Please dont hate: Tomoe or alternative, (big portions, decent quality)

[Agordo]

It has been about 5 years since I have been to NYC. In a few weeks, I will be meeting up with some out-of-town friends over a weekend stay and we all have a craving for sushi and sashimi. I will save the required visits to Yasuda and 15 East for a solo meal, this group will be 4 big eating college buddies. If memory serves me correctly, Tomoe would fit the bill: big slices of decent otoro, albacore (white) tuna, etc. for around 50 bucks per person. Does anyone have any recent experience there or are there any other recommendations?

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15 East
15 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

[sing me a bar]

I sometimes feel I helped build Tomoe! I'd be a regular at the bar, the owner Ken-san holding court, but that was the 80's & 90's, I think. It has sunk to a shadow of its former self. I see Ken in the neighborhood sometimes. His look seems to belie that he knows he let down us old regulars by moving into a new model. He could buy lesser cuts and charge more. So the lines are still down the block and Monster Sushi took the formula; huge pieces cheap, but trust me, you don't want to eat there, either. I've just faced that sushi is expensive in NY. My fave is still Ushi Wakamura, but I may see the inside of that place twice a year, given how expensive it is. I think it's worth it, though. I just cannot eat at Yama, it's like the Teriyaki Boy of sushi. I go to sushi Yawa on 8th St. It is not Japanese run, and the maguro is not the greatest cut, but it's quiet, the staff is great, and if you order carefully, you won't be disappointed. But it's a bit generic, too. You won't get albacore tataki or ankimo or jellyfish. It's very straightforward. If anyone DOES know of a present-day version of Tomoe, I'd love to hear about it. I think the change in the economy has taken that model away and in order to get the size portions they used to cut at such modest prices, you'd have to go to some "all you can eat" place. I haven't fallen that far yet.

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Yama
308 E 49th St, New York, NY 10017

Yawa
25 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011

Monster Sushi
22 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

[Simon]

hi sing...i feel your pain...have you ever tried Natori?...i think their early-bird sashimi specials are a nice palative for the "new normal"... :) cheers/kanpai...Simon

[sing me a bar]

Thank you, Simon. Sorry to sound so tragic, but I used to live in west L.A., where reasonably-priced sushi venues were everywhere. I'll try Natori, but I have an affliction of not being to eat early. I equate it to when I was a kid and had misbehaved. I can't even drink that early, but I'll try them out.

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Natori
58 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

[Simon]

while the portions are not huge at Natori, the prices are a bargain...for 50/person you could eat a lot of sashimi and sushi there (the avocado/tuna and avocado/unagi salads are delicious and cheap)...it's on the quieter block of St. Marks between 2nd Ave/1stAve...grungey, small place that's been around for years...

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Natori
58 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

[penthouse pup]

Might be above your price point but Japonica on University Place serves large-sized sushi and sashimi and the quality is very good.

[Noodle fanatic]

Sorry, but Japonica is way overpriced for the quality of fish they serve. For that price, I'd go to Kanoyama for real sushi.

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Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[Noodle fanatic]

Consider Yama, the one on Irving in Union Square.

[Miss Needle]

There's also a location of Yama near Tomoe. I think it would fit the OP's bill -- humongous slabs of sushi.

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Yama
40 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

[Noodle fanatic]

I know it's the same restaurant and menu, but for some reason, I tend to think the sushi at Yama on Irving is better than the one on Carmine. Although the one on Carmine is a little bit less cramped.

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Yama
40 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

[janethepain]

Bleh, been to Yama on Irving twice (actually, from this board years ago) and thought it was gross actually. Fish was ick but big (so big slabs of icky fish, making it worse) and the AC wasn't working or something.

Actually, this place called Umi Sushi in Murray Hill had a great chirashi and sashimi dinner deal - biig slices of fish for like $20, and the fish actually tasted pretty good for a neighborhood joint. I'm a big eater and I can't finish all the fish in the chirashi or sashimi dinner, it's a LOT. They've raised prices by about $4 recently though :(

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Yama
40 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

Umi Sushi
118 E 31st St, New York, NY 10016

[gutsofsteel]

Tenzan serves huge slabs of crudely cut fish. And it's inexpensive.

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Tenzan
988 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10022

[gutsofsteel]

Try Momoya. Tomoe is really not good.

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Momoya
185 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[Pookipichu]

Tomoe's quality has plummeted. I have given it several chances over the past two years and it just isn't the same restaurant as years ago (5+). The fish is just NOT good. The smell, the taste. You would be better off going to Monster Sushi, which serves disgusting fish but at least it is priced correctly.

You would be better off going with your friends to Yasuda and eating well, order two portions of the set menu and the price is still very reasonable.

If portion size is such an issue, ditch the idea of sushi, you have better value in other cuisines or leave Manhattan and try JJ's in Queens.

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Monster Sushi
22 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

[uwsgrazer]

I ate at Tomoe over the summer and was disappointed. It wasn't as good as I recall from earlier visits, admittedly quite a while ago. So, it's possible that my sushi standards, Tomoe's quality has declined or both. If you search the board there have been numerous posts on low / moderately-priced sushi. I don't remember them offhand but personally I find Sushiya good for the money.

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Sushiya
28 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019