Introduction
After having tried Masa the last time in New York, I wanted to try a different sushi place in New York on my most recent trip. A few readers had mentioned Shuko was a good one to try, and so I was able to make online reservations at the bar about a week in advance (albeit at a 6PM time slot.)
Experience
Our Uber driver dropped us off and we probably walked by it a few times before finding it; the entrance is pretty discrete. Once we walked in, we noticed a long sushi bar in a dimly lit room that could probably seat ~20 people. There were 3 tables behind us, and we saw one couple eventually occupy one of the tables. My wife and I chose the kaiseki option after we confirmed it came with all the omakasa option PLUS EXTRA (I was worried you only got a portion of the omakasa option.) We also ordered a bottle of sake to go with our meal.
You can see that there are about ~6 sushi stations and each station has a chef that will prepare your sushi. Our chef (not pictured) spoke a little bit of English, and he told us he used to apprentice at Masa. He was a very entertaining chef. At one point, the couple next to us mentioned he doesn’t eat uni, and I mentioned I wasn’t a fan of it. Then the chef prepared our next piece; I ate it and it was a very odd texture (oyster like.) I wasn’t a huge fan of it, and it turns out it was a scallop sperm sac. BOOM! The chef described the taste as a mix between uni and an oyster, which sounds about right.
Conclusion
All in all, I enjoyed the meal. I liked the kaiseki portions of the meal (especially the lobster soup.) I thought the apple pie at the end was kind of weird at a sushi place, but whatever. If you’re in New York, I’d give this a go. I probably won’t go back though (esp after seeing the receipt again just now.) Pictures below. I didn’t post all the nigiri pictures. You can guess which one was the scallop sperm sac.
Dude so being from LA I’m a huge sushi snob. Nowhere in America not even sf or nyc stand up to la. Even our 2nd tier I feel is better than most all other places. Obviously this is due to our Japanese population and our proximity to Japan. Having said that there are 2 places outside of LA I will repeat if I want great sushi.
1. In your hood. Shiro. Haven’t been since he retired but that place was phenomenal. And of all places Seattle for me beats anything sf and nyc has to offer (masa was disappointing).
2. Kura in nyc. Simple but phenomenal and somehow the freshness of the fish isn’t lost traveling to nyc. Not cheap though.
Anyways those are my thoughts haha
Yeah I’ve been to Shiro’s new place, but was at a table. I’ll have to get the omakase bar next time.
Where do you recommend in LA?
Oops sorry I thought I answered on my phone.
For a special occasion Urusawa without a doubt. He’s the Masa of the west coast/la but with the fish quality of LA. In fact when Masa was in LA running Ginza, Urusawa was his sous-chef. He handed him the reins (same location) and moved to nyc. But yeah it’s a great experience. When making a rez ask to be sat in front of Urusawa. Also the earlier rez times are best. Final bill for 2 with a decent bottle of sake will run you around 1300. And I definitely walk away each time more wowed than my experience at Masa
Other than that Sushi Zo in West LA is OG. Very legit. Fairly priced. Probably best omakase around. They’re also omakase-only.
Mori was very good when he was around but I haven’t been since he reitred.
Have to jump in on this conversation. I can say that the sushi restaurants in Hawaii surpass the restaurants on the West Coast. Our supplies are flown in from Japan or are caught locally.
But yes, LA has the best quality from what I’ve seen on the West Coast – but the flavor of the Hawaii sushi is very good. I have not traveled to Japan, so I cannot comment on the Mecca of sushi.
Yes I do agree your fish is fresher. No question about it. In fact the annoying thing here for the past year is the Uni is sourced from Santa Barbara and it’s been hit or miss. Whereas, I believe the Uni from Hawaii is sourced from Hokkaido….. But, the quality of sushi chefs in LA I think give sushi here the overall edge. As Jiro says the fish is ancillary it’s all about the rice! Lol he did say that, but I don’t think I’m at that level yet to truly get that