashi with clear flavors of sudachi. It's exceedingly rare to find this hamaguri prep at modern sushiya, even in Japan, and it's a style probably made most famous by the late Mikkio-san at #宮葉, one of Tokyo's oldest sushiya. Seeing this style appear at a modern shop like Kurosaki is in some ways surprising, but also precisely in line with Kurosaki-san's focus on simplicity and his frequent nods to tradition. Less

Ingredient quality at Kurosaki is pretty much at the highest level, in my opinion. That includes those places where you need to raffle just for the chance to make a reservation, or where you might be able to buy a seat in an online auction for $1000 (or more). Across the board - shiromi, hikarimono, clams, tuna, and even ancillary items like kimo or nori - is a notable standout. The sushi is medium-sized, and the neta appears to be cut a bit larger relative to size of the shari. There is distinct sourness to the rice seasoning that isn't overpowering. Elegant. Less

Each one of my visits to Kurosaki, a chawanmushi has appeared mid-course. Last November, it was kobako kani with its roe. In April, it was botan ebi, also with roe. Elegant is a good descriptor for the food here, and the chawanmushi is no exception. It is a super smooth, unbroken custard, with an ultra-thin layer of dashi on top. The dashi isn't watery, but more like a concentrated stock, similar to how a layer of caramel might float on top of a well-executed flan. Less