Jewel Bako

Jewel Bako - Highly Recommended
239 East 5th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 979-1012

What a treat it was to sit at the counter Friday night and have Chef Yoshi prepare his complete assault of nigiri sushi for R, M and myself.
We sat there for a good 3 hours and it felt like I ate and ate and ate. I was guessing 25+ nigiris but in reality, it was probably closer to 15 to 18.
I haven't been so happy at a (non Yasuda) sushi counter in a long long time.

If I had to classify Chef Yoshi's style of sushi as traditional or nouveaux, it would be tradional.
But it's really traditional with a twist. There is always a little twist to every nigiri he serves.

Now I've always heard this placed 'rocked', but never took it that seriously. Probably because someone in my office was pretty skeptical and I've actually had "Jewel Bako" sushi at the James Beard House before, and it was average at best.
But that just goes to show you the power of "just made" sushi and the special relationship you create when you are face to face with the chef.
Silly me for taking this long to visit. I'll be back for sure.

Although I don't remember every piece of nigiri that was served that night, M took random pictures that night and they are posted below.