I know some GREAT places for sushi and other Japanese cuisine, and I'd
like to share them with others that can offer their favorites as well.
I'd like this thread to become an ongoing guide to sushi bars and
Japanese food, much as several people have attempted on their websites.

NEW YORK

the best (and probably most expensive) imho

Masa - a spiritual experience for you, your stomach and your wallet -
the best
Sushi Yasuda - rice as an art form with perfect fish
Nobu - fun, fun fun 'til my daddy took my seafood away....
Hatsuhana (haven't been there in a while though)
Karuma Zushi (confirmed by Musashi)
Sushi Ann (i think this is the new name of a place that i used to go to
that might still be very good)
Sushiden (per Musashi)

and I hear now that Tomoe is supposed to be very good.

What do I look for that makes the above (esp. the first 3) so great?

quality, selection, flavor, balance and exoticism (or gastronomic
eroticism) it goes without saying that at these restaurants everything
is always fresh.

the quality of both the fish and the rice is outstanding - nothing
short of excellent. The nori is crisp, not soggy, sometimes they will
even toast it a bit just before serving it. the temperature of the
fish and the rice is correct, neither being too cold or too warm. I
prefer a little bit of warmth in the rice to warm the oils in the fish
and bring out a bit of extra flavor.

the selection is broad - not just your usual sushi roll fare by a long
shot. at a place like yasuda you may be lucky enough to try 12 types
of toro in one sitting. But at any of these restaurants you should
always sit at the bar where you can communicate your interests to the
chef.

the flavor is outstanding - you can taste the reason for eating the
fish or vegetables. it's not just a texture with a little soy sauce,
it's melt in your mouth mmmmm mmmmmmmmm great!

the balance is correct - just the right amount of fish and rice so that
you get the benefit of both. proper balance enhances the flavors and
the overall experience.

the selection is exotic - not just a california roll, tuna and salmon,
but peekytoe crab, shirako, shiso (maybe not that exotic but I love
it), live scallop (with liver and kaibashira), live octopus, fresh
cooked eel (live in the restaurant), young yellowtail (inada) and so
much more. Someone asked what I meant by live because they hadn't had
anything live other than shellfish. Live is live or freshly killed.
The live octopus has been freshly killed and you can still see
movement, especially in contact with soy sauce or lemon. This is only
a chemical/biological reaction at the cellular level since the octopus
has been cut up already.

MASA Redux
and at Masa, just like his previous restaurant, Ginza Sushiko (now
Urasawa) in Beverly Hills, you sit at the sushi bar (if you are lucky
enough) and look at the water and the branches behind the chefs, listen
to the quiet of the room, smell the scents wafting from the charcoal
grill, feel the special wood used to create the bar itself - and you
know that you are in the Temple of Sushi/Japanese cuisine, a place that
allows you to concentrate on the purity of the experience in a way that
you can't elsewhere. (It's been a few months for me and I guess I'm
suffering from withdrawal.)


---------------------------------------------------


LOS ANGELES

MATSUHISA
If you are in LA, try the original Nobu - Matsuhisa, and if possible
sit at the sushi bar one time and in the Omikase room the next time.
The food is incredible, the chefs are great and the selection is
broader than at any other location. (Although the fruit plate at Nobu
London is the best fruit selection that I've ever had at Nobu, I don't
go to Nobu for fruit plates.)

URASAWA
Also, Ginza Sushiko is now Urasawa and it is run by Masa's sous chef
(Urasawa.) It is similar in style and expense to Masa, NY.

TORAFUKU and TAKAI
2 top picks of sushi chefs that I know in LA are Torafuku and Takai.
Try the homemade tofu at Torafuku and the fresh grilled alaskan king
crab (in season) at Takai. I never thought that I'd be thrilled by
tofu, but Torafuku turned me around. Takai is simply and consistently
excellent. I believe that Chef Takai once was a top chef at Nobu.
---------------------------

LAS VEGAS

NOBU
An excellent representative of the chain. Consistently excellent,
sometimes great.
------------------------------

CHICAGO

HEAT
I remember their first year they opened when I was lucky enough to go
several times and try, amongst other exotic items, about 20 types of
live shellfish that I had never seen live before (akagai, razor clam,
etc.), live baby eel served in a test-tube with ponzu sauce, live
shrimp, a live black rockfish or something similar (I don't remember
exactly) and live sea urchin served in the cleaned out shell.

They had most of the shellfish on display in ice and they have lots of
tanks for the other fish.

However, I'm afraid that their clientele didn't support them enough to
maintain their selection, but they still have live items every week it
seems and they send out emails to alert you. You can check them out
at:

www.heatsushi.com
---------------------

TOKYO

There are several restaurants at Tsukiji that people rave about. I'd
like to hear more.
---------------------

KYOTO

Has anybody been to Agatha in Kyoto? I'd love to hear a review, as
long as they are still open.



REVIEWS WANTED

I'd like to hear about some of the places that I haven't been to for a
while and some that I have heard about but have never tried, including:

NEW YORK
Hatsuhana (one of my old, old favorites but I haven't been there in
years)
Sushiden
Kuruma Zushi
Sushi Ann
Tomoe

LOS ANGELES
Sushi Sasabune
Nozawa Sushi (I almost got kicked out for asking for a bowl of rice.)

LAS VEGAS
Shintaro at the Bellagio - I had average quality sushi there for 10x
the cost that I would have paid for the same quality at an average
restaurant. They served me barely passable toro as their best o-toro.
This was in 2004.

MIAMI
Other than Nobu, I have been consistently disappointed with sushi here.
Has anyone found one that is truly top notch? So many are run by
non-Japanese and the quality of the food really shows that. They have
Chinese Sushi, Korean Sushi, Hispanic Sushi, American Sushi, but not a
lot of Japanese Sushi.

BOSTON
The best restaurant I've found for sushi is Ginza in Brookline, but it
isn't great. I've tried most of them. Maybe I missed one. Ginza in
Chinatown is almost as good, Oishi Sushi has been a disappointment on
almost every visit. You shouldn't serve a 4 ounce piece of fish on 4
ounces of chewy rice.

rufus wrote:
> I know some GREAT places for sushi and other Japanese cuisine, and I'd
> like to share them with others that can offer their favorites as well.
> I'd like this thread to become an ongoing guide to sushi bars and
> Japanese food, much as several people have attempted on their websites.
>

Thanks for sharing. Looks like you've been to quite a few places.

I can't say my experience is as varied as your's but I'll contribute my
humble offerings.


> LAS VEGAS
>
> NOBU
> An excellent representative of the chain. Consistently excellent,
> sometimes great.

About the best I've had in LV.

Had my first and so far last Kobe beef there. Also went wild one night
and spent nearly $300 just on myself. I let the chef do whatever and he
came through with a number of very tasty and tempting experiences. Too
much saki prevents me from remembering much more of the evening.

Used to live there (10 years--for Vegas, that's a lifetime!) and saw a
lot of places come and go. There used to be a really good little place
on West Sahara. Been there since the 50's or early 60's, but the
founding couple retired and the daughter and her husband ended up
selling the place in the divorce.

Another place that isn't too bad and quite inexpensive (if it's still
there) is in the northwestern part of the valley, Cheyenne and Tenaya.
Narita, I think it was. It was near where I worked and we'd treat
ourselves on payday.

Stay away from the numerous "all-you-can-eat" places around LV. They are
horrid in my opinion. But I've got "friends" that swear by them!


>
> TOKYO

Oh, I've never been to Japan. I've had several friends that have gone,
and several have said that places in So. California were better. Who am
I to judge?

> BOSTON
> The best restaurant I've found for sushi is Ginza in Brookline, but it
> isn't great. I've tried most of them. Maybe I missed one. Ginza in
> Chinatown is almost as good, Oishi Sushi has been a disappointment on
> almost every visit. You shouldn't serve a 4 ounce piece of fish on 4
> ounces of chewy rice.

I have fond memories of a place in Framingham, west of Boston. But I
think it was more the friendly staff (the mama-san was quite taken with
my friends' little girl and always offered us various treats) and the
good company I was with at the time than the food. Too many years have
passed since I was last there; I couldn't remember the name if a gun was
held to my head. West side of Framingham, closer to Westborough than
Natick, south side of highway 9.


SAN DIEGO, CA

There used to be a little place downtown, a couple of blocks south of
Horton Plaza. I don't remember the name, and when I was there about a
year ago for a convention, it was gone.

About 11 or 12 years ago, I lived in SD for a summer working on a
special project for the HMO I worked for in Colorado. I had a loft
downtown, and this little place was right around the corner. I ran into
an old friend from many years before; he was then a computer consultant
that did a bit of work in Japan. He claimed this place was better than
any place he'd been in Japan.

There were also some nice places at the time in the La Jolla and
Hillcrest neighborhoods. A few of them at the time were more trendy than
others, and I'm sure they're gone now.


PUEBLO, CO

Not exactly the best place in the world to find sushi. About as far from
the ocean as you can get in the continental US. After living in SD for
the summer, returning to this dreary old steel town was a let-down. But
right after returning, a genuine Japanese restaurant opened up. Not the
best in the world, but I remember my weekly ritual every Friday night.
The comforting music after a hectic week, an appreciative wait staff
that seemed pleased that they had a regular customer instead of a bunch
of midwestern hicks that only wanted the tempura or confused the place
for Chinese.

I must have been the only person in town that ever ordered salmon eggs
or tamago. They always explained what it was when I ordered it and made
doubly or triply sure I knew what I was ordering--and then expressed
surprise that I ate it.


PHOENIX, AZ

I've only been to a couple places here in the Phoenix area (moved here
about 2 1/2 years ago). Hiro Sushi in Scottsdale (North 92nd Street) was
pretty good. Best tuna I'd had in ages.


The absolute best sushi I've ever had was:

At my friend's house. As a birthday present to a dear friend, I fixed us
a 7-course Japanese dinner. I don't remember the whole menu, but I do
remember doing pork cutlets, buckwheat noodles, and a scattered sushi
bowl. My friend and his wife declared it as "better than any sushi
restaurant." A compliment I'm quite proud of, although I'm sure they
were talking about the effort and thought of the gift than the quality
of the food.

I still fix myself some at home occasionally, but it seems to be harder
and harder to get good tuna! The stuff I've found here in Phoenix is
stringy and tough and quite pale. Maybe good enough for the grill, but
not what I'd want raw. Haven't seen a block of buttery deep red tuna in
ages.

I usually do my homemade in the Chirashizushi style, or for just myself,
I'll omit the rice and just do tuna sashimi. With age, and some
digestive problems, I find the rice is more bother than it's worth.

PastaLover wrote:
> > LAS VEGAS
> >
> > NOBU
> About the best I've had in LV.
>
> Had my first and so far last Kobe beef there. Also went wild one night
> and spent nearly $300 just on myself. I let the chef do whatever and he
> came through with a number of very tasty and tempting experiences. Too
> much saki prevents me from remembering much more of the evening.
>
> Used to live there (10 years--for Vegas, that's a lifetime!) and saw a
> lot of places come and go. There used to be a really good little place
> on West Sahara. Been there since the 50's or early 60's, but the
> founding couple retired and the daughter and her husband ended up
> selling the place in the divorce.

I remember a place at 1000 E Sahara that may have been called Ginza.
It was just about the only place in town other than a Beni-Hana or
Beni-Hana knock-off at the Hilton and an all you can eat place that I
tried once. I had some very good sushi at Ginza. I remember being
very impressed with their ama-ebi with the fried heads. Those were my
early days of sushi-ing. Nobu is a world apart.

> The absolute best sushi I've ever had was:
>
> At my friend's house. As a birthday present to a dear friend, I fixed us
> a 7-course Japanese dinner. I don't remember the whole menu, but I do
> remember doing pork cutlets, buckwheat noodles, and a scattered sushi
> bowl. My friend and his wife declared it as "better than any sushi
> restaurant." A compliment I'm quite proud of, although I'm sure they
> were talking about the effort and thought of the gift than the quality
> of the food.
>
> I still fix myself some at home occasionally, but it seems to be harder
> and harder to get good tuna! The stuff I've found here in Phoenix is
> stringy and tough and quite pale. Maybe good enough for the grill, but
> not what I'd want raw. Haven't seen a block of buttery deep red tuna in
> ages.
>
> I usually do my homemade in the Chirashizushi style, or for just myself,
> I'll omit the rice and just do tuna sashimi. With age, and some
> digestive problems, I find the rice is more bother than it's worth.

Love it! Yeah, the rice can be a pain. First of all, I MUST have an
Asian rice cooker or I screw up the rice. To do it right you are
supposed to wash the rice (rince it in water) until the water runs
clear, which can take 10 tries. Thankfully, you can now buy liquid
seasoned rice vinegar in the supermarket, which is easier than mixing
all of the ingredients (but not as good.) I can't compete with my
favorite chefs (I probably don't have the correct short-grain sushi
rice) but for a nice meal at home it is great.

In some cities such as Boston and NYC you can go to a Japanese
supermarket and get very good fish and other ingredients for sushi and
sashime. On good days you can find fresh uni, toro, and most of the
standards like frozen freshwater and sal****er eel, salmon, yellowtail,
etc.

I recentloy ordered fish from Catalina Offshore Products
http://www.catalinaop.com/ and I was very impressed. They have various
grades of toro, uni and several other items, plus they sell frozen
freshwater eel at a good price. The toro was frozen, but it was
excellent when thawed according to their directions, and the uni was
fresh. I was very pleasantly surprised. Call them if you want to know
about specials and unusual items.

I've also come to appreciate the easy route - shopping at Whole Foods
and getting nori, fish (maguro primarily) and even their prepared
sushi. It's not Nobu or Masa, but for supermarket sushi it is one of
the best.

Sushi On, my friend!

-r.

rufus wrote:
> PastaLover wrote:
>
>>>LAS VEGAS
>>>
>>>NOBU
>>
>>About the best I've had in LV.
>>
>>Had my first and so far last Kobe beef there. Also went wild one night
>>and spent nearly $300 just on myself. I let the chef do whatever and he
>>came through with a number of very tasty and tempting experiences. Too
>>much saki prevents me from remembering much more of the evening.
>>
>>Used to live there (10 years--for Vegas, that's a lifetime!) and saw a
>>lot of places come and go. There used to be a really good little place
>>on West Sahara. Been there since the 50's or early 60's, but the
>>founding couple retired and the daughter and her husband ended up
>>selling the place in the divorce.
>
>
> I remember a place at 1000 E Sahara that may have been called Ginza.
> It was just about the only place in town other than a Beni-Hana or
> Beni-Hana knock-off at the Hilton and an all you can eat place that I
> tried once. I had some very good sushi at Ginza. I remember being
> very impressed with their ama-ebi with the fried heads. Those were my
> early days of sushi-ing. Nobu is a world apart.

I forgot about Ginza. I think it was probably the first place I ever had
sushi--maybe 25-30 years ago. Haven't been back since and I don't
remember it being all that remarkable--but then I was a midwestern hick
that had never tried that sort of thing before, so I had a lot of
learning to do.

Ginza was about the only place in town for sushi at the time. Hamada on
E. Flamingo and maybe a place or two in various hotels on the Strip were
the only choices then. Now, there's a Starbucks on every street corner
and right next to each one there seems to be a sushi place.

>
>
>>The absolute best sushi I've ever had was:
>>
>>At my friend's house. As a birthday present to a dear friend, I fixed us
>>a 7-course Japanese dinner. I don't remember the whole menu, but I do
>>remember doing pork cutlets, buckwheat noodles, and a scattered sushi
>>bowl. My friend and his wife declared it as "better than any sushi
>>restaurant." A compliment I'm quite proud of, although I'm sure they
>>were talking about the effort and thought of the gift than the quality
>>of the food.
>>
>>I still fix myself some at home occasionally, but it seems to be harder
>>and harder to get good tuna! The stuff I've found here in Phoenix is
>>stringy and tough and quite pale. Maybe good enough for the grill, but
>>not what I'd want raw. Haven't seen a block of buttery deep red tuna in
>>ages.
>>
>>I usually do my homemade in the Chirashizushi style, or for just myself,
>>I'll omit the rice and just do tuna sashimi. With age, and some
>>digestive problems, I find the rice is more bother than it's worth.
>
>
> Love it! Yeah, the rice can be a pain. First of all, I MUST have an
> Asian rice cooker or I screw up the rice. To do it right you are
> supposed to wash the rice (rince it in water) until the water runs
> clear, which can take 10 tries. Thankfully, you can now buy liquid
> seasoned rice vinegar in the supermarket, which is easier than mixing

I've never seen this. At Asian markets or the regular ol' American
MegloMart?

> all of the ingredients (but not as good.) I can't compete with my
> favorite chefs (I probably don't have the correct short-grain sushi
> rice) but for a nice meal at home it is great.
>
> In some cities such as Boston and NYC you can go to a Japanese
> supermarket and get very good fish and other ingredients for sushi and
> sashime. On good days you can find fresh uni, toro, and most of the
> standards like frozen freshwater and sal****er eel, salmon, yellowtail,
> etc.

There's a couple very good Asian markets here in the Phoenix metroplex,
but every time I go, they never seem to have tuna. I used to find it in
frozen blocks at the same sorts of markets up in Las Vegas.

>
> I recentloy ordered fish from Catalina Offshore Products
> http://www.catalinaop.com/ and I was very impressed. They have various
> grades of toro, uni and several other items, plus they sell frozen
> freshwater eel at a good price. The toro was frozen, but it was
> excellent when thawed according to their directions, and the uni was
> fresh. I was very pleasantly surprised. Call them if you want to know
> about specials and unusual items.

I've seen this on the 'net, but haven't tried it yet. With your
recommendation, I may give it a go.

>
> I've also come to appreciate the easy route - shopping at Whole Foods
> and getting nori, fish (maguro primarily) and even their prepared
> sushi. It's not Nobu or Masa, but for supermarket sushi it is one of
> the best.
>
> Sushi On, my friend!
>
> -r.

Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or a local gourmet chain (AJ's Fine Foods) are
where I have been "making do" with the tuna since moving here. I've
never been a fan of supermarket sushi because it tends to sit around too
long and the rice gets weird.

Thanks for the great tips!

My vote for best sushi in Seattle goes to Kisaku.

In depth review that I wrote he

http://www.chowhound.com/pacificnw/b...ges/36623.html

PastaLover wrote:
> rufus wrote:
> > LAS VEGAS
> >
> > NOBU
> > An excellent representative of the chain. Consistently excellent,
> > sometimes great.
>
> About the best I've had in LV.
>
> Had my first and so far last Kobe beef there. Also went wild one night
> and spent nearly $300 just on myself. I let the chef do whatever and he
> came through with a number of very tasty and tempting experiences. Too
> much saki prevents me from remembering much more of the evening.
>
> Used to live there (10 years--for Vegas, that's a lifetime!) and saw a
> lot of places come and go. There used to be a really good little place
> on West Sahara. Been there since the 50's or early 60's, but the
> founding couple retired and the daughter and her husband ended up
> selling the place in the divorce.
>
> Another place that isn't too bad and quite inexpensive (if it's still
> there) is in the northwestern part of the valley, Cheyenne and Tenaya.
> Narita, I think it was. It was near where I worked and we'd treat
> ourselves on payday.

I haven't been to Nobu yet, but it's on my list of places to visit
(very little disposable income being a university student). But there's
quite a few nice hole-in-the-wall type places throughout the valley. I
know of one or two here in the east side of Vegas, although I can't
remember the names at the moment.

It's amazing how much this valley has grown in the past few years (I've
been here 14 years and it's grown by over 1 million people). A lot of
really nice restaurants have moved in in just the past few years, and
are continuing to move in - the fact that it's only an hour or two long
flight from the majority of the west coast means that fresh fish can be
flown into the nicer restaurants almost daily.

One nice place with decent sushi, and it's pretty happening during the
later hours of the night is Ra Sushi in the new extension of the
Fashion Show Mall at the corner of Spring Mtn. and Las Vegas Blvd.

wrote:
> My vote for best sushi in Seattle goes to Kisaku.

Awesome review. Love the detail. Now I finally have a reason to visit
Seattle.

-r.

> I haven't been to Nobu yet, but it's on my list of places to visit
> (very little disposable income being a university student). But there's
> quite a few nice hole-in-the-wall type places throughout the valley. I
> know of one or two here in the east side of Vegas, although I can't
> remember the names at the moment.
>
> It's amazing how much this valley has grown in the past few years (I've
> been here 14 years and it's grown by over 1 million people). A lot of
> really nice restaurants have moved in in just the past few years, and
> are continuing to move in - the fact that it's only an hour or two long
> flight from the majority of the west coast means that fresh fish can be
> flown into the nicer restaurants almost daily.
>
> One nice place with decent sushi, and it's pretty happening during the
> later hours of the night is Ra Sushi in the new extension of the
> Fashion Show Mall at the corner of Spring Mtn. and Las Vegas Blvd.

We're going to Vegas for ten days at the end of the month, and Nobu and
Shibuya (at the MGM Grand) are on the list. I'm pretty excited; I live
in Cambridge in the UK, where good sushi is very thin on the ground.

Vegas restaurants in general are really amazingly good. I went for the
first time in 2003 and was blown away by the quality of the
restaurants, and I'm very excited to see how many more have popped up
since then. My understanding is that Okada at the Wynn is also very
good, so we may well have to try them as well.

--
www.gastronomydomine.com

In article . com>,
squeezeweasel > wrote:

> Vegas restaurants in general are really amazingly good. I went for the
> first time in 2003 and was blown away by the quality of the
> restaurants, and I'm very excited to see how many more have popped up
> since then.

What restaurants did you find the most noteworthy when you went laste?

> My understanding is that Okada at the Wynn is also very
> good, so we may well have to try them as well.

--
"A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
(Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.

"The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
reference to sake.

squeezeweasel wrote:
> No really exceptional sushi last time, but the best food we had was at
> Commander's Palace in the Desert Passage, Andre's at the Monte Carlo,
> and the Border Grill at Mandalay Bay. We're staying at Mandalay Bay
> this time - Aureole is also at the Mandalay Bay, and is excellent.
>
No sushi related, but I've got to contribute.

When I lived in LV, I hosted my own birthday dinner each year. I picked
a different restaurant each year.

So when Commander's Palace came to LV, that was the place I picked that
year.

I booked the reservations nearly 3 months in advance (and my birthday is
in June, so it's not like it was the holidays or anything). First they
didn't want to host a party of 10 without the chef's approval. Granted,
I'm sure the chef wields a great deal of power, but a party of 10 isn't
that unusual. I was somewhat put off by this whole attitude they had--I
was tempted to go somewhere else, but I was couldn't wait to try what
was touted as New Orlean's best restaurant.

Well, all my friends thought the experience was less than wonderful.
They thought the previous year's dinner at Emeril's Delmonaco
Steakhouse, or the year before that at Red Square (Mandalay Bay) were
vastly superior.

The service was slow, the food was served cold, and because we were a
"large party" they gave us limited menus to pick from.

Haven't been to any of the other places, but I've heard a really good
things about Aureole. And Andre's is a Las Vegas tradition (not at the
Monte Carlo; they've had a downtown location for YEARS!).

PastaLover wrote:
> The service was slow, the food was served cold, and because we were a
> "large party" they gave us limited menus to pick from.

Did you mention this to the manager?

In that caliber of restaurant such treatment of customers usually
results in a staff member being guillotined.

--Blair

When I lived in LV, I hosted my own birthday dinner each year...



____


Next birthday go to the Todai in LV. You eat for free on your birthday
- or maybe they give you a free voucher now - they keep changing their
policy.

There's this highly touted Thai restaurant in LV - forgot the name -
you LV guys probably know it. I went there twice, but was unimpressed
- but then Thai restaurants almost never impress me. I found a nice
one here in CA where I seem to be at the moment, though - and there was
a great one someplace way out in Pennsylvania.



ww

This thread has been really weak on the main thesis.

If Nobu in LV is the best anyone can come up with (it's not even in my
top 5, btw) then we aren't trying.

What about that little place in LA that only seats six per night?

Probably a hundred places in Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka that would make it
look like a supermarket sushi rack.

--Blair

To Gerry, Squeezeweasel and Pastalover:

Off the subject, but worthy.

Vegas has attracted some of the best chefs in the world, and although
they aren't at the restaurants often, there is good food to be had. If
you find that one of the visiting chefs is in town and at his
restaurant, I would find a way to go. There are so many famous chefs
with restaurants in Vegas that you could just limit yourself to the
ones that are in town and during a good week you will have much better
meals. Ask to meet them and ask for their recommendations. You will
likely be pleased.

Some restaurant comments:

Picasso at the Bellagio - Julian Serrano is there almost all the time
and he is an excellent chef. Ask to meet him. Great chefs from around
the world come to his restaurant regularly. The wine list is quite
good, but the reserve list shared across all of Bellagio is seriously
overpriced.

Joel Robuchon (MGM - the Mansion and L'Atelier) is considered one of
the finest chefs in the world, and his Mansion restaurant prices
reflect that. Haven't been there.

Bouchon at the Venetian (Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se
fame) is good, but my friends are more impressed with it than I am.

Daniel Boulud at the Wynn - I've never been there, but if he is in
town, GO! - His restaurant in NYC is one of the top 3 gourmet
restaurants in the US.

I haven't been to Aureole in a long time, and I've never been to Aqua,
Michael Mina or Le Cirque, but these are considered good restaurants by
many.

I thought that Shintaro at the Bellagio was overpriced and mediocre at
best when I was there. $50 for toro sushi and it was barely average.
It might be $100 now.

On a less gourmet note, I have really enjoyed a top pick of Zagat, a
hole in the wall run down Thai restaurant, Lotus of Siam. If you go at
lunch, don't limit yourself to the buffet, but order an authentic dish
off the menu. They have a grilled pork dish that I love.

Also, although Delmonico Steakhouse is very good, I also like the
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse chain locations in Vegas. Great T-bones and
bone-in ribeyes. It must be the butter.

Vegas is the Buffet capital of the US, so if you are trying to get the
true Vegas experience, go to the buffet at the Bellagio, Rio, or even
Circus Circus (preferably on Sunday.)

---------------

Also, regarding Nobu - Eat at the sushi bar! If you sit at a table you
can't have a dialog with the chef. I find that I almost always end up
with some tremendous dishes when I ask the chef for recommendations.
Of course, I like exotic fare, not California rolls. That's probably
why I enjoy it so much.

Hope this is of use.

-r.

Blair P. Houghton wrote:
> This thread has been really weak on the main thesis.
>
> If Nobu in LV is the best anyone can come up with (it's not even in my
> top 5, btw) then we aren't trying.
>
> What about that little place in LA that only seats six per night?
>
> Probably a hundred places in Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka that would make it
> look like a supermarket sushi rack.
>
> --Blair

Hi Blair,

You may have missed my initial posting at the top of this thread, but
although I have enjoyed Nobu in Vegas more than Shintaro and other
Japanese restaurants, there are lots of truly great Japanese
restaurants outside of Vegas.

The one in LA that you are referring to is probably Urasawa, which is
very good and not to be missed by the true food fanatic, but not my
number one pick in LA. Matsuhisa (sushi bar and Omikase room) is at
the top. Torafuku and Takai are great, although Takai doesn't have any
ambience.

The places that I have visited in Tokyo have been good, but on a very
interesting note, a lot of fish comes from North America. I haven't
had time to explore much, but I intend to go back with some of my
Japanese chef friends so that I can have a seriously mind-blowing
experience. Oh, by the way, there is a lot of ordinary sushi in Japan.
Sort of like hot dogs in the US.

best regards,

-r.

Rufus wrote:

"On a less gourmet note, I have really enjoyed a top pick of Zagat, a
hole in the wall run down Thai restaurant, Lotus of Siam. If you go at

lunch, don't limit yourself to the buffet, but order an authentic dish
off the menu. They have a grilled pork dish that I love."


Yeah, that's the one I was talking about above - I couldn't think of
the name. OK, everybody likes it except me! Next time I'm there, I
think I may try some of the Korean places that are all around Lotus of
S instead. Lotus is in all the guide books, but the Korean places are
the opposite - no English they only cater to the Korean trade.



ww

Hi wwerewolff,

I'd love to know if you find a good Korean restaurant. I have a real
appreciation for small authentic ethnic (new word: aut-ethnic)
restaurants. I've found some great places run by families that simply
deliver the same food they had at home before coming to the States.
One of the indications being that almost all of the customers are from
there too.

-r.

> Next time I'm there, I
> think I may try some of the Korean places that are all around Lotus of
> S instead. Lotus is in all the guide books, but the Korean places are
> the opposite - no English they only cater to the Korean trade.
>
> ww

That's the kind of places I like too, Rufus.

How about *authethnic* instead of "aut-ethnic"?







ww

wrote:
> That's the kind of places I like too, Rufus.
>
> How about *authethnic* instead of "aut-ethnic"?
>
That's great too. I liked the fact that aut-ethnic used the same
letters as authentic. Must be the word puzzles I've been doing.

Blair P. Houghton wrote:
> PastaLover wrote:
>
>>The service was slow, the food was served cold, and because we were a
>>"large party" they gave us limited menus to pick from.
>
>
> Did you mention this to the manager?
>
> In that caliber of restaurant such treatment of customers usually
> results in a staff member being guillotined.
>
> --Blair
>
The manager is the one that I made the reservations through. The bad
service started at that level and appeared to go down through the staff
levels from there.

rufus wrote:

> To Gerry, Squeezeweasel and Pastalover:

> Also, regarding Nobu - Eat at the sushi bar! If you sit at a table you
> can't have a dialog with the chef. I find that I almost always end up
> with some tremendous dishes when I ask the chef for recommendations.
> Of course, I like exotic fare, not California rolls. That's probably
> why I enjoy it so much.
>

I agree. For any sushi place! The bar is where I prefer to sit when I'm
alone; it gives me a chance to watch the chefs. And that's always a treat.

And if they're personable, and most are, you can chat with them and if
you show an appreciation for what they do, and ask for recommendations,
they'll often give you better quality and more variety than you might
imagine.

In article <xA5kg.13774$_c1.3223@fed1read05>, PastaLover
> wrote:

> > Also, regarding Nobu - Eat at the sushi bar! If you sit at a table you
> > can't have a dialog with the chef. I find that I almost always end up
> > with some tremendous dishes when I ask the chef for recommendations.
> > Of course, I like exotic fare, not California rolls. That's probably
> > why I enjoy it so much.
>
> I agree. For any sushi place! The bar is where I prefer to sit when I'm
> alone; it gives me a chance to watch the chefs. And that's always a treat.
>
> And if they're personable, and most are, you can chat with them and if
> you show an appreciation for what they do, and ask for recommendations,
> they'll often give you better quality and more variety than you might
> imagine.

Unless I'm panic-hungry and there's no other place around I don't eat
in sushi bars if I can't eat at the bar. I just go some place else,
and if necessary to some place that isn't Japanese.

It's a rare sushi-chef that won't interact with you in their way. And
if they won't, I remember them.

--
"A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
(Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.

"The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
reference to sake.

PastaLover wrote:
> The manager is the one that I made the reservations through. The bad
> service started at that level and appeared to go down through the staff
> levels from there.

That actually explains everything.

The general quality of the staff will reflect the manager's competence.
Bad managers will hire anyone without trying to vet them for
temperament and service, and will allow them to become the personality
of the entire staff as the good ones realize that good behavior isn't
rewarded or even recognized.

Time to talk to the owner.

--Blair

You can order all the same same items that these restaurants carry from SushiNut. Make sushi at home and be your own sushi chef.