Where Colin Ate: Corima, Yoshino, Raoul's, Sushi Yasuda

Plus: Hot dogs in America's Second City

Colin Camac (aka @resyguynyc) is officially Blackbird’s “Strategic Sales Lead,” and unofficially is our resident insider’s insider. He is out, on the town seven nights a week, sniffing out the city’s best joints, skateboard in one hand, martini in the other.

After a slight break in the action, I have to say it feels good to be back! This month was jam-packed with a ton of great meals and unusually heavy on some heavy-hitter sushi spots. I was also able to fit in a work trip to Chicago for the Utility conference put on by Tilt each year. Throw in an awesome Burger League meal, a few pop-ups, and new openings, and I have a pretty solid list of recommendations for May. We’re coming into the best time of the year to dine in NYC as the mass exodus approaches and the hard-to-get reservations become just a bit easier to attain. Hopefully, I can help you choose wisely.

Yoshino
📍East Village
🍽️ Japanese

Yoshino has been on my list of places to visit since it opened a few years back. One Michelin Star later and 4 from NYT by pedigree alone, it is considered one of the top omakase spots in NYC. Unlike some of the other top-rated restaurants in the city, I was able to score a fairly last-minute reservation for Friday night on Tuesday of the same week with my friend Phillip. Arriving at a nondescript door on Bowery, we were quickly seated in front of Chef Yoshida himself. Chef previously helmed a highly regarded omakase in Nagoya, Japan, called Sushi No Yoshino, known as the best sushiya in Japan outside Tokyo. This meal started with a bang, a small glass filled with seaweed, uni, and caviar that got everything going. For a high-priced spot, I thought they did a great job of alternating between high-end ingredients like caviar and more fun (for me) traditional bites such as abalone w/ uni sauce, Chef’s signature Saba (mackerel), and kohada (gizzard shad). They also served two of the more unique tomato preparations that I have seen. The first was a rolled omelet around eel, and then, at the end of the meal, another was a neatly cut rectangle of custard with a bit of brulee on top. Both were fantastic. I would highly recommend this place for a special occasion for any sushi lover.

Yugin
📍Midtown
🍽️ Japanese

I was lucky enough to be invited to try Yugin, which is a several-month-old omakase counter on the 60th floor of a private club on the edge of Central Park South. While the club is private, the restaurant is available to the public. Chef Yugin grew up in the Republic of Moldova, then cooked around the world before eventually becoming Masa's apprentice at Masa's flagship on Columbus Circle. For over 10 years, Chef worked his way up until he found the perfect spot for his own counter. What I loved about this experience was that the Chef strives to learn about his guests, and each diner does not receive the same meal. It goes back to the old-school style of omakase that nobody does anymore. Otsumami courses tend to be seasonally inspired and more improvisational, while nigiri follows a stricter traditional form. I absolutely loved this meal and thought all of the personal touches made it feel like a very special experience. For me, he pulled out five different types of hikarimono (silverfish) once I asked about it. Chef purposely keeps the fish hidden so he can surprise each guest with a meal tailored to their preferences. There is no other room in town with views like this. I will definitely be back.

Roll-O Dairy Bar @ Ghost Hawk Brewing Co
📍Clifton, New Jersey
🍽️ American

I had been following the enigmatic Rolo Dairy Bar online for a while now, sometimes barely catching their whereabouts in an Instagram story shortly before it vanished. The Dairy Bar refers to a small trailer from the 50’s that a chef serves food from, with a small paper menu hanging on the side. On this day, I set a reminder that it would be close enough for me to take a quick trip over to NJ to check it out. The menu consisted of an amazing burger, stuffed peppers, pickles of all kinds, and vanilla and sherbet twist ice cream topped with orange oil. Such a fun spot, can’t wait to track it down again. Bonus points that it was parked across the street from the world-famous Rutt’s Hut, and you could double down with some hot dogs before or after!

Raoul’s (Burger League)
📍Soho
🍽️ French Bistro

It had been a while since I was last at Raoul’s for a full meal, and Burger League was the perfect excuse to get back. Normally, the burgers here are extremely limited and only served at the bar, but for Blackbird Burger League, every table in the room gets one per person. I remember liking the burger the first time I tried it years ago, but this time was absolutely epic. The burger comes with a cracked peppercorn crust, triple cream cheese, dressed greens, red onion, cornichons, and an au poivre dipping sauce. Pair that with some of the best fries around, and it all works. I loved it so much, I was back within a week and snagged a bar seat to do it all again.

Cellar Door Provisions @ Ops
📍Bushwick
🍽️ Mediterranean

Ops is one of my favorite rooms to be in during the early evening hours when the light still hits the dining room just right; that is exactly why I was so excited to hear about them opening for (non-pizza) lunch one Sunday each month with a special guest for a reasonable prix fixe. This month, the team brought in Cellar Door Provisions from Chicago, and it was exactly what I was looking for: vegetable- and fish-forward, perfect for an early afternoon. We started with mussel conserva w/ soupy sorana beans and an aioli served with Ops amazing sourdough. Following that, we had wood-smoked asparagus with tarragon and blue cheese. My favorite dish of the meal, though, was a salt-roasted ocean trout from the pizza oven, impossibly tender, served with favas, pea shoots, and a sauce mousseline. The meal ended with rye and chocolate shortbread with sabayon.

Sushi Yasuda
📍Midtown East
🍽️ Japanese

As I’ve said before, long fancy lunches are my favorite, and Sushi Yasuda does it right. Yasuda was part of the first wave of the omakase craze, and even after a few chef changes, it is still great. Also, unlike most high-end omakase spots, it is open for lunch. Additionally, they offer à la carte options if you don’t feel like a real commitment, which is exceedingly rare nowadays. Highly recommended if you find yourself in Midtown, such a great way to spend an afternoon.

Holbox @ Corima
📍 Chinatown
🍽️ Mexican

I couldn’t wait for the Holbox/Corima collab dinner, so I hauled ass to Chinatown. Holbox is an amazing Mexican seafood restaurant in LA, and they were coming to town for one night only. The several-course menu was thoughtful, and a beverage pairing consisting of Agave, beer, and wine was well done. A chawanmushi with uni was a particularly fantastic bite, as well as one of their classic smoked kampachi tacos. Such a treat to catch them while they’re in town.

Vantre @ Claud
📍 East Village
🍽️ Modern

Vantre is one of my absolute favorite restaurants whenever I’m in Paris. When I found out they were coming to NYC for a pop-up at Claud, there was no chance I wouldn’t find a way to go. Claud does a ton of these and they do a great job of hosting awesome chefs from all over the world, this one was no exception. For these dinners, the team usually brings a few dishes and the rest of the menu is from the Claud team, it’s a really fun and smart way to do a pop-up without turning the whole place upside down. It was a fantastic meal and made me long for my next trip to Paris to get the full experience.

Dean’s
📍Soho
🍽️ British

After a lighter-than-usual meal at Claud for the pop-up, we went to check out Deans with Annie Shi (who had dined with us) as she had to go back to work. The place was bustling with the windows open wide onto 6th Ave, and feeling fantastic. We tried a few of the dishes that had been catching my eye: oysters & Guinness, scotch quail eggs, cold beef, fish & chips, and a few others. Such a great feeling place with an original concept that will definitely be in the rotation.

Quick hits, Pop-ups & New openings

Portillo’s & Barnelli’s
📍River North, Chicago
🍽️ Italian

First stop off the plane was a quick trip to Portillo’s, a few short walks from the apartment, for a classic Chicago dog. An institution that makes one of the best versions I’ve tried.

Gene & Georgetti
📍River North, Chicago
🍽️ Steakhouse

Going 80 years strong, this Italian Steakhouse is an old-school staple and definitely worth a visit if you’re in town. It’s full of solid food and old-school charm. I love Gene & Georgetti’s crab cake, baked clams, and roasted chicken with hot & sweet peppers and hot sausage.

The Loyalist
📍West Loop, Chicago
🍽️ New American

My final meal on my short trip to Chicago was at The Loyalist, located just below the 3-Michelin-starred Smyth. The subterranean space has a great feel with a large bar and booth seating around the room. My favorite bites here were easily the anchovy toast and the OG cheeseburger. Worth a stop if you’re in town.

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