New York Sushi Ko - Tribeca Pop-Up

Church Street Tavern
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I first heard of New York Sushi Ko a year ago ago when I saw Instagram pics of a sushi chef blowtorching bluefin tuna skin until the rendered droplets of fat dripped onto the piece of toro tartare waiting below.

After I wiped the drool from my phone, I learned that the chef’s name was John Daley, a 6’1” American from New Jersey with awesome RICE and FISH knuckle tats.

With only 11 seats at Sushi Ko, I tried and failed a few times to snag a table so I gave up. Fast forward a year when my opportunity came up two weeks ago when my friend, Nina, mentioned Sushi Ko’s popup at Church Street Tavern, a restaurant right across my office.

Fate was knocking, and I was ready to answer.

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Sushi Nakazawa: The Apprentice Becomes a Master

Sushi Nakazawa
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My first meal of 2014 was at Sushi Nakazawa, a restaurant that I couldn't get a reservation for last year.

The early buzz was due in part to the fact that its head chef was Daisuke Nakazawa, the hard-working apprentice seeking perfection in the documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi.  In the film, he made over 200 tamagoyaki before getting a nod of approval by Jiro. That tireless commitment to exacting standards would translate well when Nakazawa made his American debut in 2011 at Shiro’s, a restaurant owned by a fellow Jiro apprentice. My friend Kevin recounted a positive experience and said that a flight to Seattle was warranted just to try the omakase.

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