Put yourselves in the good hands of Yoshimichi Takeda, formerly of Masa and Nobu in Manhattan, and order the omakase at Sushi Nanase in White Plains.
You’ll think you just bought a one-way ticket to Tokyo because 1. the place is an incredible culinary taste bud carnival of the freshest fish and most inventive Japanese cuisine and 2. it costs about as much a one-way ticket to Tokyo.
On Mamaroneck Avenue, the joint is tiny and plain looking from the outside. Make certain to secure reservations and arrive on time, as there are reports of Mr. Takeda having "adverse reactions" when customers don’t follow these rules and disrespect the toro..
The Zagat review scores the food a 28 of 30 and reports:
"The chef-owner at this “tiny” “no-frills” Japanese “inn” in White Plains may strike some as “fussy”, but come here for “nothing else” but “exquisite” sushi “delicately” prepared with “special touches” and you’ll be in “heaven”; many find it “exorbitantly overpriced” with a $30 minimum per person, but keep in mind “your dinner was in Japan 18 hours earlier”, so if “it feels like you’re paying to fly in your meals, you are!”"
A New York Times review from 2006 is equally flowing with praise:
"…I recommend putting yourself in Mr. Takeda’s hands. It is in taste combinations and presentation that his talents are best illustrated.
A recent omakase (chef’s choice) dinner started with a beautiful orange Japanese persimmon, its sweet meat carved out, mixed with tofu, then placed back in the shell and served with a spoon that resembled a twig. Next came a series of tastes that transitioned our palates to smokier, huskier flavors: chestnuts; tiny clams; okra, sliced in half with pearls of salmon roe and caviar on top; a slice of yam; and a conch, sticking out of its shell.
There were oysters, those extraordinary scallops, broiled cod and king crab in vinegar. Finally, long, lovely plates of sushi arrived — salmon, tuna, fluke, shrimp and more. Each piece had just the right amount of rice, with little surprise spoonfuls of wasabi packed between the rice and the fish. Small bursts of flavor and color sat on top of each piece, from various roes and truffles to gold leaf. The meal ended with a light, refreshing ginger peach sorbet and sweet, sticky bean paste with lime zest. We felt as if we had been taken on a wonderful journey without ever leaving our seats."
Sushi Nanase, 522 Mamaroneck Avenue (DeKalb Ave.), White Plains, Telephone 914-285-5351.
