A Sushi Celebrity Returns with Suzuki

The promise of affordable, quality sushi may be luring crowds to spots like Sugarfish, but that hasn’t diminished its reputation as one of the ultimate haute cuisines in New York.

Take the city’s newest raw seafood destination, run by Toshio Suzuki — owner of the seminal Sushi Zen (which enjoyed a run of 33 years), and mentor to none other than “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto.  After a brief, one-year hiatus, the master has returned with an ambitious, multi-concept spot, featuring a cocktail lounge called Three Pillars, a kaiseki restaurant named Suzuki, and a 20-seat sushi counter called Satsuki, run by Toshio himself.

And goodness knows, they’re a good deal spendier than Sugarfish’s prix fixe “Trust Me” boxes.  Priced at $130 for a sushi-only Sunset menu (at 5:30pm), or $250 for a full omakase (seatings at 7:30 and 9:30pm), Satsuki is yet another temple of stark, Edomae-style fish, featuring Tsukiji Market-sourced kamasu (barracuda), sumi-ika (cuttlefish), kohada (gizzard shad), aji (horse mackerel), kinmedai (golden eye snapper), ishidai (striped perch), and sayori (Japanese half-beak).  Toshio squirrels away the best cuts of each for nigiri, before sending the rest to chef Takashi Yamamoto (formerly the kitchen chef at Sushi Zen), for grilling and frying at Suzuki, where they’re part of $70-150+ kaiseki progressions, along with assorted appetizers, sashimi, tempura, egg custard and seasonal soup.

The most out-of-the-box addition to the trio is definitely the cocktail bar, with libations crafted by molecular gastronomy-minded Alex Ott.  Leapfrogging on his cookbook Dr. Cocktail: 50 Spirited Infusions to Stimulate the Mind and Body, selections wouldn’t be out of place at a high-end spa; the “Seishun No Izumi” is advertised as an age reverser and PMS cure, while the “Nouryoku” is a mystical draught of ancient energy, and described as a ‘neural handshake with oneself.’

Goodness knows, you’ll need all the zen you can get, after blowing the bulk of your paycheck on sushi.

Suzuki
114 W 47th St.
(212) 278-0010
www.suzukinyc.com