Happy Sushi!

About five years ago, I became obsessed with sushi. At the time, my rent was a lot less and my income was a little higher, allowing me to try out most of NYC's major players -- the best of which is arguably Sushi Yasuda. (I am also a huge Jewel Bako fan, though recent expansions has made it not quite the magical experience it once was.) But the best ain't cheap. Sitting at the sushi bar in front of Yasuda, you can blow $150 dollars in about 45 minutes, easy. (You can also spend a lot less, but it's not as fun... and not quite as delicious.) But it's insanely good. Especially his eel. You haven't had eel to you've had eel at Sushi Yasuda. You also learn going to a place like that, that the rice is every bit as important as the fish. And then you get spoiled because you realize that everything else is crap.

But I digress. During the height of my obsession, I did a lot of research: etiquette, tradition, what to look for in a sushi restaurant, etc. Sushi Yasuda's website is actually very informative, and their page on Traditions is a must-read before going there (or to any high-end sushi place).

You can also sign up for Sushi Yasuda's mailing list which I highly recommend you do. Every year around the holidays they send me Sushi Origami. In past years, I've gotten scallop, shrimp and crab. This year they sent me Origami Eel. It's about time. They actually sell these for $10 a pop, but why not get them free? If you want to make the Origami Eel yourself, I've got a hi-res version of the instructions on my Flickr page.