Sushi Seki

1143 First Ave., Upper East Side, NY

8.2

map & more

Neighborhood
Upper East Side

Cuisine
Japanese
Sushi

212-371-0238

Official Website

By Chris Stang
April 29, 2010

Two things have changed since this website started taking over our lives: we sleep less, and we eat more. You would think that the body’s natural response to such developments would be to force rest and fasting. Instead, quite the opposite has happened. We’ve begun to take a lot of pleasure in a little thing we like to call Second Dinner. Second Dinner is exactly what it sounds like – a post-dinner dinner, usually at a very late hour. We’ve got some favorite places for such excursions, Blue Ribbon and Momofuku Ssam especially. Sushi Seki is on that list as well. First class omakase at two in the morning is a Second Dinner dream.

To be honest, Sushi Seki is pretty great no matter when you go. Chef Seki is a Sushi of Gari alum, and the omakase is up there with some of the best you will find anywhere in town. As a matter of fact, everything on the menu is quite good, but going for spicy tuna rolls and some unagi is missing the point. It will still be tasty, but all the portions of sushi and sashimi are omasake size, and it’s still pricey. Service is good though, and you should leave happy. It feels strange to be rolling up to a restaurant in this neighborhood and finding anything other than bar nachos or bad Indian food. But sure enough, Sushi Seki is the real deal…a Second Dinner oasis in a neighborhood where we hardly ever eat First Dinner.

Food Rundown:

Omakase
Sit at the bar and put your meal in the sushi chef’s hands. It’s pricey as hell, but with a decent buzz and the right company, it’s undeniably worth it. You’ll get perfect bites of yellowtail with jalepeno, tuna with tofu sauce, tuna with garlic ginger sauce, salmon with blowtorched tomato skin, and who knows what else. Reach for the soy sauce and risk death by firing squad.

Shumai
A decent shrimp shumai, but not amazing. Spicier mustard and a better sauce to dip in would help.

A La Carte Sushi/Sashimi
If you’re not looking to get down omakase style, but are looking for high quality sushi in this area, you’ll get it by ordering individual pieces. Just know the dollars are going to add up, and you’re still getting one-biters.

Rolls
The spicy scallop hand roll at Seki is quite possibly the greatest thing you will ever eat. They put crunchy things in it. That’s right, crunchy things. I also like the spicy tuna a lot, and I’m not usually crazy about spicy tuna. Too often it just tastes like mushy chopped fish and mayo. This one is actually very good. The fish is light and the spicy sauce adds just enough kick and flavor but doesn’t overwhelm. Also good are the yellowtail scallion, seared salmon, and snow crab rolls. Word of warning: they are known to run out of some rolls, so don’t be surprised if you get rejected.