Restaurant Review: 15 East

This was an amazing meal for me, not only because the food was delicious, but this was the first time I was able to take my parents out for a nice dinner and let my mom experience something she had not experienced before. Over the years, my parents have provided me so many opportunities and given me so many memorable experiences, it was nice for once to be able to show them how much I appreciate them.

Now put your "aww" away and start your saliva glands. If you go, definitely sit at the sushi bar (which I'm finding true for any sushi omakase you have). Sushi is meant to be eaten right after the chef makes it, so you want to be as close in proximity to the chef as possible (without being restraining order close...). I kept noting that we wanted to sit in front of Chef Masa - which I hear is key and it definitely was for our experience. He answered all of my mom's questions and gave us lots of information about what he was serving us (like whether or not it was at the beginning or end of its season and where it came from). Too bad I don't remember it all...so there are a lot of pictures to follow (not the entire meal, but most of it). Overall, this was a great experience and I would highly recommend it!

15 East

http://15eastrestaurant.com/

15 E 15th Street

New York City, NY

(212) 647-0015

Which leg would you like?

Given the ultimate spa treatment (massaged) then boiled. Tender and flavorful! A must order!

As Mom calls it: Omasake!

Sashimi from Dad's Chef's Tasting Menu

Uni Flight: Santa Barbara, Hokkaido, and Maine! Also, a must have for uni lovers!

Hokkaido - Mom's favorite

Mom:  "The head is the best part!"

Crab Chawan Mushi

Slow Poached Oyster - apparently it was unfair Dad got one in his appetizer and we didn't

Fresh wasabi (of course!)

Mom: "I've never eaten sushi with my hands before!"

If you know my father - this is amazing. He usually doesn't eat raw fish.

The start of the "Tuna Flight" - leanest...

to Chu-Toro...

to O-toro! Fatty goodness

Great scallion/ginger combo on top of this one

Tiger prawn - better cooked than raw. Very sweet.

Spotted shrimp sashimi - head was still moving when I ate it!

I learned that the shrimp sashimi aged a couple days makes it even sweeter

I don't remember what this was, just that it was a from a small fish

Uni time again? Yes please!

Santa Barbara....followed by...

Hokkaido!

Eel that just melts in your mouth (not in your hand...)

Tomago. Per dad, egg is always good.

Uni and abalone risotto. Creamy and flavorful.

Cold soba noodles with ikura and uni.

Mineoka - aka sakura mochi with a milk sesame pudding in a kurasato syrup. I don't like dessert, but I finished that after a big meal.

Chef Masa - YOU ROCK.

I had a ton of fun with my family and very much enjoyed my meal.

As a last fun fact - half way through my meal, someone walks in and says hi to Chef Masa. The voice is very recognizable...both my Dad and I look at each other and whisper "It's Raymond Reddington!!!" James Spader apparently visits 15 East regularly. So you never know who you may see!

Review: Mu Ramen

Mu Ramen
12-09 Jackson Ave
Long Island City, NY 11101(917) 868-8903

Two things to start:

1. I'm obsessed with this place. I love the food, the ambience, and the owners just seem like really nice people.
2. It's cute when people come and ask what the wait time is for a table. Unless you're lining up for the opening or you don't mind going to a bar nearby for a drink, make a reservation at 3p.m., otherwise you're always looking at an hour wait...if not two.

Joe and I have been several times and over the visits have tried most of their menu (sometimes they have specials and we haven't tried those, yet). The menu isn't long: 1-2 snacks, 3-4 appetizers, and 3-4 ramens at any given time. The food is good, and it's consistently good. I haven't had a bad experience, yet. Some might argue it's expensive (2-3 apps, 2 ramens, a drink will run you about $100-$120 with tax/tip), but I've never regretted spending my money here.

Appetizers:

UnI (a.k.a Uni Sundae!) - Hokkaido and Santa Barbara uni on top of spicy tuna, roe, and sushi rice. Don't mix it or you'll pop the eggs!

"Okonomiyaki" - smoked trout, tobiko and shaved bonito on a scallion pancake with syrup. Joe's absolute favorite. 

Tebasaki Gyoza - foie and brioche stuffed chicken wing. People rave about this, but it's probably my least favorite appetizer. It's good, just a little rich.

MUssels! Sauteed mussels with a spicy dipping sauce. Very refreshing and super flavorful.

I'm not sure they do this anymore, but when you were done with the mussels, they brought over a chorizo arancini and broke it up in the mussel broth. You let it stand for a minute and it becomes an amazing porridge.

Ramens:

Mu Ramen - beef based broth with brisket, pickles, menna, cabbage, and scallions. A very unique flavor.

Tonkotsu 2.0 - my absolute favorite. Broth is flavorful, but not heavy. Pork jowl is fatty. Noodles have the perfect texture.

Spicy Miso - good, but pretty rich. I like the thicker noodles that miso ramen comes with, but my loyalty lies with the Tonkotsu 2.0.

Like I said, I'm obsessed. I mean, I'm willing to call this place 100 times over the course of 15 minutes to get a reservation, and...it's worth it every time. If you've said to yourself, "Oh, I've been meaning to make it out to Queens" - I just gave you the ultimate reason to finally make that trip.

Restaurant Review: Sushi Nakazawa

To be fair, I haven't had many sushi omakases, so I'm by no means an expert here, but what I do know is that I really enjoyed my experience. All my friends have told me, and it's true, you have to sit at the bar on a weekday here. Interacting with Nakazawa is 100% worth the extra $30 to sit at the bar (restaurant is $120/pp and the bar is $150/pp). Nakazawa is absolutely adorable and does his best to keep you entertained throughout your meal.

Also, if you like sake - do the $40 sake pairing. 5 pairings, so a great deal!

We begin.

Chum Salmon.

Lightly smoked, sockeye salmon.

Thanks chef for the scallop!

Squid

This was possibly horse mackerel.

Mackerel torched with lemon and sea salt.

Yellow tail.

Mackerel aged seven days.

He was moving around...but then....

Nakazawa was like "Saynora Shrimp!"

Giant Ebi.

I'm not all that sure what came next.

The sake pairing was getting to my head by now.

Photo break!

Tuna - from less fatty to o-toro!

Santa Barbara Uni...so...good.

Salmon Roe.

Salt water eel. My father would be so jealous.

Tuna hand roll.

Tomago! He took so long to perfect it. Liz and I had no idea that this was what Tomago is supposed to taste like!

Finished off with some lychee sorbet and a hot green tea.

A great meal with even better company.