bh stone barns vs. sushi yasuda?

[shih]

I know that these restaurants could probably not be farther from one another, but if you had to choose, which do you prefer? The atmosphere/room is not of concern, just the food! Would love to hear from people who have been to both.

Cheers!

[taboo]

Been to both....totally different but no contest...Blue Hill by a landslide...an AMAZING decadent dinner.

[fooder]

Purely on food, BHSB. But the travel, reservations, etc. change the equation. Yasuda > BHNY. It also depends how well Yasuda knows you, and whether you are an adventurous eater.

[gutsofsteel]

Blue Hill Stone Barns for sure. No comparison. BHSB is a unique, fantastic restaurant. Yasuda is a good sushi place, but not even extraordinary in its category.
But one recommendation: go to BHSB later in the season, when their own produce starts to become available.

[sherantz]

BH aside, I'd spend my sushi money at Sushi Seki over Yasuda any day!

[gutsofsteel]

Me too.

[Marge]

I have been to both and prefer Sushi Yasuda. I would go back to Sushi Yasuda. I would not go back to BHSB.

[gutsofsteel]

Why not?

[Marge]

I have only had sublimely fresh delicious sushi at Yasuda. My one meal at BHSB, which cost over $400 for two of us, consisted of a fabulous cocktail, an amazing egg on a salad, and several other unmemorable to negatively memorable (i.e. undercooked beans) dishes with amateurish service. Full disclosure--I live a few miles away from BHSB, so the setting is not special to me, and I find the whole premise gimmicky and ridiculously overpriced.

[sam1]

finally! i completely agree on BHSB...i went for an anniversary with a girlfriend here in 2006...i just thought it was meh. the place was beautiful and it was a good night out but the food...just meh.

it is completely opposite but yes, yasuda has continued to rule...at the bar only. i refuse to eat at the tables at yasuda.

[shih]

This is all really helpful!

Follow up for the BHSBers: Given the choice between BHSB on an ordinary weekend and on a holiday weekend (ie, Valentine's Day), which would you lean toward? We have V Day reservations now, but there are cons! 1. Pricier 2. Crowded (I kind of loathe dining out on the busiest days or at the busiest times). But the pros might be.... More interesting food/more effort into the special occassion? And maybe the dining room is going to be completely full no matter what weekend it is so it doesn't make a difference...? The V Day cost per person, I think, is $165, which seems significantly inflated from the normal (I think?) $105.

Let me know if you think it's really worth it / not worth it.

[gutsofsteel]

I would avoid V-Day like the plague. For all the reasons you said. The food will not be more interesting and in fact I bet you will have fewer choices. And they will be slammed even more than usual. Also BHSB is not at its unique best in the winter months.

[shih]

I'll gladly avoid V Day on that recommendation, but I don't know if I can hold out until the harvest season! Do you think it would be a real mistake to go in February?

[gutsofsteel]

Yes.

[ESNY]

Considering that they are booked solid every single night, I doubt they'll be any busier during V-day. Other than that, I completely agree with you that I avoid restaurants on that day, especially if they are serving a menu at an inflated price. Plus BHSB is better during the spring/summer time when more produce/vegetables are in season.

[piegirl74]

I have to say that I just went last week and the food was magnificent. In fact, we will have our wedding reception there in August - based on reviewing them in winter when produce is "somewhat less bountiful" (though some of my favorite veggies are harvested in these cold months, so maybe Im biased).

But, that said, I had a scallop dish with fennel and apples that was like summertime in the middle of winter! Completely bright and wonderful and surprising. There was also cauliflower, endive, forest mushrooms and other deliciousness amid our courses. It was not a boring winter meal by any means! And I look forward to eating there in August when even more yumminess abounds.

That said, I, too, would personally avoid eating out ANYwhere on V-day!

[ChefJune]

I would not dine out on Valentine's Day anywhere, just as I encourage my man to NOT spend money on Roses for V-day... everything is overpriced "on accounta"

That's one of the most important days of the year to dine in.

[shih]

thanks all! in line with my better judgement (and everyone else's) i canceled by bhsb v-day reservations (60% more expensive than the standard price!) for a reservation at yasuda with yasuda (!) for the friday beforehand. very excited! we have a 9:15 reservation, which i hope was the right choice over bruni's preferred 6:00.

thanks for all the input!

[gutsofsteel]

Personally, I do not like sitting in front of Yasuda himself. (There was recently a thread about this and some agreed, some didn't). And the 9:15 res worries me a bit for you, because as it is Yasuda tends to rush, and this will bump up against closing time...

[ESNY]

I've eaten there late in front of Yasuda and have never felt rushed. At least not more so then when i've been there earlier in the night

[uwsister]

While we've never dined there terribly late, I can't say I've ever felt rushed by Yasuda either. There is a time restriction, but we always finish in time without being aware of it. It's simply the best sushi in town, if not the country, IMO.

[gutsofsteel]

Kuruma and Masa are both better, in my opinion. They are also both much more expensive. I think Sushi Seki is better too.

And Urasawa.....?

[uwsister]

I haven't been to Masa or Urasawa, but I have a friend whose family is a regular at both and she says purely sushi-wise, Yasuda is as good as both and his eel is better than eel anywhere, including Urasawa. I have been to Kuruma and didn't come out impressed, great quality fish but something was missing for me. Of course we all have different tastes and opinions, which is the beauty of Chowhound!

[gutsofsteel]

Sushi-wise? Does that mean the rice, or...?

What was "missing" for you at Kuruma?

Having been to all of them....Yasuda's quality (and cutting skills) is not at the level of the others. Yasuda is not even trained formally in Japan, as has been discussed here many times.

I don't know specifically if "his" eel is better than "anywhere" (does that include Japan?), certanly haven't noticed that. Are we talking fresh water eel, salt water eel.....(anago vs unagi)? Or is it about the cooking preparation and saucing of the eel?

To compare Masa and Yasuda is like comparing a Bentley to a Toyota.

Have you been to Sushi Seki?

There is a reason Yasuda is the least expensive of all of these...

How can you make the claim that Yasuda is the best in the city and maybe in the country if you haven't been to Masa and Urasawa?

[uwsister]

LOL... I knew it would incite such response. I don't think the OP is about discussing the best sushi in the city, but to answer your questions quickly:

>How can you make the claim that Yasuda is the best in the city and maybe in the country if you haven't been to Masa and Urasawa?

IMO stands for "in my opinion" so yes, I can and in any case, there are many hounds who agree with me (Yasuda rules) and there are many hounds who agree with you (no, he doesn't.) Similarly my friend's opinion is hers only though I imagine she meant "anywhere in the U.S." I spent a fair amount of time in Japan growing up, speak conversational Japanese & have a semblance of an idea what good sushi tastes like although I'm not into sushi in a scholarly way that some hounds are. I have a Japanese friend who prefers her neighborhood sushi spot to all of Chowhound-oft-discussed spots, another who says Ike is best in L.A. (blasphemy!) etc. But what does all that matter? To me there isn't some sort of elusive hierarchy in sushi, I love what I love and will recommend to others if I did. To each to his/her own.

BTW no, haven't been to Sushi Seki, would like to sometime though I don't venture into UES often, and I preferred 15 East to Kuruma as well. Just missed that "something" for me ;)

[gutsofsteel]

I think that saying a place is the best in the city and maybe the country, when you have not been to a majority of its competitors, is misleading at best. You have no reasonable basis for comparison.

It would be helpful to know what "something" was "missing" for you at Kuruma and why you prefer Yasuda.

[uwsister]

Now Toyota is a competitor of Bentley? ;)

I think I've said everything I wanted to say in my previous post -- I rest my case.

[ChefJune]

hands down, Blue Hill.... EITHER location. Both totally amazing.