$50 per person at 15 East possible?

[NancyC]

My parents are footing the bill, but I still prefer it not get crazy expensive. Also, we are unlikely to drink so I'm only asking about food price. Can we get away with $50 each or are there other recommendations for places that have both good sushi and good cooked dishes (my dad doesn't like sushi).

I looked at the 15 East menu, and it seems if my dad gets a cooked dish and my mom and I get 10-12 pieces of sushi each that's already averaging about $50 without even getting any appetizers--which seems like a shame to miss. And is 10-12 pieces too much or too little for an average appetite, I have no idea?

Or what about Sakagura? I have been before and there are a lot of cooked items my dad would eat, but I've never tried their sushi...is it any good?

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

Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

[foodiechan]

Haru nearby will have a better deal for your budget.

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Haru
220 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003

[fooder]

Short answer is no, you cannot get out of 15 East satisfied for $50.

The real question is whether you are looking for top tier sushi (many of the names being mentioned here including 15 East, Seki, Yuba, etc. where they import stuff from Japan) or just good sushi. I define good sushi as sushi that is fresh due to a place that does high turnover, but not special in that it's not specifically imported or feature exotic items.

I really do not believe it is worth it to go to a top tier place and not do an omakase. And if you do an omakase, $50 of just sushi will definitely leave you hungry. In terms of looking for good sushi, but not top tier, I think Hatsuhana is the best bet. The box of dreams is lovely has good variety, while the pick 10 + an appetizer will get you to right around $50.

I do not understand the love for Kanoyama. There is a very big difference between their regular stuff and their super omakase. I've had the super omakase there, and it cost me close to $250 to come close to the delights I was getting at 15 East for $150.

I love Seki, but you have to understand that it is not sushi that is in any way what most people think of as sushi. A review on my blog with pictures to help illustrate: http://ramblingsandgamblings.blogspot...
If you go to Seki and want sushi on your budget, the best bet is to get the three golden flowers roll and then add Seki's original sampler. Again, you go there because you want his signature sauced sushi, not plain salmon, tuna, yellowtail, etc.

Another possibility in the "just above your neighborhood sushi joint" group is Tsushima on 47th and Lex. While I tend to only go there for their ramen, they do a solid lunch which I assume means high turnover leading to fresh fish.

[howo5]

Just thought that I'd add if top tier sushi is what you're looking for, I think Yuba would be doable.

They have an omakase that's about $55, although I always eat up to the $75 level. (George is very flexible and will work with your budget and has quality stuff)

I also walked by the other day and saw they were offering 20% off your bill (This would probably help too).

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Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

[NancyC]

Definitely more "good-to-very-good" rather than truly top tier. I had dismissed Yuba because I wasn't sure my dad would like those cooked food options (very set in his ways--Taiwanese and believes little else is worth eating).

Hatsuhana had been hovering on the list as well...I might need to take another look at the menu. Thanks!

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Hatsuhana
17 E 48th St, New York, NY 10017

Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

[NancyC]

I'm really all over the place with this. I'm going to send my dad the Yuba menu and see if he is OK with those cooked dishes. Are they still BYOB? Wasn't sure if their website is up-to-date.

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Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

[NancyC]

Thanks for the review. It's a little confusing because every post here and on Yelp mentions Seki's sauces and occasionally cooked sushi but the online menu makes everything sound more plain. Have to think about this.

As for the "box of dreams" at Hatsuhana, I saw that before on the menu and was trying to figure out if that was basically chirashi doled out into smaller portions for better presentation.

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Hatsuhana
17 E 48th St, New York, NY 10017

[hungrycomposer]

FWIW I have found Chowhound posts to be much more reliable and informed than Yelp. Most of the CH posters really know food and know what's available in the city. Yelp can be pretty random, and sometimes the positive posts are by shills.

[NancyC]

I agree, but Yelp has become so ubiquitous and the sample size is so large. But yes, some of the positive reviews are fake and some of the bad reviews are exaggerated for "comedic" effect.

[AdamD]

skip the box of dreams-its presentation over substance
as I said, go with the prix fixe (while adding extra dishes or pieces), the pick ten, or even the sushi deluxe at hatsuhana
its my go to place when I dont want to drop $$$ for a proper omakase

and I have never really been impressed with the raw fish at sakagura-although I do enjoy the cooked food and sake

[uwsister]

I've had some very good sashimi specials at Sakagura, actually. I think it's a good choice for the occasion. I've taken my in-laws (FIL extremely adventurous, MIL conservative, no raw fish, game, etc.) to Sakagura, and they both loved it. Strong desserts too, which is rare at East Asian restaurants.

[NancyC]

Thanks, everyone! I guess what I would prefer is something a lot closer to the 15 East price than the 2-rolls-for-$9-lunch-special spots, but...not quite THAT high. I'll check out some of these other recommendations!

No comments on Sakagura's sushi? It seems from the menu you can't choose types so maybe that's already a minus.

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

Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

[littlejoker]

Try Momoya on 7th and 21st. It's not as expensive and the kitchen is very good.

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Momoya
185 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[InfoMofo]

The lack of commentary around Sakagura is probably due to some confusion of your question. You keep asking about their sushi, but Sakagura is more of an izakaya, focusing on cooked foods. It's excellent, in my opinion, but I wouldn't go there specifically for sushi, in comparison to some of the dedicated sushi restaurants on your list.

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Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

[NancyC]

I have been to Sakagura before and only had their cooked food, but they also have sushi. I don't want my father to be completely left out, which is why I was wondering if Sakagura's sushi was worth mentioning to make both me and him happy, but it seems not.

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Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

[gutsofsteel]

Sakagura is a good choice for your circumstances.

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Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

[Silverjay]

Sakagura is an izakaya. They do not serve nigiri-zushi. Most izakaya do not. Like most izakaya, they DO serve sashimi. And they serve chirashi-zushi for lunch...The Hatsuhana deal mentioned above looks within your budget, quality, and variety parameters. Otherwise, I would cave and do 15 East or dial down quality expectations and do Kanoyama.

[NancyC]

Thanks. I'm waffling between Seki and Kanoyama right now.

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Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[howo5]

I haven't been to these, but they're next on my list. I believe both Niko or Ushiwakamaru do rather affordable omakase with good quality. Would love to hear back if you end up at one of those.

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Ushiwakamaru
136 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

Niko
170 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

[kathryn]

For Ushiwakamaru, even though the menu reads as very affordable, I find it hard to spend less than $80 given the portion sizes. Ushiwakamaru's menu says omakase starts at $33 and goes up but you don't get very many pieces I think. Their regular nigiri set is $35, but you'll probably need to add on more pieces (I think it's soup/salad and 9 nigiri plus a half maki roll).

Kanoyama has lower quality in fish/rice than Ushiwakamaru but their set is bigger in terms of quantity. It typically includes includes soup/salad, a bigger maki roll IIRC, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Also a huge anago (sea eel) nigiri in the set.

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Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[gort]

Agreed on Ushiwakamaru. Our meal was excellent, but we spent well over $100pp and were full but not stuffed.

[daffyduck]

I'm not a sushi expert at all and I've never had the omakase at Seki (I've have however had the omakases at Sushi Yasuda and 15 East) but I've been very happy at Seki in terms of taste. love love love that spicy scallop handroll.

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

Sushi Yasuda
204 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017

[littlejoker]

I'd have to say, no. For $150 for three you'd be better off not attempting to go to what is in reality a high-end Japanese restaurant. The best omekase there is $250 PP. Imagine what you'll get for 1/5th of that.

[daffyduck]

FWIW my favorite moderately priced sushi place is Sushi Seki. They also have cooked items. Ive only tried two cooked items from their menu but I liked them both. If you go do not miss the spicy scallop handroll!

[gutsofsteel]

I don't find Seki moderately priced...

[daffyduck]

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

none of the cooked entrees are above 22 dollars. i've filled up from the sashimi deluxe which comes with rice and that's only 25 dollars. It's not cheap but I think it's much easier to do 50 a person and leave satisfied (full) than it is at 15 East, especially since the OP and her mom are ordering sushi.

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

[gutsofsteel]

I've never spent less than $100+ per person for dinner at Seki. But then again, I sit at the bar and leave myself in the chef's hands...

[NancyC]

I've never done omakase before, I guess because I'd prefer someone else pay for that! And not my parents because then I'd feel guilty over it not being something they also wanted badly enough. Someday!

[hungrycomposer]

If you really want omakase, consider Nori Sushi on 2nd Ave and Saint Mark's. It's not fancy but the sushi is excellent. They also have cooked dishes and interesting daily specials. I didn't see omakase on their website, but I think it's about $34.
http://www.norinyc.com/index.html

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Nori
129 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[kathryn]

Nori's "omakase" sushi is just a nigiri set, not true omakase. It's in the appetizers section of the menu.

[daffyduck]

Sorry, I didn't know the OP wanted an omakase. When I recommended Seki I was thinking more about ordering sushi and cooked items off the menu not an omakase.

[NancyC]

I didn't want omakase, you were right. I am still on the fence because I am getting thrown by Yelp reviews of all these various places. Even the ones with mostly good reviews have a decent amount of reviews along the lines of "WTF IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE THIS PLACE SUX".

[daffyduck]

if you want sushi 50 dollars at 15 East will not fill you up, unless you have a very very small appetite.

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

[howo5]

I think Yuba would be a good choice, I believe they're offering 20% off their whole menu and would help with fitting under the budget.

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Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

[AdamD]

While lacking some atmosphere, I go to hatsuhana (on 48th) when I want good sushi on a "budget"
You could get the prix fixe dinner for less than $30 per person and supplement it with additional sushi (but Id call and check that they still have it and if its possible to order extra a la carte pieces)
The cooked dishes are perfectly acceptable although limited. Perhaps a bunch of the appetizers would work.

The "pick ten" is one of the best values in town IMHO.

http://www.hatsuhana.com/wp-content/t...

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Hatsuhana
17 E 48th St, New York, NY 10017

[sgordon]

It depends. I would say your father could come out satisfied for $50 (food only, not including tax) depending what he ordered - thing is, entrees range from $25 - $50 there, give or take. Get one of the lower priced ones, that leaves room for an appetizer.

For sushi, I dunno. There's a ten piece Omakase for $55. I know ten pieces wouldn't leave me satisfied. I think the lowest priced a la carte offerings are $4 each, so that's still only 12 piece even you went cheap(-ish) ALC.

So I guess, no 15 East isn't a place you can really experience for $50. Not at dinner, at least. At lunch there's a three-course prix fixe for $29. Don't know what's on it, though, never had it.

At least in terms of the sushi pricing, you're going to find pretty much the same thing at any of the higher-end sushi places.

Kanoyama has some pretty good deals - there's a "Chef's Special" (10 sushi + a California Roll, which would be a fine entree size) for, like $28 or so. Also a "Sashimi Deluxe" which has 18 pieces of fish (no rice) for around the same price. Both leave you room for appetizers, of which they've got some good ones.

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

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[kathryn]

Apparently 15 East's prix fixe lunch changes daily. Here's one meal from earlier this year:
http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2011/01/lunch-for-one-sake-miso-cod-15-east.html

At Kanoyama I think the $34 "Sushi Omakase" set is higher quality than the Chef's Special or other sets. 8 pieces of nigiri, 1 roll, and I believe a choice of soup or salad.

Yuba may work as well, if you order carefully. They have a 12 piece nigiri set ($55):
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/778256

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

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003