RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: Tucked under a nail salon in Flatiron, Los Angeles import Sushi by Scratch debuted last month with an unorthodox, 17-course nigiri menu running $245 per.
The Experience: Guests enter into a slim front lounge lined by an L-shaped banquette and compact parlor tables, where they’re greeted by a welcome cocktail, followed by small starters like whipped bluefin tuna tail served with crispy nori and fried baby sardines. Half an hour later, the action moves to a 10-seat rear sushi counter so intimate there’s barely enough room to squeeze by to use the restroom. The cramped feel imparts a Tokyo vibe to the otherwise Westernized sushi concept. The energy is chatty and casual, with chef Phillip Frankland Lee describing each bite between courses.
The Food: An all-nigiri menu accented with unexpected garnishes (and a drinks menu of Japanese cocktails, whiskies, beers, and sakes) has earned Lee a devout following. Signature pieces include hamachi brushed with sweet corn pudding and a two-part bone marrow series in which the tissue is first served with soy and wasabi root, then used to fry freshwater eel.
For his New York edition, Lee has premiered several great new bites, including squid topped with pickled sakura blooms and soy-accented dry aged akami crowned with house-made horseradish-based “fake wasabi.” A roasted Hudson Valley foie gras nigiri finished with caramelized Okinawan brown sugar concludes the savory portion of the meal and brilliantly paves the way for the final course: a frozen makrut (or kaffir) lime and matcha ice cream bonbon (made by Margarita Kallas-Lee, the other half of the restaurant’s husband-and-wife team).
The Verdict: Wholly unorthodox in execution and taste, Sushi by Scratch is a breath of fresh air in a still mostly rigid counter culture. –Kat Odell
→ Sushi by Scratch (Flatiron) • 922 Broadway (@ E 21st St) • 5-930p • $245 per • Reserve.