Picky Eater arrived in New York this weekend. After a carefully considered debate with myself, I decided to take her to one of my favorite restaurants: Kanoyama, a sushi joint in the East Village that offers incredibly fresh fish, beautiful presentation, and reasonable prices.We arrived at the restaurant ready to consume, having spent the previous four hours strolling around Lower Manhattan (though Picky Eater would have you believe that it was a death march). We excitedly proceeded to order an appetizer of amberjack (kampachi, or Hawaiian yellowtail), a spicy scallop roll, and the sushi and sashimi for two. The amberjack was luxuriously smooth and tasted as if it had leapt straight from the net (though hopefully not from the Hudson or the East River) and helpfully positioned itself right under the sushi chef's knife. The spicy scallop roll was a burst of sweet, sweet scallops brightened by a dollop of mildly spicy chili mayonnaise. We happily welcomed the pièce de resistance, the sushi and sashimi plate, featuring nigiri with tuna, salmon, barbecued laquered unagi, ebi and hamachi; sashimi consisting of fluke, toro, sea bass, sardines, and octopus; monkfish liver; and the best California rolls in the world (don't judge, I'm a new convert to sushi).
Other than the monkfish liver, the boring ebi, and the sardines, we devoured everything. At just over $100 for two for a sushi dinner, everything was simply wonderful. Picky Eater vigorously nodded in agreement; she was too busy eating to say so. I guess there are some things my sister and I have in common after all.
it was definitely not a fluke that the fluke was so good. the chef here is amazing and the tab was worth every penny. well, every one of your 10,000 hard-earned pennies. good choice, now let's see what the other two critics have to say.
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