cherrypatter nyc
and great ideas for what to do too!
sushi of gari: only for omakase for sure
i know it may not seem like it, since i rarely talk about sushi here, but i absolutely love sushi, and if i had my druthers i might eat it 5 nights of the week — well maybe not that often as i wouldn’t want to turn into a thermometer or anything but you get the idea. i don’t write about it often because first brooklyn really has lousy sushi options. i mean i do order take out about once a week for lunch. it’s fine, it does the trick (and i don’t get sick) but nothing to get excited about. and though i do get sushi from blue ribbon every once in a while, it’s pricey and while high quality not exactly amazing. and second, the spots i like, or think i would like, tend to be incredibly expensive and that’s a habit i have a hard time justifying.
back in the olden days, when we used to live on the far reaches of the upper east side (near york avenue and 79th), j. and i discovered what became our top spot for sushi. located in a dull, nondescript space, it took us a while to understand why there would be two hour waits for what appeared to be a very conventional sushi restaurant. once we figured out that the omakase was the key, we finally found sushi heaven at sushi of gari (at least within the top reaches of our price range — i am sure if i could afford masa that would be my new sushi place). as has been debated endlessly, sushi of gari is not conventional. if you want that, new york has many high quality spots like sushi yasuda and jewel bako.
gari’s sushi involves pairing somewhat unusual ingredients, or at least unexpected ones. j. and i have our favorite pieces at sushi of gari. mine include the tuna with tofu cream, the yellowtail with jalapeno, and seared toro with scallions. i also happen to love the oyster rolls though i am usually so stuffed by the time i get to them i have to be rolled home. j. is a huge fan of the chopped eel and avocado, and he also somehow weirdly loves the salmon which used to come with tomato and cream cheese (i always gave him mine, yuck). on our latest visit, the salmon came with broiled tomato, still not a perfect match for me but clearly there is a demand out there in new york for that combo.
sushi of gari of course has other dishes. we’ll get a few appetizers such as the shumai above, and they’re all fine. but really, the absolutely only reason to eat here is for the omakase. we’ve always done this at a table, though i’m sure it’s even better at the bar. and definitely make a reservation. in the last few years, we’ve only come at insanely early times (the-child friendly option) so i’m not sure how good sushi of gari is these days about honoring reservations (it used to be that even with one you might wait for an hour or so). and we haven’t tried their other spots on the upper west side or midtown, though they sure look much more inviting design-wise. one last note, in case you hadn’t figured it out, while it’s not masa, it’s still no bargain. sushi of gari, 402 east 78th street between 1st and york avenues, ; 370 columbus avenue (between 77th and 78th streets), ; and 347 west 46th street (between 8th and 9th avenues), . all in manhattan.
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This sounds fantastic, and is a five-minute walk from my apartment. I think I have to eat here this weekend.