When I heard that Tiberias, a new 24 hour Dairy cafe in midtown was getting sushi, I was a little disappointed. I have been a fan of theirs since they opened this past summer and I was disheartened that they were falling into the disturbing trend in kosher dining where every restaurant, regardless of style offers sushi to its customers. The problem isn’t so much that I don’t like the option of ordering sushi, though occasionally I find it out of place, the problem is really that most of the time it’s at best uninspired and at worst a few days old from a refrigerator.
Luckily, this is not the case for Tiberias. They deliver some of the most creative rolls that I’ve ever seen and the quality and variety of rolls offered rivals most dedicated sushi restaurants.
This success stems from Tiberias’ approach. When they decided to bring sushi to the restaurant, they didn’t just find a place to order some rolls, they teamed up with Sushi Tokyo out of Brooklyn. This afforded them the ability to have access to some of the top kosher sushi chefs, not only in their store, but for catering purposes as well. Tiberias sushi chefs cater high profile parties all over Manhattan, and have even made tempura rolls while cruising the Hudson.
My first taste of Tiberias sushi came only a week ago in their 34th street store. I began my sushi experience (it really was an experience) with the volcano tempura roll – a California style roll, but topped with spicy Tuna and fried onion crunch paired with a wasabi mayo – which was outstanding. The tempura was crispy and not at all oily, and the wasabi mayo only had a hint of spice which was a really nice contrast against the warm tempura roll.
Next came a classic cucumber roll and the Narudo roll. The most striking thing about the Narudo roll is that its contents – cooked salmon, avocado, Portobello and something crunchy – were rolled in cucumber, not seaweed. It took a few bites to get used to the unique texture but as soon as I did I found it to be truly delightful, and although I’m not sure about the nutritional value, it felt healthy. The cucumber roll was exactly what you’d want a cucumber roll to be, solid – a great roll for kids or sushi newbies.
The last 2 rolls we had were called the Mexican roll and the Kamikaze roll. The Mexican roll had spicy tuna, spicy salmon, crunch, and a great salsa essence. The sauce it came with was a really intense chili sauce, which isn’t for the faint of heart – it was even a bit too hot for me – but having this roll on its own, was still a mildly spicy treat. The Kamikaze roll had tuna, and yellow tail topped with olives and drizzled with my favorite, spicy mayo. Upon special request they added orange masgo caviar on top. The caviar and olives gave the roll a nice subtle saltiness that differs from the saltiness of soy sauce you may usually associate with sushi. It was unexpected, but it really struck me and was easily one of the highlights of the meal.
When I walked into the restaurant I could not have imagined myself leaving happy, but I could not have been more wrong. The sushi is moderately priced and really well made. Each roll has its own unique character, and there are over 100 variations on the menu so there is always something new and exciting to try. I work a bit too far away from Tiberias to conveniently go there frequently, so hopefully I’ll have an excuse to have their sushi chefs cater one of my parties soon!
Tiberias
45 East 34th Street
New York, NY 10016
(212) 481-4222
