15 East

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 27, 2009

SUSHI (OMAKASE)
15 E 15th St
(5th Ave & Union Square E)
New York, NY 10003
212-647-0015

Perennially on the hunt for authentic sushi downtown, I had heard from several sources that 15 East is good, so I decided to check it out. Visiting opentable.com on three different occasions revealed tables were available at any time of my choice as close as 15 minutes beforehand. Though this caused doubt, I still wanted to try it.

My companion and I reserved seats at the sushi bar. Seated at the far left end, we were close to the kitchen and to the corridor where the food comes out. Despite this privileged view, the seat was extremely uncomfortable, as I was crammed into a dead corner to my left. The rest of the bar seemed slightly more spacious, but the nine-seat bar would be more comfortable as an eight-seater.

Our seats were also the farthest from Executive Sushi Chef Masato Shimizu, and I was concerned that he would not be serving us, which would have defeated the purpose of sitting at the bar in the first place. However, the service that night was correct, and everyone seated at the sushi bar is in Chef Shimizu’s care, while the other two sushi chefs tend to the main dining room.*

The waitress appeared pleasant but, in coaxing us to order drinks, she was aggressive; still that was nothing compared to the drama that ensued. The couple sitting next to us had apparently been there for a while, and though they were still eating, the waitress told them that they had exceeded their time limit. The couple were dumbfounded and asked politely, “So we have to leave?” They were not making a scene, but Chef Shimizu sensed the rising tension and told the waitress to back off and the couple not to worry. But bad karma was already in the air. The couple, ruffled by the unpleasant experience, continued to order food, essentially refusing to leave, and Chef Shimizu took the waitress into the kitchen apparently to have a word with her. The couple did eventually leave, by which time the vacant seats were no longer needed. That I could see all of this unfolding was the only benefit to my uncomfortable seat though it made for a not-so-relaxing meal.

Meanwhile, my companion and I enjoyed two appetizers before the sushi: ankimo (monkfish liver) and homemade tofu, both delicate and enticing. The 10-piece sushi omakase ($55) that followed was well worth the price, with each piece individually and uniquely seasoned by the chef. From the Japanese red snapper to needlefish, chutoro (semi-fatty tuna) and anago (sea eel), each was delicious, but like the sushi at nearby Soto, it was dainty and not too filling.

With three different types of uni (sea urchin) that day, from Maine, California and Japan, we opted for two additional pieces of the chef’s choice and received the Californian over rice without seaweed and the Japanese gunkan maki. Japanese for warship roll, the gunkan maki is a vessel of rice bound by seaweed around its perimeter to hold softer toppings like uni. The Santa Barbara uni was, as expected, sweet and succulent. The Japanese was comparatively bitter but, unfortunately, had such a short aftertaste that I couldn’t really savor it. Though I love uni, neither of these blew me away.

Dessert was a disaster. We ordered the chocolate sponge cake, but there were too many flavors, and they didn’t work together. Competing with the chocolate were yuzu, black sesame, and shiso sauces, diced pineapple and sea salt vanilla ice cream that tasted more of coconut. I couldn’t find the relationship that was needed to connect the various flavors; it was every flavor for itself.

15 East comes in second, after Soto, among my downtown sushi picks. My satisfaction with 15 East was certainly due in part to my relief that the sushi was so delicious after the tense start to dinner. After recent visits to Jewel Bako, where Chef Shimizu previously worked, proved disappointing, this meal was a pleasant surprise.

With two bottles of beer, the final dinner tab came to $270 for two, which is not terrible, but the only thing worth the price was the 10-piece omakase sushi. I will return for the delicious sushi, but my strategy might be to start off with drinks and snacks elsewhere before heading over to Chef Shimizu’s bar for the omakase. That could help make 15 East a part of my regular repertoire.

*Correction: Even if seated at the sushi bar, there is no guarantee that Chef Shimizu will serve you.

Also in Japanese, Seafood, Sushi, Union Square