Dish No. 50: Sushi and Nigiri From the Lobster Place

Rebecca Marx

New York abounds with prepackaged sushi, and a lot of it sucks. And that's one of the reasons we're grateful for the Lobster Place, where the prepackaged sushi is so fresh and pristine it could pass muster in a good sit-down restaurant.

At the Lobster Place, $15.95 will buy you eight pieces of sushi and six pieces of nigiri. The slabs of silky, voluptuous fish -- salmon, tuna, mackerel, white tuna, and eel -- are equally generous in size and flavor. The salmon is particularly exceptional, so rich it's almost buttery. The rice-to-fish ratio is also ideal, and the rice itself has that slightly sweet, tangy flavor we crave from sushi rice.

The nigiri comprises spicy tuna and California rolls. The latter boast perfectly ripe avocado, while the spicy tuna is shot through with little deposits of scallion that provide satisfying crunch.

But perhaps the best thing about the Lobster Place's sushi? You get to eat it while watching half of New York walk through the Chelsea Market, making it one of those rare occasions where the pageantry of your surroundings are matched by that on your plate.

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