My spouse and I dined at Kura on a Saturday evening in
mid-January 2015. Kura does not have a website, nor do they accept on-line reservations.
We telephoned about six weeks prior to the night we dined to make our
reservation. (The first two dates that we requested were unavailable – the
Saturday following Thanksgiving, and the Saturday following Christmas, because
the restaurant was closed on those days, a practice that we heartily endorse!
It is nice to see a small business that give its staff time off during the
holiday season!) The restaurant name Kura means "sacred place".
Kura is located on St. Mark’s Place/East 8th
Street (between 1st Avenue and Avenue A) in the East Village
neighborhood of Manhattan. Kura is hidden on a street populated with bars,
restaurants, and shops. Kura has no signage, so look for house number 130, the door
of which is covered with a “noren”, a short linen curtain inked with a circle.
Although the street is rowdy with pedestrians and businesses, once you step
inside the restaurant, the chaos disappears.
The restaurant has only one table (that seats about six
patrons), and a long wooden sushi bar/counter that seats 12 people. Kura offers
a printed drink menu, but not a food menu, so it is wise to do some research
beforehand if you want some idea of prices and tasting options (which made
difficult because they have no website). The decor is minimalist, with exposed
brick walls, a bright white ceiling, a wooden sushi counter (minus the “sneeze
guard”, thank you!), and wooden chairs. The restaurant offers two menu options:
either all sushi, or half cooked / half sushi, at three different price points:
$85, $105, and $130.
The head chef (or “itamae”), Norihiro "Miyake" Ishizuka, is 70+ years
old, and wears a “samue”
(a monk’s work robe). He is the happiest chef that we have ever
witnessed, and his cheerfulness is contagious! Chef Ishizuka was born in Shikoku, Japan, and began his
culinary training at age 13. He worked in Osaka and Tokyo before he came to New
York in the late 1980s. He later opened a restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan,
before he returned to NYC. A second chef also works behind the counter; he is cordial
and adept, but he is not the master chef / magician that Chef Ishizuka is. As
Chef creates his sushi pieces, his hands perform magic -- it seems to take him
no time or effort to deftly shape the rice and top it with expertly sliced
fish. He was wonderfully impressive to watch!
Service was prompt and attentive; for only 18 customers, at
least four waiters/waitresses were present, although the sushi chefs served the
majority of dishes over the sushi counter. The wait staff provides a hot towel
upon arrival to clean your hands, and a small finger bowl with a wet nap
remains on the table to wipe your fingers between courses. Chopstick rests are
present, and the staff takes great care to provide coasters and other drink
holders and arrange items properly.
The sushi was extraordinary! We ordered two $130 menus, one
with all sushi and one with half cooked courses, although we both seemed to
receive the same amount and kinds of sushi, with one serving of a few hot
courses (such as monkfish liver, tempura, and miso soup) in between. Our sushi
courses (not in this exact order) included ikura, mirugai (still quivering!),
shako (mantis shrimp), krill wrapped in nori, uni wrapped in nori, scallop, abalone,
hotate, tuna hand roll, fatty tuna, jack fish, salmon, and egg custard. Several
of the sushi pieces were semi-cooked with a small blowtorch. We each received a
bowl of marinated tuna chunks with grated Japanese yams early in the service,
and we each chose a dessert at the end (pistachio ice cream, pear Riesling
sorbet, or mochi). We were quite full after our dinner!
We loved our meal at Kura! The sushi was incredibly fresh
and of the highest quality. The service from the wait staff was conscientious
and professional. However, it was the personality and the skill of Chef Ishizuka
that we will always remember!
