05.02.08
Review of Sachiko’s, Friday March 2008
25 Clinton St. & Stanton/Houston, 212-253-2900
Great for: kushiage (skewers), gyoza, wonderful simple sushi, excellent complicated sushi, sharing lots of small plates
My favorite name-twin Dominique came out with the Boyfriend and me one night for sushi. Sachiko’s has been on my list for ages, and now that I live on the Lower East Side, I was happy to finally get a chance to try it. I like that they have a long regular menu with many sharing dishes but also provide a two-page synopsis of their biggest hits. Plus it helped us avoid the Boyfriend’s inner crotchety old man, who always comes out to complain when there are too many choices.
We shared all the appetizers, beginning with yellowtail jalapeño, which came in thick generous slices of deliciousness. The scallop kushiage was pretty good and the scallops were giant. I’m not sure which filet mignon creation was better, the tataki with fried garlic over daikon or the pan-fried gyoza. The tataki was quite cooked, with lovely spices on top. We loved the juicy yet crispy gyoza too. I wanted to try more of the kushiage, but the others were feeling in the mood for sushi instead.
I’m glad they were. All of it was so good! One of us got the sushi deluxe, consisting of nine pieces plus a roll of salmon avocado (there are a few other choices). The Sachiko’s sushi supreme was artistic as well as scrumptious. The tartar sanmi was an interesting concoction with foie gras and a spray of white soy sauce (yeah, we didn’t know that existed either). It looked like art and tasted great but I had trouble forgetting it was goose liver, so I couldn’t eat much of it.
Everything we ate was presented beautifully. And the whole place was decorated very tastefully; the only flaw was the funny semi-square chopsticks, which didn’t work very well. Though it was too cold to sit in the adorable little garden they have out back, the tables are lovely as well and have dividers, which makes them feel quite private. We had a great experience and I’m excited that I live so close by.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $220 for three people ($48 bottle of sake, two coffees and green tea)
Noise level: low hum
Chance of walking in: low.
