So during the last few weeks, I have been learning that true friends are very hard to come by. I feel very lucky to have learned and understand what makes a good friend and who those people in my life are. Many of my good friends, I have met at Carnegie Mellon- one being my big.
This New Year's Eve, My big and I decided to welcome the New Year together- just us. It was a great night and I felt that it was only right to welcome the New Year with Jin. We stayed in, talked for hours and had a nice quiet night- all after stuffing our faces of course.
We at first contemplated on staying in and cooking dinner for ourselves, but we shortly realized that it was New Years and we needed to properly stuff our faces at Sushi Seki- and I'm glad we did.
We got to the restaurant (located on the Upper East Side on 1st Ave between 62nd and 63rd) just on time (rumor has it, if you're late they give away your reserved table) and ordered ourselves a cocktail. Jin got the sweet plum wine spritzer while I got the white peach sake martini. The drinks were great, and knowing me, I drank about a quarter of it (if even that) and was not able to drink the rest.
The best part of the night was the server. Definitely a new immigrant from Japan- our server was gracious and kind and hard to understand. Jin and I were often confused with what he was trying to tell us- but in the end we got a great kick out of it and enjoyed our time with him.
We had a hard time with the menu, as there were a number of different options presented to us and we really just wanted to stuff our faces- immediately. We at first contemplated on getting sushi a la carte but then quickly moved on to thinking about the omakase and the special sushi platter. After talking to our server (well listening and trying to decipher what he was exactly saying) we decided to get the sushi platter as the server recommended it because it was unique to their restaurant (and had more food). So we got the sushi platter for two!
The sushi platter was filled with different fish- all fresh with great variety of sauces and preparations. There was tuna, salmon, yellowtail, toro, mackeral, white fish, scallop, smoked salmon, amaebi and eggplant nigiri that was paired with a shrimp tempura and a spicy tuna roll- the platter was huge and was able to fill the both of us.
The major noticeable difference between this sushi place and the 'normal' ones you find around the block- is the freshness of the fish. The texture and specialties of each fish came out of every nigiri piece and you are really able to appreciate the quality of the fish- even in the rolls!
We also started with two appetizers- Tatsua Age (Fried Chicken) and Gyoza (Pan Fried Dumplings).
The chicken was good- but the portion was tiny! I actually prefer Chaya's chicken a lot more than this one. I probably would not get this again. (I probably would travel to Pittsburgh to get Chaya's-haha)
The Gyoza were great. Fried crisp and golden brown, the dumplings were hearty- but again, the portions were very small! :(
We ended the night with a unique dessert- a red bean paste filled waffle mixture (in the shape of a fish, of course). My big usually doesn't like red bean but she very much enjoyed this dessert- which shows how good it was! The waffle was warm and soft and the red bean paste was delightfully sweet and smooth. I love dessert!
Sushi Seki is a nice little place for fresh sushi. Since the prices are a bit high and the location is a bit out of the way (at least for me)- I wouldn't be a regular at the place. I did wish I could try more of their creations (I hear that their spicy scallop roll is amazing) but I am very happy that I came and experienced Sushi Seki!
A bit warm from the cocktail and stuffed from the great food- my big and I had a great New Year's Eve- we hope you all did too!
Price: $$$
Ambiance: B+
Service: A-
Food: A-
