Counter service
Sushi Noz, Fat Fowl, Brunch slip-ons, slow media, best Vietnamese, Apotheke, Mr. Barber, MORE
RESTAURANTS • Kodawari
Rare fish
Welcome back to a recurring FOUND feature in which we profile sushi counters practicing kodawari — the uncompromising, relentless pursuit of perfection.
The Skinny: With two tiny Edomae-rooted counter experiences accented with a hint of global inspiration, six-year-old Sushi Noz remains a bastion of sterling seafood on the Upper East Side.
The Experience: Two chefs, two counters. Nozomu Abe (“Noz”) typically helms the eight-seat Hinoki Counter (above, left), which is enveloped in an intimate room decorated in a dozen varieties of cedar wood. At the six-seat Ash Counter (above, right), second-in-command Yudai Shibata is in charge. The omakase is the same at each counter, and costs $550 per.
House Manners: Both counters manage to present an aura of seriousness without feeling overly stuffy. At his counter, Noz is chatting and engaging while focused on his craft. Just follow the regular rules: no perfume, no phone calls, and most importantly, no late arrivals.
Sushi Style: Sushi Noz has earned credibility amongst the most discerning sushi experts not only for chef Noz’s deft touch, but for the restaurant’s ability to score rare and hyperseasonal Japanese seafood unavailable elsewhere in the city. (The restaurant has an import license and flies its seafood — and some produce — in daily via FedEx from Japan.) And while the omakase is rooted in austerity and tradition, one occasionally finds courses inspired by the chef’s global travels. Among his most famous dishes: a miso-laced, langoustine-head-enriched Japanese take on bouillabaisse, inspired by a trip to France.
To Drink: Over the years Noz has built out an impressive 900-bottle wine list, including a number of Selosse bottlings from the restaurant’s vertical collection that date back to 2003. The vault also includes Domaine de la Romanée-Conti as far back as 1962.
The Progression: A series of six seasonal seafood- and veg-based otsumami (small seasonal appetizers) kick off the meal and typically include signature bites like hay-smoked bonito. Around 13 nigiri bites follow — including Noz’s signature scallop nigiri, whose droopy segments resemble the hair on a Komondor pup — followed by asari clam miso soup, tamago, and desert (perhaps a piece of Japanese fruit, such as the super floral-tasting Miyazaki mango). A master class. –Kat Odell
→ Sushi Noz (Upper East Side) • 181 E 78th St • Seatings at 545-6p, 845-9p • Reserve.
NYC RESTAURANT LINKS: Daniel Humm plans Clementine Bar upstairs from Eleven Madison Park • Claim: Nomad is NYC’s best neighborhood for cocktails • Unapologetic Foods team plotting new Indian concept for East Village • After closing for repairs at start of year, Chez Ma Tante has reopened in Greenpoint • It’s Nardello (Jimmy Nardello) season — a top 5 season • A Pimm’s Cup, hold the Pimm’s.
WORK • Tuesday Routine
Fresh cuts
SHORNE BENJAMIN • founder/executive chef • Fat Fowl
Neighborhood you work in: Downtown Brooklyn
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Walking into Fat Fowl, I have an overwhelming sense of pride for the team. They take initiative to keep the restaurant organized and keep the customers happy. After my daily operations debrief, I begin my routine checks of the restaurant (from supplies, inventory, equipment) to make sure everything is up to both our operational and brand standards. Then, I go and taste the food prepared by the chef and make sure to give it the stamp of approval.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today, I’m observing guests who travel from near and far to experience Fat Fowl. In two years’ time, we have become a destination in Brooklyn — I am humbled and proud of the recognition. Due to all the love, I am actively working on expanding the brand and having additional locations. It is time to grow so we can offer even more.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I want to go to Bungalow in the East Village, though it's hard to get a reservation. I met the chef Vikas Khannavi at a charity gala, and attended some other events alongside him, and recently we were both on the Tamron Hall Show on the same day for a “culture and cuisine” food feature. I’ve wanted to go to his restaurant and pay homage to him.
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
One thing I always look forward to doing in Brooklyn is getting my haircut at Mr. Barber. Mr. Barber is a black-owned business that gives you an elevated experience as you can receive both a haircut and facial at the same time. My barber Kurt is the best and I always leave his chair a brand new person. Running and owning a restaurant is stressful, and appointments like these are important to me as far as my health and wellness.
I also love going to the Chinatown speakeasy Apotheke. It has nightly live music that combines my favorite genres of music: brass, bluegrass, jazz, and R&B. They serve a variety of well-crafted cocktails and I love the atmosphere.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I am very into fashion and prioritize having a trendy casual style. For example, I love wearing jumpsuits as one of my signature style options either in the kitchen or casual, paired with stylish street shoes.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
I recommend all chefs, aspiring or professional, go to Kalustyan's Spice Market, located at 123 Lexington Ave in Kips Bay. It’s like a playground for chefs — you can go in and find anything you need, but also find inspiration for your next dish.
WORK • Startups
Fast & slow
After a couple of weeks of traveling and holiday disruption, I woke up this morning wanting to go fast — to quiet the uncertainty that built up during days outside the routine by hitting the gas on the business.
Luckily, it was early and I was in my kitchen and nobody else was paying attention, so I couldn’t do any damage.
Lock has a theory, which I subscribe to, that it takes at least a year, probably two, for media brands to take hold. During that waiting period, you’ve got to show up every day, publish when you say you’re going to, do good work even when it seems like nobody’s paying attention. Only then, when you’ve gained trust and established credibility, can you achieve instant success.
At FOUND, we’re just past a year in NY and still counting time in months in LA, SF, and Miami. So we’ve likely got some more slow ahead of us before I can wake up after a holiday and blow a lot of money on hiring new staff.
It’s possible to try to circumvent the media-building process with money, but that’s a tricky game. Revenue can lag other measures of success, which means you better have a lot of money and probably more. It’s also possible to go too slowly, of course, and end up with a hobby instead of a business.
Managing the fast and slow of the early stages is hard. It’s especially hard during the times that don’t call for gas. Hopefully, if we do it right, those times will seem much shorter when we look back on them fondly as the carefree early days of FOUND. –Josh Albertson
WORK LINKS: Big deal to bring Ikea to empty Midtown lot raises bigger questions • Tradeweb leases 76K SF at upgrading 245 Park Ave • Bloomingdale’s is paying 5th Ave prices for UWS store • Elliott Investment Management takes 149K SF at 280 Park Ave • Relief for NJ commuters is coming… in the late 2030s • Cities turn to street performers to liven up office districts.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Inside out
Joshua Sitt has branched out from his colorful, mental-health-promoting Madhappy clothing line with Brunch, an ultra-comfy line of hotel-slipper-inspired footwear designed to be worn on the street. The celebrity-favorite brand — which he co-founded with his brother Daniel — includes styles either with or without backs, in a range of colors and materials from turquoise cotton to shearling-lined beige suede. They’ve also launched collaborative shoes with notable cafes and restaurants, including Brooklyn Heights croissant favorite L'Appartement 4F, and multi-outlet sceney Italian, Casa Tua. Check them out online or at their new Amagansett summer pop-up. –Kat Odell
→ Shop: Brunch (Amagansett) •14 Amagansett Square • $98-125.
GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: 20 years after opening in Williamsburg, jewelry brand Catbird expanding across America • Inside the renaissance of Tory Burch • Can you still get a 24-hour suit made in Hong Kong? • Ferrari preps for late-’25 entry into electric car market • Amazon and how hot fast fashion gave way to ultra-fast fashion • ‘If you are wearing low-cut socks, it means you are 30-plus.’
ASK FOUND
Hit reply or or email found@foundny.com with questions and/or answers.
Three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS that require your immediate attention:
What are the best beaches within driving distance of the city?
Tell us a Finger Lakes secret.
What’s your Restaurant of the Summer?
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurants, new guard Vietnamese
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of NYC's best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com. For the full archives, click here.
Banh (Upper West Side), excellent everything, including bánh cuốn dumplings from Hanoi