Salmon, fluke and toro sashimi
Jizake Tenzan Junmai Genshu sake

Fluke sushi, with green tea salt

Chopped toro, with oshinko (Japanese pickles) mixed in

Fresh uni (sea urchin) with black tobiko (flying fish roe) and toro in a cucumber cup

Squid, with wasabi and tobiko, basted with eel sauce

Not shown (because my digicam batteries died on me):

Fresh scallop sushi with Japanese mustard
Fluke sushi, with lemon egg sauce
Maguro (tuna) sushi
Deep-fried shrimp heads
Needlefish sushi with ikura (salmon roe)
Bonito sushi with mayonnaise and grated ginger
Yellowtail sushi with ume shiso
Ume shiso makisushi (Japanese ume plum paste with shiso leaves)
Green tea

Dinner at Tsuki tonight.

When I have a hankering for sushi, I go to one of four places in New York: Tsuki, Sushi Yasuda, Kurumazushi, or Jewel Bako. Sushi has become like hamburgers and hot dogs: fairly predictable and a dime a dozen. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re going to indulge, get the best that you can possibly afford. Otherwise, it’s pointless.

Out of 10? Tonight was a moderate 7 to a moderate-high 7. I originally reserved for tomorrow evening but had to reschedule to tonight. Bad mistake. It turns out that Kazutoshi Maeda, the chef and owner of Tsuki, is off on Tuesday evenings. His assistant trained at Tomoe and although he’s certainly capable, he doesn’t nearly have as much breadth or depth of experience as Maeda-san.

Tsuki is located at 1410 First Avenue (at 75th Street), in the Upper East Side.