Recently we had the opportunity to dine at Sushi Metsuyan in Queens, NY. In addition to the sushi, the restaurant is also a Japanese steak house. As we were a group of hard core carnivores, it was the meat that beckoned to us.
What an incredible experience we had. For starters, we have to say that we have never seen food presented so beautifully and artfully. Even before we tasted a single bite, our eyes were dazzled with the incredibly artistry of presentation. Every dish was a piece of art.
We started with some spicy tuna sushi. It was quite tasty. One of our group, a proud son of the Bronx, had never tasted sushi before (something about being from the Bronx means you are not dumb enough to eat raw fish or something like that!) He loved the sushi. He tried the wasabi- we should have warned him first, but it was too much fun to wait and see his reaction. You know how in the cartoons, the person’s eyes turn red and the steam comes out of his ears? Yup! He gave us a classic cartoon reaction, and then said, “Wow, that was great!”
Dinner was steak, steak, and dinosaur ribs.
One of us had the Steak Sambal- extremely tender strips (more like huge pieces) of steak marinated, grilled and served with Sambal chili sauce. The sauce gave the meat that extra umph that made it absolutely delectable. The side dish was mashed potatoes with mushrooms, and they, too, were incredible.
One of us had the Metsuyan Kalbi. It is a Korean dish made from London broil meat (the menu says boneless rib meat) that is grilled slowly and carmelized. It is served with a red sauce that is nothing short of heavenly. It came with coconut rice- a most tantilizing sweet rice dish that went well with the meat.
The third person had the Dinosaur Kalbi Ribs. Aside from the fact that it reminded us of the Flintstones, it was a most unusual dish. They take the ribs and glaze them and then slow grill them with a Korean BBQ sauce. The ribs were quite tasty and truly finger licking good.
We also ordered sake and plum wine. The plum wine was served in an iced pitcher. The sake was supposed to be cold, but it was merely chilled. Sake comes both hot and cold. Hot sake goes with sushi. Cold sake goes with hot food. Cold sake should be just above freezing temperature. That was the restaurant’s only failing as far as we were concerned. The sake was not cold enough. But both the sake and the plum wine were excellent, nonetheless.
All the dinners were artfully served and were a visual feast as well as a Taste Bud Oh-boy experience.
The staff was most attentive and friendly. All in all, it was a superlative dining experience. We give it a Kosher Nexus five fork rating!
Sushi Metsuyan is located at 72-08 Main Street, Kew Garden Hills, NY. 718 575 8700. Hashgacha is by the Queens Vaad. There is another restaurant located at 488 Central Ave, Cedarhurst. That one is under the Vaad of the Five Towns.
Try them out- we are sure you will enjoy them!
(RJR)
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