by Dorothy Cascerceri
Now there’s one more Upper East Side sushi restaurant that is responsible for making me a sushi snob.
Sushi snob: (n.) A person who will not eat sushi from any old place because sushi said person has eaten from select restaurant was so delicious that all others pale in comparison.
I had walked past Totoya on First Avenue and 63rd street on several occasions, trying to figure out if was called Totoya or Toyota, like the car (also clearly trying to figure out if I am illiterate or not).
The place looked really cute and casual, and after reading the reviews, it made me believe the food was worthwhile too.
So my girlfriends and I headed over there on a Thursday evening, and despite the dim almost dark lighting (perfect casual date place), we loved it.
First off, when I looked at the wine list and saw a glass of Pinot Grigio for $3.75, I had to glance at First Avenue to make sure I was still in New York City. Granted it came in a tiny bottle, similar to the ones I’ve gotten on airplanes, and a wine connoisseur or anyone who knows even one thing about wine would have scoffed at it. But for my friend, Michelle, and I, it was the perfect wine at a perfect price.
We split an order of edamame as an appetizer, and Lauren, the non-sushi eater of the group, ordered shrimp dumplings.
Michelle and I dove right into the sushi menu, complete with drawings of what the orders looked like. I’m usually skeptical of places that have drawings or photos of their special rolls on their menus. But this place proved me wrong. The combinations they dreamed up for their special rolls were like nothing I had seen before.
I ordered one roll to start, which was called the Rocky Mountain II, which was tuna, avocado, coconut flakes, chili oil, and honey mustard wrapped in soy paper. It was the right amount of sweet, savory and salty, and the honey mustard was an unusual, delightful addition.
By the time I was done, I had to order another roll, so I decided on the Spicy Dragon II, which was eel, avocado, red pepper, mango, rice cracker, spicy soy and bean sauce (see photo). It came out looking beautiful, and the crunchiness of the rice cracker was a nice added touch.
By the time we were finished, I was seriously rethinking my original plan to stop by Tasti D Lite on my walk home. I was stuffed and satisfied, and so were my friends. When the check came, we were even more satisfied. We had Nobu quality sushi at Go Sushi prices.
A few nights later, I was craving it again so much, that I ordered a spicy tuna roll and a spicy scallop roll for delivery. I figured I would put their basic rolls to the test, since their special rolls exceeded my expectations.
They passed!
Totoya is my new favorite neighborhood sushi place, although the name of the restaurant on my credit card receipt read: Toyota, like the car.
Maybe I’m not so illiterate after all.