Sushi at Red Plum
When I eat sushi these days, I can’t help but think of Jeremy Piven. In case you missed the bizarre story, Piven—“Ari” on Entourage, abruptly dropped out of the Broadway show Speed-the-Plow in December due to what he claimed was “extreme mercury toxicity” caused by excessive sushi consumption. Total BS? Probably. But it’s a safe bet that Jeremy Piven won’t be invited to appear in any “Got Sushi?” ads anytime soon.
My own sushi consumption is nowhere near Pivenian levels, but I do enjoy my sushi. Which is why I was eager to try Red Plum in Mamaroneck, the newly opened Pan-Asian restaurant owned by Peter Chen, who also happens to own Toyo Sushi right next door.
If Toyo is like a child in the family, then Red Plum is its hipper, slicker, more sophisticated sibling.
(Liz’s photographer already took some great pics at the opening, but I’ll post mine anyway).
Red Plum’s glass waterfall, similar to Water Moon’s in Rye, makes a striking sight.
The bar is underlit with glowing red light; that plus the dark wood and large green and red lanterns give the decor a smart, chic, Zen vibe.
For $8.50, lunch came with miso soup, salad and choice of two maki rolls, artfully served on a glass platter.
That’s spicy tuna and spicy crunchy yellowtail (Doug likes his sushi spicy). Both rolls were big, plump and fresh, and the yellowtail had a pleasing panko crunch. I was also pumped about the generous amount of ginger (I hate when restaurants dole out a few measly slivers and you have to beg for more). This was just the right amount of food for lunch, and it was all very well prepared. Jeremy Piven would approve.
Final note: The way I eat my rolls violates all sushi etiquette and would horrify purists… I place a slice of ginger on top of the roll (yikes), a dab of wasabi on top of the ginger (gasp), then lightly dip the entire thing rice side down (horror!) into the soy sauce. It’s all wrong. But now I’m curious—what’s your preferred method?
Red Plum
251 Mamaroneck Ave.
Mamaroneck, NY
914-777-6888
Doug Yuan is the author of the food blog, Hungry Travels.
This restaurant is terrible. They sent me a dish that was supposed to have chicken in it and did not and would not give me a credit when I called and told them.
Go to Haiku instead.
This isn’t sushi. This type of sushi is “hot dog” sushi. Mostly the scraps of the fish chopped into a tasteless paste and smothered in Red Rooster Hotsauce and maybe a bit of Japan Mayo.
Adding ginger designed to refresh your pallet, adding a hunk of wasabi and dipping your roll into, most likeky, poor quality soy sauce (because restaurants use the cheap stuff) is the ultimate is poor sushi dining. It borders on disgusting.
If you wat Sushi, go traditional! Go to Azuma in Hartsdale.
PERIOD!
If you want Natural and Healthy Asia or World cooking eat at Myong’s place in Mt. Kisco. It’s clean natural food. If your Teka Maki isn’t a full slice of fish from the back, (Maguru) then RUN AWAY! It’s probably scraps from 2 day old fish!
Honestly, that sushi looks like dog food. I have tried every Asian fusion place on that strip, and the whole experience has convinced me to stick to sushi at Sushi Nanase or Azuma.