Posted by Ed Levine, August 26, 2008 at 11:30 PM
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Sushi Azabu
428 Greenwich Street, New York NY 10013 (between Vestry and Laight streets; map); 212-274-0428
Service: Very attentive, if you're one of the only people at the sushi bar
Compare It To: Blue Ribbon Sushi, Sushisay
Must-Haves: Red snapper collar, medium fatty tuna
Cost: A minimum of $75, if you want the best-quality fish
Grade: B
In New York, the search for the perfect sushi meal—not too expensive, the highest-quality fish, perfect sushi rice—is like the search for the Holy Grail. That's because sushi restaurants and experiences tend to fall into two distinct boxes, moderately priced sushi palaces like Tomoe Sushi, and high-end orgasm-inducing sushi establishments like Kuruma Zushi, Sushi Yasuda, and, of course, Masa.
So when I started reading a lot of internet chatter about, yes, another "secret, under-the-radar" sushi joint with no sign frequented by Japanese business people, I must admit it piqued my interest. Blog posts touting Sushi Azabu had the sushi chef at the highly regarded 15 East sending his customers to Sushi Azabu.
A tip from a highly skilled sushi chef was all I needed to hear.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, June 18, 2008 at 1:00 PM
I don’t usually jump up and down about fried fish sandwiches. I can’t even remember the last time I had one, but the other day I was taken to new heights by the flying fish cutter at The Catch, a cozy spot in St. Albans, Queens that specializes in Bajan cuisine, the food of Barbados. At the borough’s only Bajan eatery, the Cutting family (no relation to the name of the sandwich) has proudly done the dining room up in the blue and white colors of their home country’s flag.
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Posted by Ed Levine, December 19, 2006 at 7:00 AM
Whether you’re a New York expatriate who’s been exiled to a software development job in Silicon Valley or just someone who discovered the delights of quintessential New York food on a trip to Gotham, we all love New York food. I don’t think it’s chauvinistic to say that there are some things that are better in New York.
That’s true for other parts of the country as well. Barbecue is better eaten in North Carolina or Texas or Kansas City. Frozen custard should be licked in Wisconsin or Saint Louis. Chili should be eaten in Cincinnati. But for things like pastrami, bagels, bialys, and cheesecake, you've got to go to the source. Or have someone from the source ship it to you, bring the mountain to Muhammad, so to speak. So without further ado, here’s the Serious Eats Guide to Quintessential New York Mail-Order Foods.
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Posted by Ed Levine, March 26, 2006 at 12:44 PM
First of all it's Sunday in New York. That means it's brunch and bagels time. I wrote a bagels piece for the New York Times a few years ago, and my favorite bagels in the country back then were made by a Thai family at Absolute Bagels. After a return visit this past Friday, I am happy to report that the bagels there are better than ever. I bought a dozen mini-bagels, and though I have not had a bagel in months because of my ongoing diet (27 pounds down so far) I managed to polish off five of them in the ensuing 24 hours. Absolute's mini-bagels are paradigmatic; they are crusty and crunchy on the outside, just tender enough on the inside, and (thank God) not too sweet.
For those unlucky souls who don't have access to great smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels you can order a terrific complete New York brunch at Russ and Daughters, which has been dispensing extraordinary smoked fish and life advice for nearly a hundred years now. You can't get advice concerning your career or your love life from the Russ and Daughters' wisecracking counter people when you order on-line. That will have to wait until you visit the store. But the smoked salmon is as good as you'll find anywhere, as is the herring, whitefish and sturgeon.
Absolute Bagels
Address:788 Broadway, New York, NY 10025-2827
Phone: (212) 932-2052
Russ and Daughters
Address:179 E. Houston St., New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212-475-4880
Posted by Ed Levine, January 3, 2006 at 1:25 PM
I managed to get through the holidays without gaining any weight. In fact, I lost a pound between Christmas and New Year's Eve. I am particularly proud of this given the amount of food that not so mysteriously makes it way to our house during the holiday season. You see, for a food writer, every day is Xmas in terms of the flow of food presents. While the rest of the world only has to resist temptation from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day every year, food writers are constantly tempted by people who send us food to sample 24-7 the entire year.
This year we received the following at our house between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day:
- Buttered pecans and candied pecans from North Carolina.
- Peanuts from Virginia
- Six pints of Graeter's Ice Cream in Cincinatti
- Six pints of Capogiro Gelato from Philadelphia.
- A huge gift basket of food sent by a writer client of my literary agent wife
- Samples of what turned out to be an awful low-cal ice cream.
- Two kinds of pound cake.
- A pound of delicious Smoked Salmon.
- Three different kinds of designer chocolate
- An eight pound smoked brisket from Texas.
Most of these were holiday presents from friends and colleagues. I know it sounds churlish to complain about this flow of free grub, but if you're someone who adores food who happens to be on a diet, it does make it difficult.
I am accepting all gifts of kelp and miso this post-holiday season.
