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Sushi Ya in New Hyde Park, New York

Stats:

Ranking: N/ARead Full Review

Ratings:

  • Food8
  • Pricing8
  • Atmosphere8
  • Service8
  • Selection9(Toro??)
  • Value8

The Review

Another night, another evening filled with sushi. Our latest travels took us to Sushi Ya in New Hyde Park. The restaurant is affiliated with the location in Garden City and has a similar, yet slightly different menu. The restaurant is nestled in the back of a strip mall located off Jericho Turnpike. It is very large and open inside. There is a full alcoholic bar in the front right and a large sushi bar in the back right. In the middle is a separate area for hibachi. The decor is traditional Asian with a modern flare, with some traditional Japanese styled lights over the sushi bar and more modern fixtures thoughout. There are a mix of square and round black tables and plush red booths. There are some televisions scattered and there are these little screens by the sushi bar which display pictures of items on their menu. We are greeted by their very helpful and attentive staff and seated by Paul, the manager, who brings over some flavored sake.

  • Sake Samples We start with a sampler of peach, raspberry, lychee and fuji apple sake. Sake is fermented from rice and takes approximately one month to make and ages at least six months before you can drink it. All the beverages we tried were sweet and nicely chilled. The lychee was the lightest of the bunch and the most enjoyable, followed by the apple, peach and then raspberry. The raspberry was the only one with a slight artificial taste to it.

    Lychee

    Peach

    Apple

    Raspberry

  • Phillip Roll Wasting no time at all with food, we are served the Phillip Roll. It is salmon and spicy tuna with sushi rice in the middle separating the two fishes. The whole thing was wrapped in slices of avocado, no nori on this one and topped with tobiko. Sushi rice is different from regular rice for a few reasons, but it is mainly due to the shortness of the grain and the dressing coating it. Rice used for sushi is coated with a mixture of rice vinegar and sugar to enhance the stickiness. The roll has a great softness between the tender fish and the avocado. The avocado is perfectly layered and the roll has a square shape, kudos to the talented chef on this one.

  • Close up.

  • Iron Tuna The Iron Tuna arrives next. It is seared tuna wrapped around crunchy spicy tuna. The pieces of stuffed sashimi are plated with an onion infused ponzu sauce. The fish is super tender and nearly melts in the mouth with each bite. Their spicy tuna is superb, being light on the mayo and heavy on the spice. Nowadays most restaurants use Srircha, a hot Thai sauce, for their spicy fish mixtures due to its ease and great flavor however some still rely on the traditional Japanese spice togarashi, a blend of seven spices. Overall this dish is very enjoyable and a great appetizer.

  • Kobe Beef We move onto Kobe Beef. The restaurant just got in a fresh shipment of the delicacy and we luckily arrived just in time. The beef was perfectly seared and accompanied by a garlic ponzu sauce. The sauce is incredibly light and the citrus and garlic really complement each other. The kobe beef, a cut from the Wagyu cattle which follows a strict diet and is treated to regular massages, is fatty and nicely marbled as it should be. It is very flavorful and generously portion, good for sharing.

  • Close up.

  • Cajun Salmon Next arrives Cajun Salmon. The bright pink fish is well seasoned around the edges with a powerful blend of spice. The fish sits atop a bed of lettuce and is plated with sweet eel sauce and spicy mayo. The fish is oily, nicely absorbing the seasoning and smooth in texture. It is a must order if you can stand a little heat.

  • Up close.

  • Special Foie Gras We are treated to a special dish of Foie Gras and Tuna. This one is not on their menu and is a creation of Paul. The dish is foie gras and tuna layered on a thick toasted cracker. It is topped with a small amount of tobiko. The dish is incredibly tasty and has a rich flavor. It is different and truly unique. Though foie gras is oily, as it is the fatty liver of a duck, this dish still retains lightness to it. There is no sauce to accompany it and it is not missed at all, allowing for a pure and delicious taste. I would inquire about this dish next time you are there and convince them to make it for you.

  • Close up.

  • Christmas Roll We are brought another dish that you won't find on their menu, The Christmas Roll. The dish arrives and it is jammed pack. I will try to do it justice but you'll have to refer to the picture on this one. The roll is a mix of spicy tuna and avocado in the middle. It is wrapped in pieces of white tuna and tuna. It is then stacked into a pyramid, with the entire structure then getting a layer of seaweed salad and crab salad draped over top. Viola, an instant Christmas tree. The roll is a little messy and hard to manage but we find a way and dig in. At first bite you taste a mix of soft and subtle crunch, with a nice spice. There are a lot of different flavors and textures but they all seamlessly blend together. The crab salad is crunchy and along with the tuna it stands out from the rest of the roll. Hopefully it will find a permanent place on their menu soon.

  • Inside.

  • Grilled Steak We are brought another steak dish, but this is very different from the previous one. This Grilled Steak can be found on the fusion section of their menu. The steak is first marinated for twenty-fours in a mixture of pear, apple and honey. The marinade is slightly sweet and makes for a very savory steak. It is the perfect time of year now for fruit marinades as they are light and many fruits are currently in season. The steak is slightly chewy and a little fatty, with small pieces of bone found in a few of the cuts. If a steak eater, I would highly recommend this dish.

  • Ninja Martini We decide to switch back to fish and are brought a dish called the Ninja Martini. It is a large martini glass filled with diced salmon, tuna and yellowtail sashimi served in a special sauce. All of the fish is fresh and goes down easily, with the yellowtail being the standout of the bunch. Compared to the other types of fish, yellowtail has a higher fat and oil content making it very smooth and flavorful. However the salmon and tuna are still quite enjoyable. The sauce is incredibly light, with just a slight sweetened vinegar taste. A good dish if you want a nice mix of sashimi.

  • Sake Samples - Flavored We enjoy a little more sake at this point. We sample a few other flavors, but this time choice to have them served warm. Historically sake was always served warm. The reason is first and foremost because the process of making sake was created before refrigerators were. The second is due to it being stored in wooden casks for long periods of time and serving it warm helped to cover some of the unpleasant taste of the fermenting process. Presently none of those are factors and the overall brewing procedure and ingredients used has become more refined. We sample espresso, chocolate, almond and coconut. All of them have a pleasing aroma, with the almond sake having the strongest scent but the most artificial taste. The coconut was a little bland as well. However, the espresso and chocolate are quite lovely with both being a smooth and sweet treat.

    Espresso Chocolate

  • Almond Coconut

  • Honjozo Nama Genshu As per Paul's recommendation we also try a small bottle of Honjozo Nama Genshu. In general, Honojozo sakes have at least 30% of the grain milled away and additional alcohol added during finishing. This sake comes in a can, is unpasteurized and has a 19% alcohol content. It is very rich and full, with a nice smoothness and a hint of sweetness. Very enjoyable.

  • Alliana Roll It is time to get back to the sushi though. We try the Alliana Roll. It is spicy yellowtail mixed with crunchy tempura flakes inside and topped with crunchy tuna on top. When Sushi Ya tops a roll with fish they do it right, nice and thick. The yellowtail and the tuna on top are well seasoned and bursting with flavor. Their spicy tuna mixes are again right on the mark, with a nice heat. This roll is simply delicious.

  • Uncle Barry We stick with yellowtail and try the Uncle Barry. The roll has spicy yellowtail, cucumber and bits of dried onions inside. It is topped with a hearty portion of spicy crab meat and scallions. The kani used in their crab salad is very enjoyable even though it is imitation crab meat. Often times it is hard to tell the difference between the two as imitation crabmeat has a very similar texture, color and taste. One perk of the imitation crab is that it is lower in cholesterol and doesn't scare those opposed to eating raw fish (silly people). Again - another solid, flavorful, and well spiced roll. However on this roll there is a little more spice and it sneaks up on your afterwards.

  • Crazy Monster Roll We try the Crazy Monster Roll. This is a spicy tuna roll that has been fried and topped with spicy crabmeat and mayo. A blowtorch is then taken to the top of the roll. The torching gives the entire roll a great smoky flavor. The heat from the flame often melts the fat of a fish giving a soft, fatty flavor and smooth texture. In this case it also warms and melts the mayo. Other than they smokiness, there is a nice spice to the roll, though it is a little heavy for our liking and strong on the mayo. If you love crunchy and fried food though, this is right up your alley.

  • Up close.

  • Calamari Dragon Nearly full we are brought the Calamari Dragon. Though Calamari is an Italian word meaning squid, it is a staple in Japanese cuisine and the Japanese consume the largest quantity of squid worldwide. This dish is unlike any others we have seen before and is eel, avocado and sushi rice stuffed into the body of a calamari. It was then cut into thick pieces, like a specialty sushi roll. The tentacles from the calamari are fried and displayed around the front, crafting the dish to look like a small fish. The entire thing is lightly covered with eel sauce and plated with sweet chili sauce. The fried tentacles have a slight chew but nice crunch. The slices of stuffed calamari are wonderful and luscious and somehow they stay perfectly wrapped. There is a strong taste from the bbq eel and unagi sauce. The calamari is a little chewy, but not rubbery in the slightest. The roll is very large and filling and is a nice alternative to just typical fried squid. It is also a steal for its price.

  • Up close.

  • Old Country Roll Somehow we find room for one more sushi roll, the Old Country Roll. It is spicy lobster, shrimp, cucumber, lettuce and caviar all rolled up together. The lobster is perfectly steamed and has a great flavor as well as the shrimp. This roll is simple and pure, allowing the clean flavors of the fish to do all the talking. I enjoy it very much. It is light and the perfect way to end our meal.

  • Up close.

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