S H I R O

We consider ourselves to be fairly big sushi people. While we love all kinds of food, sushi is a staple in our diet. That's not really surprising seeing as how we live on the west coast; in Vancouver, you're going to find as many sushi restaurants as you would McDonald's. So when we heard from my friend that Shiro's was the place to go just south of the border, I put it on my radar right away.

For those of you that have watched the sushi documentary, Jiro's Dreams of Sushi, this place is a great alternative to flying to Japan so you can eat under the Ginza train station. For those of you that haven't watched the movie - just do. It is very artistically done and extremely interesting if you're a foodie. The chef that made the tamago, Daisuke, works here! He joined Shiro, a former apprentice of Jiro, about two years ago here, although the restaurant has been here for several decades.
Shiro is located in Seattle, a little bit away from the Pike Place Market. To get in this restaurant though, you need to get there early. Though the restaurant opens at 5:30, you're likely to be waiting a while if you get there during opening.

We both got there early (see picture of Janice below) and we had the omikaze. This restaurant is very comparable to Sushi Yasuda which we visited when we were in New York. Both are equally traditional (Shiro's even more so though given it's size and the clientele that they serve), serve amazingly fresh fish, and the chefs are all from Japan. They know their sushi and you can tell by the quality of the sushi served. Don't come here if you like modern style rolls (ie. dragon rolls, spider rolls, etc, etc), but come here if you appreciate sushi the traditional way. Some of the fish we had included, varieties of tuna and salmon, monk fish, herring, shrimp, geo duck, flounder, squid, and on and on it goes. Honestly, I would say Shiro's and Sushi Yasuda were pretty close. But I would highly recommend Shiro's and intend on coming back soon. Definitely worth the 3 hour drive! Right now, the only thing more authentic might be going to Japan's fish markets themselves.

S H I R O ' S S U S H I
2401 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

S U S H I Y A S U D A

On the second night in New York, we decided to go and get some sushi. Now, coming from Vancouver, you might think this decision a little strange. I did at first too. There is a stereotype that the west coast has the best options for sushi but after this visit, I believe I may have been mistaken.

When I knew that I was going to New York, I knew that this would be a foodie trip. We would indulge not in shopping or sight seeing, but in good food. I turned to Alice for some recommendations and this restaurant came up. Between this and Morimoto's, I was recommended this restaurant.

Located by the Grand Central Station in Manhatten, this restaurant is central for most tourists to New York. Of course we had a long day of walking around Soho so we were starving by the time we arrived. The menu was simple and typical of most japanese restaurants so we both went with the omakaze menu. The more traditional restaurants will have this option but basically, the sushi chef will give you dishes based on their recommendations. In this case, we got all nigiri style sushi ranging from raw oyster, king salmon, unagi done two ways, spanish mackeral, japanese mackeral, etc. I would highly recommend going with this option if you don't know what you would like. If you do get this option though, do try to sit at the sushi bar, it's a much better experience having the chef personally serve you and introduce each dish. Keep in mind though: no soy sauce or wasabi as the chef would want you to eat each piece as is!

Overall thoughts? It was one of the best japanese meals I have had and probably a more authentic experience than anything we have in Vancouver. The bill came up to about $130 per person but we had some warm sake too. Overall well worth it!

Sushi Yasuda

http://www.sushiyasuda.com/