What is the most you've spent on lunch?

[BurnItDwn]

do you have any clue how to even catch a tuna? the first requirement is that you have to be about 60 miles off the coast in a boat. and you think that having someone else go catch it and prepare it for you would make it cheap?

It should be cheaper than beef or other meats, since you do not have to have a huge farm and raise them from birth.

Sounds kinda like Salmon fishing... Except they dont use a line and a hook and catch 1 fish per hour, they use a huge fvcking net and catch fish by the ton.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Well at least you know you're wrong.

Mostly the horrible taste & smell of the seaweed fills me with rage!
Sashimi is OK, but id prefer fish tacos from a taco stand or fish and chips from a pub or braised octopus from a greek place, essentially, something that has been cooked.

That said, I would prefer the sashimi over brain tacos, though the brain tacos are better than sushi. What I really dont like besides the seaweed, is chicharon, which offends the latin folks I know.

 

[BurnItDwn]

You can make that argument about anything.

Spaghetti? Tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil.
Steak? Salt, pepper, sear, done.

Indeed!

Fuck Salt prices! It is free at the beach, or you just dig into the ground and you have more salt than you could EVER use. The worst is places that jack up prices in the winter!

 

[Ns1]

It should be cheaper than beef or other meats, since you do not have to have a huge farm and raise them from birth.

Sounds kinda like Salmon fishing... Except they dont use a line and a hook and catch 1 fish per hour, they use a huge fvcking net and catch fish by the ton.

Sushi is not limited to tuna, salmon, albacore, shrimp, salmon eggs, and mackerel.

 

[John Connor]

Probably $30 bucks. Anything more than I guess maybe $100? per person is flat out extortion IMO.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Probably $30 bucks. Anything more than I guess maybe $100? per person is flat out extortion IMO.

Eh steaks and drinks hit up to $100 easy.

 

[rh71]

there is no way a sushi buffet can compare to bluefin. NONE.

That's like saying a honda CRV is the same as an X5 because they're both SUV's.

Except we've been to expensive sushi places too and didn't see the benefit of having to pay $90 for a casual dinner for two. What's so special about bluefin's food? Have you ever been to a good sushi place that just happens to be all-you-can-eat?

 

[purbeast0]

It should be cheaper than beef or other meats, since you do not have to have a huge farm and raise them from birth.

Sounds kinda like Salmon fishing... Except they dont use a line and a hook and catch 1 fish per hour, they use a huge fvcking net and catch fish by the ton.

yeah, because the demand for sushi is the same as the demand for raw beef.

and the volume is the same...

 

[Ns1]

Except we've been to expensive sushi places too and didn't see the benefit of having to pay $90 for a casual dinner for two. What's so special about bluefin's food?

The value proposition is one thing and very agreed - can't eat expensive sushi meals all the time and sometimes 3 rolls for $10 is what's on deck.

However it is ridiculous to make an objective comparison between buffet sushi and sushi-ya sushi.

1) Not all rice is created equal. The sushi buffet's 3rd rate 12 month old rice cannot compare to Mori's custom rice blend which is only sold to Mori direct from the grower

2) Not all rice vinegar is created equal. There are multiple quality levels in rice vinegar. You can safely assume that most lower quality sushi uses bottom of the barrel rice vinegar

3) Most people do not place enough emphasis on the rice. Rice should be served at the correct temperature (depends on the style of sushi) and well seasoned. It is not optimal if rice sticks to your fingers/the plate. The crappier the sushi joint, the more rice will stick to your fingers/the plate.

4) Nori comes in many grades. The stuff you can find at the supermarket is on the 2nd or 3rd grade. The highest grades are not sold to markets and only direct to restaurants. The REALLY premium nori is reserved for the best restaurants (*best in terms of relationship to supplier).

5) High quality sushi joints will have shittons of variety with sushi chefs who know how to maximize each cut for optimum deliciousness. This generally means high precision high difficulty knifework ON TOP OF a deep knowledge of multiple types of fish, and maybe some pairing with various marinades/curing/etc. And this knowledge applies with things other than salmon/tuna/albacore/mackeral. Like this:

or this:

or this:

or this:

etc.

I can go on and on, but there are my main points are

1) There is a time and place for value sushi but it is ridiculous to compare it to top tier sushi on a pure quality basis.
2) Top tier sushi is really hard and really expensive.

Have you ever been to a good sushi place that just happens to be all-you-can-eat?

They meet a need but they are never as good as a real sushi meal. They fit the "I need a sushi fix and I can only pay $40 but I want to eat a lot of sushi" criteria.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Except we've been to expensive sushi places too and didn't see the benefit of having to pay $90 for a casual dinner for two. What's so special about bluefin's food? Have you ever been to a good sushi place that just happens to be all-you-can-eat?

It is fucking amazing that's what. The salmon sashimi and yellowtail belly is sooo buttery and delicious.

I've never been to an all-you-can-eat that comes close to Bluefin, and I've been to more than a few.

 

[Possessed Freak]

Per person, ~$100.

 

[alkemyst]

Except we've been to expensive sushi places too and didn't see the benefit of having to pay $90 for a casual dinner for two. What's so special about bluefin's food? Have you ever been to a good sushi place that just happens to be all-you-can-eat?

Good sushi doesn't always have to be expensive. That said, most really never had good sushi.

 

[rh71]

The value proposition is one thing and very agreed - can't eat expensive sushi meals all the time and sometimes 3 rolls for $10 is what's on deck.

However it is ridiculous to make an objective comparison between buffet sushi and sushi-ya sushi.

Ok, I'm going to say that it is good enough in the sense that an audiophile will always say this and that is better while the common person can enjoy quality music without the high-end equipment and prices. The benefit / difference is very minimal and I think it applies to your food comparison. Again, I'm not talking about the $15 token-sushi-in-a-corner-of-the-buffet buffets. It's quality sushi but perhaps without a master chef hailing from Osaka doing the cutting. I've also been to plenty costly sushi restaurants run by Chinese or Vietnamese. Never again will we spend the extra cash.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mizumi-restaurant-douglaston - check out the pics. I don't know how you would call this inferior food. ~$35 dinner, eat till you keel over.

 

[Ns1]

Ok, I'm going to say that it is good enough in the sense that an audiophile will always say this and that is better while the common person can enjoy quality music without the high-end equipment and prices. The benefit / difference is very minimal and I think it applies to your food comparison.

Well, the difference isn't "very minimal" to some of us but otherwise no arguments, esp. after the $160++/pp mark.

 

[alkemyst]

I think many people are confusing rice-heavy americanized rolls with real sushi like California Rolls.

Almost all 'cheap' sushi places have crappy tuna, good and fresh tuna is pretty pricey to come by in most places. Average tuna tastes way different than Sushi grade.

Like most restaurants are not serving "USDA Prime" meat, they aren't serving real sushi grade products either.

Most don't know better.

Cheap sushi can be good, just like a McDonald's hamburger can be...if you have a lot of experience with fine dining then those previous options don't tend to taste as good.

 

[coloumb]

About a week ago took the famdamily to Cheese Cake factory and spent $75.00 [including tip].

 

[Jeff7]

$20 maybe, for one person.

The idea of spending a lot of money on food is just not "compatible" with me, especially on a single meal.




(<--- impatiently awaiting Soylent delivery...)

 

[glenn1]

Omakase sushi lunch at Morimoto's was about $60-75 each a few years ago. Still a good deal because the same meal at dinner runs about $120. Once you have the good stuff it's hard to go back to crappy sushi, and Morimoto's isn't even as good as some of the stuff you can get in L.A. much less Japan proper.

 

[alkemyst]

Omakase sushi lunch at Morimoto's was about $60-75 each a few years ago. Still a good deal because the same meal at dinner runs about $120. Once you have the good stuff it's hard to go back to crappy sushi, and Morimoto's isn't even as good as some of the stuff you can get in L.A. much less Japan proper.

At any fine restaurant lunch is probably the best bang for buck.

Get a good lunch and you don't need dinner

Love the one you are with

 

[BurnItDwn]

yeah, because the demand for sushi is the same as the demand for raw beef.

and the volume is the same...

But once you cook that ram beef, it becomes delicious and awesome!

 

[BurnItDwn]

Sushi is not limited to tuna, salmon, albacore, shrimp, salmon eggs, and mackerel.

Yes, its whatever they happen to catch in the nets, sometimes its flipper, sometimes its orca, sometimes its an old boot.

Also, many places like to lie and tell you they are serving you a $15 fish when in reality they are serving you a cheap baitfish, and most people do not have a fully developed palette for ram fish, do not know any better and just believe the restaurant.

Now, I am not meaning to imply that any if the places you go to are deceptive like that. Nor do I mean to imply that you havent got the pallete for it, as I realize you are very very much attached to sushi, sort of like how I very much some bacon or a good pizza.

I realize you are "right", but in my mind, expensive and sushi is not something that can be justified to me, especially since i find sushi to be uninteresting compared to just getting rid of the seaweed and deep frying, stir frying, grilling, bbqing, or just about any other way to prepare the meat.