Thursday, January 12, 2023

Sushi Nakazawa

Sushi Nakazawa is a one-star Michelin star restaurant located next to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in downtown Washington, DC and serves a Nigiri-sushi exclusive omakase menu consisting of approximately 20 pieces of nigiri. The fish and shellfish is sourced globally, with a special focus on Japan. The menu is priced at $180 at the sushi counter with the same menu available in the dining room for $150.  Closest Metro is Federal Triangle.

We arrived on time and I was a little surprised by how small the interior was.  Immediately in front of the entrance is the sushi counter, which was completely full.  We were escorted around the corner to our table and soon started our courses.  There is no printed menu, so I will do my best to describe each based on the pictures below.

The first course was a trio of salmon.  All bites were delicious!

The second course was a seafood/shellfish course.  From right to left (the order in which we were instructed to eat) is scallop, squid, sweet shrimp, and blue crab.

The third course was various white fish.  All were super clean and delightful. 

The fourth course was two different silver fish.  these were also very fresh and clean to eat. 


The fifth course highlighted tuna. From right to left - akami (lean), soy-marinated toro, otoro, and then otoro that was charred and slightly cooked. 



The sixth course was uni - purple on the right, which was super light and refreshing and the one of the left was more creamy and briny. 


The seventh course was the start of sweet with eel and then tamago (egg custard).


The final dessert course was a soy bean custard served with a glass of green tea.  The combination was both earthy and comforting.

All in all the food was delicious - super fresh and prepared expertly.  Service was above par but a little robotic.  The dining room is a bit bland, and it was clear that the sushi counter seats are where the action is and would have been better for the full experience.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed our meal and left with happy bellies.

Total Rating: 4.45

Food: 5, Price: 3.5, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 5

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