Sushi and Japanese Tapas in NYC

Two weeks ago, we attended a fantastic "food tour" while in New York for the weekend. This particular tour was unique, as we dined in just one restaurant (rather than visiting multiple locations). This is a newer offering of Foods of New York - a highly rated food tour company we researched prior to our trip. The guide walked us through 18 courses (included Japanese beer and two types of Sake) over a few hours, allowing us sample Japanese Tapas (Izakaya), sashimi, and sushi. It was delicious and surprisingly educational! What did we learn? We make so make so many mistakes when eating sushi!

• Sushi is all about the rice (rice flavored with vinegar). You can tell a good sushi restuarant by sampling their rice - it shouldn't need any soy sauce, as the flavor of the rice will be slightly sweet and very flavorful on its own. Sashimi is not sushi, as there is no rice.
• Traditionally, Nigiri is eaten with your hands (no chopsticks). It should be dipped into soy sauce, fish side down (soy sauce should not touch the rice), and then placed into your mouth, fish side down.
• Wasabi should not be mixed into your soy sauce. In fact, if it's really wasabi, it won't mix into your soy sauce! In most cases, the soy sauce served in sushi restaurants is basically green horseradish. Wasabi is fairly expensive and most people don't recognize the difference. How should you enjoy wasabi? Many chefs will add an amount between the fish and rice on nigiri. You can also add some to the top of your fish, for additional flavor.

This experience enhanced our appreciation for sushi and noticed we apprecate our sushi meals more since the dinner.