Sushi today. We sat at the counter and had a lively discussion with the chef. As we talked about his origins and how he arrived in NYC he made an interesting analogy relating to his style of food. It must be noted that his sushi was very simple. The fish was pristine and the rice was slightly warm and well seasoned. The sushi was delicious and the variety spanned the globe. It was not the new style sushi and sashimi that is so popular these days, instead it was simplicity itself. There was ginger and fresh wasabi available, although with the exception of the rolls, which he indicated needed soy sauce, everything was perfectly seasoned. I think that we had twenty four pieces each before he finally cut us off. As he reminisced about his early days in New York, he noted that when wrestling first came to Japan it was very professional. Tournaments were serious sporting events with well trained competitors and referees. As time passed the new-style wrestling began to appear with trained actors, costumes and posturing. It was still a sport but no longer in the same way. There are fans of both but he preferred the original wrestling as the true sport. He then smiled and noted how few real sushi restaurants exist in New York. His final comment was "Simple is best." It was true for his sushi. The beauty lay in its simplicity. The fish and the rice needed little garnish to highlight their qualities. It was true for the restaurant which was warm and spare, functionality seemed inherent in its design although the personality of the owner was reflected each aspect of it's design.
He also taught us a bit of Asian fortune telling by counting the lines in people's foreheads. He noted that he had one line and it described him well, one wife, one daughter...and our response was "one restaurant".
