Having experienced sushi coast-to-coast for many years--I have to say the best are in New York and California. Now that I am living in a small town in Florida, I am a fan of the local place, but realistically, sushi is best and freshest where there are the most people to eat it.
That said, I realize that my list, which would have included Matsuhisa in LA and possibly some others in New York and Washington that at one time were sublime, I had to come up with some criteria for my top 5 outside of my own personal experience. The criteria I decided on is that sushi had to be the main attraction or at least a very strong centerpiece of the restaurant and not just part of a larger omakase experience, the restaurant had to be rated at least 28 in Zagats and getting excellent recent reviews on Zagats and other foodie websites.
My top 5 appear on a side bar. They are in order:
1. Sushi Yasuda, New York, New York
2. Kuruma Zushi, New York, New York
3. Urasawa, Los Angeles, California
4. Sushi Ran, Sausalito, California
5. Sushi Zo, Los Angeles, California
A blog post on each of these is forthcoming.
i
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Daruma for Sushi in Naples Florida
We did live in Naples, Florida for quite awhile, and then we typically consumed huge quantities of our favorite fish delicacy at Daruma several times a month. It was by far the best sushi in the area at the time. Rick was the sushi chef, and while he was sometimes a tad touchy, his sushi was delectable and worth the attitude.
After leaving Naples, we haven't gone to Daruma as often, but we recently made a trip there. While Rick is no longer sushi chef , and some of the ambiance of the New Yorkish style eatery is gone...the sushi was still at the top of the game. All the traditionals are served very fresh and thick on well formed, seasoned rice. The service was also pleasanter than we remembered.
Daruma is a full service Japanese restaurant, with a section devoted to Teppanyaki. What I like about Daruma's handling of this divide is that the Teppanyaki section of the restaurant is in a separate room. Sushi is served in a smaller bar/lounge type area of the restaurant keeping it away from the theatrics of the other Japanese dining experience.
Daruma has two locations -- the one in Naples and the other on Fruitville Rd. in Sarasota. One of these days we will have to try this sister in Sarasota as well.
Location: Naples, Florida
After leaving Naples, we haven't gone to Daruma as often, but we recently made a trip there. While Rick is no longer sushi chef , and some of the ambiance of the New Yorkish style eatery is gone...the sushi was still at the top of the game. All the traditionals are served very fresh and thick on well formed, seasoned rice. The service was also pleasanter than we remembered.
Daruma is a full service Japanese restaurant, with a section devoted to Teppanyaki. What I like about Daruma's handling of this divide is that the Teppanyaki section of the restaurant is in a separate room. Sushi is served in a smaller bar/lounge type area of the restaurant keeping it away from the theatrics of the other Japanese dining experience.
Daruma has two locations -- the one in Naples and the other on Fruitville Rd. in Sarasota. One of these days we will have to try this sister in Sarasota as well.
Location: Naples, Florida
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