Hedeh

57 Great Jones Street off Bowery
212/473.8458
$105 for two, with two drinks, with tip

Hideyuki Nakajima, or Hedeh as he is also known, had been a veteran of the Matsuhisa empire for several years before heading to New York to do his own thing. Minus all the hoopla Japanese restaurants now have to do to attract diners–giant Buddah, lotus pond–Hedeh keeps it simple and just focuses on the food.

Just pepper my lamb with lots of cumin!

Chicken tots with giant pepper

There are Brussels sprouts under all that cheese

They have since stopped their omakase offering because there are some great appetizers available a la carte. I couldn’t help but order the lamb chop in cumin served with potatoes and Brussels sprouts. The small breaded chicken was also a delight but not as much as the smoked mozarella cheese over sprouts and miso. And who can’t love bonito flakes sprinkled all over so that you can watch them “move” and sway?

The sushi and sashimi are as good as you can get in the city without breaking the bank. They certainly make up for the weak drinks from the bar.

All in all, I like Hedeh because it’s tucked away from the loud crowd of Bowery. Plus, I really needed an alternative to Blue Ribbon Sushi of the same caliber.