In addition to Sushi Yasuda and Masa, Sushi of Gari is easily considered among the most preeminent Sushi restaurants in New York. With three locations (Upper East Side, Upper West Side and Midtown West), Gari continues to offer some of the most fresh and dynamic fish available. One of the ways in which Gari distinguishes itself from the other perenial favorites is its presentation. Gari focuses on serving its fish like a piece art as the sushi is decorated with unique and aesthetically pleasing condiments and sauces, that inevitably add both flavor and beauty to the dish. Among several different options for sushi, I went with the Salmon of Gari. Since I embody a profound affinity for salmon, this was an easy choice.
The Salmon of Gari includes five pieces of salmon sushi, three small hand rolls and one additional salmon skin roll. The first piece of salmon was served by itself (on the far right). Although it was incredibly fresh and tasty, I would have preferred if it were served with one of the unique sauces that are used on other dishes (Sushi Deluxe and Omakase). The second piece had a small piece of lemon placed on top of the smoked salmon. Although it added a bit of citrusy flavor, I did not appreciate the use of smoked salmon, which I felt was a bit contemptible as it cheated the customer out of the more flavorful and better quality salmon. The next piece of salmon included a large roasted tomato with a sweet zesty sauce. Although the vegetable was a bit large, making it difficult to fit into the mouth, it was nevertheless a great combination that was among the best served on the dish. The fourth piece of salmon (or shall I say, third) was served with a large piece of avocado. Akin to the roasted tomato, the avocado needed to be slightly cut off because it was too large to fit into the mouth with the salmon. In the end, it was a nice combination and the avocado was incredibly fresh and ripe. The last piece of salmon sushi integrated a piece of roasted pepper. This time, the size of the vegetable was smaller, thus making it more appropriate to eat without any agitation. The pairing worked and was quite good. To complete the dish, the entree also included three smaller sized hand rolls: spanish mackerall, salmon with spicy sauce and roe (fish eggs). Among the three, the spicy salmon was as close to perfection as a roll can achieve. The sauce was flawless and the fish was clearly fresh (usually rolls that integrate “spicy sauce” give lower quality fish as the sauce will alter the taste, or lack thereof). Since I am not a fan of fish eggs, I did not like the choice and furthermore was a bit perplexed as to why chef Gari would include it since it was after all a dish dedicated to SALMON. The last hand roll (spanish mackerel) was exceptional integrating both flavor and texture that made it relatively easy to finish within a second . The last part of the dish was the extra roll, salmon skin. Although the salmon skin at Gari is among the best I have ever tasted (I would feel remiss to not disclose my significant admiration for salmon skin rolls), I was disappointed that it would include salmon skin and not a “specialty roll” per se. For instance, the Sushi Deluxe (which is less expensive), includes one of Gari’s signature rolls, the toro with scallion, which is commendable and far higher quality than the salmon skin. Although the dish deserves praise, it nevertheless possessed its flaws and thus did not effectively justify the merit that Gari has achieved. Suffice to say, while the Salmon of Gari is not Gari’s signature dish, a restaurant that is among the consummate sushi bars in one of the most competitive markets in the world should serve every dish flawless and more importantly should not require its customer to order the Omakase in order to be sufficiently pleased.
Sushi of Gari UWS
370 Columbus Avenue,
New York, NY,10024
P: + 1 (212) 362-4816
2DineOut- the luxury food magazine. 
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