Sushi
“One of the Great New York Nights”
Just wrapped up an amazing guided dinner for six at the sushi bar, and the chef and I received a phenomenal compliment from a British gentleman who was part of the group. “In my 20-plus years here,” he said, “this has been one of the great New York nights."
Read MoreSushi Like Jazz
Last night the historical sushi dinner I hosted in D.C. featured a cut-open nigiri of salt-cured king prawn, under which, between the prawn and the rice, the chef had tucked a dab of the prawn’s own tomalley, augmented with white miso. I love opening people’s eyes to the imagination and technique that a good sushi…
Read MoreSkeptic’s Birthday
When retired New York City businessman Jack Shaifer sat down at the sushi bar with me last night to celebrate his 70th birthday with his family, he was not impressed. “I was skeptical,” he later admitted. “What could this guy teach me about sushi that I didn’t already know?” Jack’s daughter-in-law, who’d arranged the dinner,…
Read MoreHelp Save the Endangered Bluefin
Discover the delights of an old-fashioned, traditional Japanese sushi menu that prizes the more authentic sushi fish–and skips the endangered tunas pushed by the globalized, industrial fishing and restaurant industries–by attending one of my historical sushi dinners. Bluefin tuna and the risks faced by this majestic fish from overfishing were the subject of a recent…
Read MoreBehind the Scenes at Jewel Bako
I recently spent a few hours behind the scenes with the sushi chefs at the Michelin-starred Jewel Bako restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village, where I host historical sushi dinners, watching them prepare during a busy morning and afternoon. Here, Chef Yuzo trims fillets of a variety of small, traditional sushi fish. If you’re curious what else…
Read MoreLast Supper
Undergoing an organ transplant can change everything; for one young man I met last year, the consequences of his upcoming lung transplant would include a restriction against eating raw fish for the rest of his life. With that in mind, his friends organized a historical sushi dinner for him last fall, and I had the…
Read More“Gastro Chic” Reviews New York Dinner Event
The blogger Gastro Chic showed up to attend one of my recent historical sushi dinners and has just posted a lovely, detailed review of the evening. She writes: Before you sharpen those chopsticks (a sushi bar no-no, by the way), settle down and have a sushi meal as it would have been eaten by a Japanese connoisseur…
Read MoreSize Matters
By Trevor Corson When it comes to the size of your sushi, believe it or not, a sushi chef is supposed to be like a good tailor. If you’re not getting a custom fit, you’re not getting good service. A friend of mine recently visited an American sushi restaurant he’d loved in the past. The…
Read MoreRuining Regular Sushi, One Meal at a Time
Last night I hosted a private dinner at Jewel Bako in New York for a gentleman named Eric and his wife Michelle, to celebrate her birthday. They were both fairly experienced sushi eaters, but Michelle in particular had been playing it safe over the years. With my guidance Michelle ended up trying things Eric had…
Read MoreWhy I Love Hosting Historical Sushi Dinners
Feeling happy this morning: Last night I hosted a private dinner at Jewel Bako for a gentleman named Eric and his wife Michelle, to celebrate her birthday. They were both pretty experienced sushi eaters, but Michelle in particular had been playing it safe over the years. To Eric’s great delight, Michelle ended up trying things…
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