Japanese restaurants for someone who does not like sushi.

[FMH]

Hello,

I love eating sushi and sashimi,
My boyfriend however is not fond of anything raw and hasn't had good experiences eating Japanese food. I'd love suggestions of Japanese restaurants ($$-$$$) and what to order beyond raw fish so we can both be happy with our food.

Thank you so much!

[bern1]

Sobaya on 9th st betw. 3rd and 2nd ave is currently one of my favorite lunches in manhattan. Any of their noodle dishes or lunch boxes are worth the visit. They hand role their own soba and udon in the restaurant. Bona fide.

[thew]

i love the cold soba w/ the hot duck dipping sauce/soup

[kobetobiko]

I have recomended Kanoyama for sushi many times, but their cooked food is very good as well, especially their fried food like tempura and grilled items like hamachi kama shioyaki.

LAN on third Ave has very good French influenced Japanese cooked food and decent sushi and sashimi. 15 East is excellent in both sushi and cooked food department though more expensive than the two mentioned.

[FMH]

Any particular dish you'd recommend at 15 East? He love's tocqueville wich is the same owner so that is a great option.

[kobetobiko]

Hi FMH,

For cooked food, I really like their wild salmon 5 ways and duck. They also have fresh made soba noodles, though it is sometimes topped with uni so not sure if your BF will like it. They also have a delicious cooked octopus app (tako yawarakani). The octopus is super tender! Their sushi and sashimi are of course extremely good and of high quality, and sometimes they will have fresh whole uni (in shell).

LAN is also a reliable choice, and cooked food like red wine braised ox-tongue and chawan mushi are very good! I found their cooked food better than their sushi which is still decent.

[E Eto]

Lan would be my suggestion as well. The tasting menu is a good value.
http://www.lan-nyc.com/lan_menu_1.pdf

[scoopG]

Donguri - great, delicious dishes like Berkshire Pork Belly, Corn Tempura, Grilled Octopus as well as Grilled Steak and much more...

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/...

[thew]

i have not been to donguri since the original owners left - is it the same?

other choices:

tatany 72
matsuri

[scoopG]

I think they returned in 2005 to Japan and the Chef who took over was trained by them - I think the ultimate owner (or landlord) is a Japanese brewer - I really can't compare to the previous owners but have always enjoyed my meals there.

[FMH]

Thanks, I looked at the link for Donguri and It seems we'll find great options for him.

[Silverjay]

Itoen, the mother company, makes tea and tea soft drinks.

[Pan]

Kamui Den is an excellent all-service Japanese restaurant on Av. A near 12th St. You can get good sushi/sashimi there, and your boyfriend can get any number of things, including a nimono of tongue, a kabayaki of eel and unagi sauce, chawanmushi, etc. It's a very good restaurant that also serves sushi/sashimi, rather than a sushi/sashimi specialist that also serves other dishes.

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/...