Sushi Nakazawa Review | New York Food Photography
Sushi Nakazawa was poised for fame from the start. Its namesake chef, Daisuke Nakazawa, is prominently featured in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi as the apprentice who recounts his struggles to perfect his tamago-yaki. Once restaurateur Alessandro Borgognone successfully brought Nakazawa to New York City, the rising star chef and the city that adores sushi would be an easy match. Pete Wells’ 4-star review on the New York Times sealed the deal. Reservations were going to be impossible.
Luckily, I tried anyway. Even though the restaurant takes reservations only 30 days out and the sushi bar is always fully booked, there was a small link to be notified by text if a reservation became available, and so I signed up for each of the dates and times I had free in New York. Lo and behold, around 4pm on Monday afternoon, I got a text message and frantically scrambled to book the seats at the sushi counter for that night. “Cancel all our plans,” I told Jesse. “We’re going to Nakazawa.”
We were temporarily halted when the restaurant called to tell us their SeatMe system accidentally double-booked that spot, and we would not be seated at the sushi counter after all. But luckily (again) for us, they seated us instead at their VIP table, just an arm’s length away from the bar. The restaurant has also since abandoned SeatMe, which is probably for the best, though it also closes the text alert loophole too.
My first impressions of the restaurant were that it looks nothing like a Japanese sushi restaurant. Our table was a wobbly, glossy round counter table, fit for a hotel lobby or a business suite. I liked the clean white subway tiles and the servers dressed in suits, but I could have done without the disposable chopsticks (!) and the shaky table and swivel seats.
While I found the restaurant choices and some of its details (or lack of attention to detail) questionable, I had nothing but love for Nakazawa and his sushi. Nakazawa definitely spotted me with my camera right off the bat, and he responded with humor. He was definitely an entertainer, charming guests with photos of crazy-looking fish on his tablet throughout the night while churning out perfect sushi bites.
Jesse and I (but especially Jesse) eat a lot of sushi, but we were both wowed by Nakazawa’s creations. As he noted in his Scrumphsus review, every piece of fish was buttery, melt-in-your-mouth soft. And there was a unique kick to many of the pieces, with a subtle oil spice and not the typical wasabi heat.
More grins from the chef!
After the twenty-piece omakase, we each chose a couple extra pieces. The tamago-yaki was all it was promised to be!
They also served a refreshing yuzu sorbet as our dessert.
Toward the end of the night, as guests and chefs began to clear out, we noticed the restaurant owner Alessandro Borgognone at the other end of the bar, talking to some regulars. Jesse and I chatted with him a little bit, and I snapped this photo for him. Borgognone says this restaurant is his favorite, because it only does one thing– sushi– and it does it well.
I don’t disagree. Nakazawa does sushi, and he does it well. The chef worries only about the food, and everything that comes out of his kitchen is an impeccable indulgence. The restaurant side, however, lacks the same level of craft and attention to detail. From disposable chopsticks to wobbly tables to the overall lack of culture and personality, I am simply left wishing that the space could live up to all that the sushi (or dare I say Jiro) should demand.
Still, the food makes the trip completely worth it- if you can get a reservation, that is!
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often jetsetting around the world. Follow her on facebook for more food, photography, and travel adventures.
