Peachy Picks Kobe Sushi
Summertime is here, and it's time for Sushi!
One hot spot not to miss is Kobe Sushi-brand new on the Upper East side, as of March 1st 2011.
Though there are only about ten tables, the size of the venue does not speak for the quality of the fish and the depth of the menu.
It should surprise no one that Peachy began with the green salad!
They go beyond just sushi at Kobe....one thing we were surprised at was when Executive Chef Stephen Lin suggested we try the Fried Calamari as it is not something we usually associate with at a Sushi spot. Boy were we wrong! It was smashing, spicy, crispy and delicious! Stephen came from Empire Sushi of the Upper West side...
The spicy sweet sauce was amazing, and though as you know in this column Peachy worships Italian food, she did not even miss the marina sauce!
By now we know you want to join their facebook group because this is really outstanding stuff:
Sushi is not even close to being one of Peachy Deegan's favorite foods, but it was here! Look at how gorgeous the presentation is. Peachy could not decide between the Lover's Roll, which is steamed lobster, avo inside topped with Mangos in Mango sauce; and the Queen Roll, which is yellowtail with crabmeat inside out roll, topped with avocado, salmon, tobiko and scallions. Thankfully she did not have to decide and had both! They were the ultimate in refreshing and delicious in addition to their obvious beauty.
For the main entree, Peachy opted for the Kushiyaki, which in addition to being a totally new word for her, was the perfect summer treat. Grilled beef, scallops, shrimp and chicken had a skewer party dancing in teryaki sauce! And we are glad we went to that party. Peachy also has never had green tea or red bean ice cream before, shown at the bottom, but understands they are quite ubiquitous in Asian fare (Peachy's not Asian...) and she loves the preppy color combination and the smashing summer taste. She brought along an esteemed panelist, who raves:
Normally, the Upper East Side is not the direction I head towards when I have a craving for good sushi/Japanese cuisine, as my usual go-to’s are downtown or midtown. However, a recent visit to Kobe Sushi Japanese Restaurant, located on York Ave. between 78th and 79th St., may just change that go-to list. Sushi is one of my favorite foods, especially during the warmer months when I long for something lite on the palate, something that’s refreshing and yet satisfying. Being the sushi connoisseur for quite some time now, I know for me, the enjoyment of sushi is largely dependent on how fresh the fish is, the way it’s cut and the pairing of (or lack of) seasoning for certain varieties of fish. At Kobe, they have these principles down pat. I ordered an array of dishes from the menu that I thought would be a good representation of their offerings and which are general common favorites: seaweed salad, fried calamari, a la carte hamachi sushi and toro sashimi, the Kobe special house roll and the miso black cod.
The seaweed salad was a nice opener, cleansing the palate and whetting my appetite for all the other dishes to come. An unexpected favorite of the evening, from the hot appetizers portion of the menu, was the fried calamari. It’s expertly seasoned and battered, a recommendation from the executive chef himself and he was spot-on. The hamachi sushi and the toro sashimi were fresh and sublime.
The Kobe special house roll is a stand-out item in the chef’s special rolls portion of the menu. Comprised of shrimp tempura, eel, avocado, and kani masago, all wrapped in a pretty, eye-catching pink soy wrapper, it was just as pleasing to the eye as it was to the palate. And my overall favorite for the evening, the miso black cod, was the dish that culinary dreams are made of. The black cod was cooked to perfection, flavored with just the right intensity of miso, it was moist, buttery and just melted in my mouth. Along with the plating and the lovely presentation of this dish, I can honestly say it rivals the miso black cod served by the likes of Nobu.
In addition to the wonderful food, the staff at Kobe are very warm and friendly, from Stephen, the executive chef, to Michael, our host, to Annie, our waitress. They’re knowledgeable about the items on their menu and ensured that we had a good dining experience. We noticed that they must be doing something right, as 2 other sets of diners seated near us mentioned that they’re repeat customers. Kobe is a great addition to the Upper East Side, and along with the modest prices, are sure to attract new fans visiting from other neighborhoods to see what the positive buzz is all about.
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