I found myself wandering north of Times Square Saturday evening before
the theater and remembered how I adored Natsumi (www.natsuminyc.com-
226 West 50th Street)on my previous visits. I headed right over and
the place was very quiet at 5:30pm, only to be full when I left two
hours later.
I was seated at the sushi bar and got to watch the three chefs at
work, and even chatted some, although they were busy and didn't seem
to like small talk in English.
I started with a SPICY MARTINI, knowing my show was a light musical, I
could drink heavily! This large portioned drink made with jalapeno
vodka, canton ginger liqueur and a splash of lemonade, is not too
spicy but is a strong martini for sure and was indeed a nice foil to
may starter salad of ENDIVE, Mustard & UNAGI. I am in love with this
simple salad of SMOKED warm EEL served in three large Endive leaves
with walnut pieces on the side (they should sprinkle them on top for
crunch as using chopsticks to move them can be tough--I reverted to
fingers) and a soy based Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette.
As I was at the sushi bar, I decided to forego some of the Asian-
Italian fusion pasta dishes I love here, but still chose the Italian
named "BACIA de FROCO." This Spicy Super White Tuna Sushi is made with
Kani, Tempura Flakes, Asparagus and has an medium spiced Asian Chili
Sauce. I liked to quickly dip each piece in soy for a bit of extra
flavor, although the wasabi on the side was totally unnecessary.
Indeed the ginger here is so fresh and tasty one could munch on it to
no end.
I enjoyed this with SHICHIKEN JUNMAI GINGO SAKE which is served by the
half carafe and each carafe has a hole in the center for ice to keep
it cold, but not dilute; how smart is that? After finishing this sake
I went on to a less pricey, but even better OTOKAYAMA JUNMAI.
I had a hard time choosing sushi and really wanted the DOPPIO TORO
(another Italian namesake), so the lady next to me offered me a piece
of hers as she could not finish....how nice was that! The Doppio Toro
melds two toro sushis-salmon and yellowtail--with asparagus, avocado,
tempura flakes (I love these for crunch), pesto and a spicy mayo
sauce. The sauces come beautifully decorating the platters and are
never overdone or too much, and you can easily use just a smidgen if
you like as it is not in a bowl or dish to dip.
I loved the TORO so the sushi chef suggested the HAMACHI TORO of two
pieces which was simply plain and perfect. I then finished my sushi
course with the CHUTORO two pieces of tuna toro, one seared and one
not. The unseared was a bit chewy, but the seared was perfection.
A small plate of WAFU SEAWEED Salad was my "dessert" here presented
atop cucumber "logs" with a slightly too rich Ponzu dressing. I will
stick to the seaweed at my Sushi A GoGo and in the future head to the
unagi/endive salad when here.
