Sushi Nakazawa, West Village, NYC

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Sushi Nakazawa on Urbanspoon

 

Food: ☆☆☆☆☆

Service: ☆☆☆☆☆

Ambiance: ☆☆☆

Cost: $$$$

Must try: Omakase only

Sushi Nakazawa is rapidly gaining a reputation for serving some of the finest sushi in New York City.

One wouldn’t expect any less as it is helmed by the famed apprentice of Jiro Ono – the honored sushi chef – a national treasure in Japan, whose story was told in the documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”.

 

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 Daisuke Nakazawa was the young apprentice in the film who struggled to make the perfect tamago having to do it over 200 times. Nakazawa has now partnered with Alessandro Borgognone to bring this fine craftsmanship from the shores of Japan to New York City.

 Sushi Nakazawa debuted recently in the West Village with a 10-seater sushi bar and a small attached dining room.

Ofcourse the place to be is at the sushi bar (an impossible reservation) where Chef Nakazawa and his team of experts delight customers, not only with their skill but also with a blitheness that is rather unexpected.

 

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Chef Nakazawa regales you through the courses with tidbits from his life interlaced with humor and wit.

When asked if he likes New York he replies, “ I heart NY- like the t-shirt you buy in Times Square”. When asked what his favorite restaurant is he quickly replies “Five Guys”! And of course when asked what his favorite sushi restaurant is – he answers with hushed reverence “Jiro Ono”.

As entertaining as he is Chef Nakazawa is a serious master when it comes to his craft. Every piece of fish I tried was fantastic. This might be the finest sushi meal I have ever experienced.

Chef Nakazawa is very particular about sourcing the very best ingredients and seafood, both locally and from around the world.

The Tiger shrimp sushi was still alive and squirming around in his hands as he prepared it and it was still moving even as I put it in my mouth!

 

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Some real standouts for me was the “Scallop from Maine with Yuzu and a special Sake Sauce”. My mouth kept tingling with its flavors well after the scallop had melted. Other favorites were the “Ivory King Salmon” and the “Marinated Chūtoro”

The grand finale was naturally the Tamago which was outstanding. The entire piece felt seamless as if there was no beginning and no end – just the silky sweetness of perfect flavors.

 

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 So from my side it’s a big “Yes” to Sushi Nakazawa where you get transported to a totally different dimension. Jiro is not the only one who dreams of sushi now!

 Here is some of what we ate:

 

Ivory King Salmon from Alaska

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Hay Smoked Salmon from Hokkaido

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Scallop from Maine with Yuzu and a Sake Sauce

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Shiro Mirugai from Washington State

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Hirame (fluke) from Long Island with Yuzu Zest

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Tokyo Bay Barracuda

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Kyushu Horse Mackrel (Aji)

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Portuguese Sardine

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Saba (mackerel) from Kyushu

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Tiger shrimp from Florida ( it’s still moving)

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Aoebi (blue shrimp) from New Caledonia

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Hamachi (yellowtail) from Hokkaido

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Hay-Smoked Skipjack Tuna (katsuo) from Kyushu

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Akami (lean tuna) from Boston

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Marinated chūtoro (medium-fatty tuna) from Boston

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Ōtoro (fatty tuna) from Boston

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Uni (sea urchin) from Santa Barbara

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Ikura (salmon roe) from Alaska

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Anago (saltwater eel) from Kyushu

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 Toro (fatty tuna) Hand Roll.

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Tamago

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Yuzu sorbet with Raspberry and Pomegranate

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Restaurant Information

 

* Restaurant Name
Sushi Nakazawa
* Overall
★★★☆☆
* Neighborhood / Cuisine
West Village / Japanese / Sushi
* Street Address
23 Commerce St., New York, NY 10014
* Phone
(212) 924-2212
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