TonyTonyTony has done it again…
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LOL - I asked the same question when he posted on Chowhound. I’ll give it a go.
"Big time respect to @mhlee. He deserves all the credit - not me - for performing his due diligence (through his time, money and ingestion efforts) in plowing through more than a dozen low- to mid-range omakase meals last year (doing it the way it used to be done - through solid research on who’s offering the best - in this case - sushi for the best prices).
If you look up “gestalt” in the dictionary, you’ll find @TonyC’s snout there. And if you’re finding his posts here a bit tough to translate, you’d swear he was “speaking” in tongues on his old Chowhound posts.
I still struggle with a lot of what he says, but once I think I “translate” enough and get the gist of it, I realize how much I don’t know and how much he does.
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Ahhh… I see. That was pretty good translating.
At first I didn’t get how the meaning applied, but then I found this. “When he gets rolling, you’re not responding to single jokes—it’s the whole gestalt of the movie that’s funny.” — Pauline Kael
[quote=“bulavinaka, post:364, topic:5042”]
plowing through more than a dozen low- to mid-range omakase meals last year (doing it the way it used to be done - through solid research on who’s offering the best - in this case - sushi for the best prices
[/quote]That is a great idea! I wish I thought of it! 
I probably don’t know enough to be effective though. Now… where can we find his research? 
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great double entendre.
Now… where can we find his research?
@mhlee posts here in fits and spurts from what I’ve observed. He’s very astute but he can be illusive. I don’t know if he has any kind of blogsite etc. Maybe others like the person who mentioned s him above - @TonyC - can shine a light on this.
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he has revived his blog at sinosoul dot com
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Thanks - I think you are referring to TonyC, but do know if mhlee has one?
and it “feels good”
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Question: What to order to show I want more than the tuna/tuna/tuna/salmon?
I like ikuru and mackerel and giant clam and sweet shrimp and smelt roe with quail egg, et al., but unless I order everything separately, my omakase usually only includes only the ubiquitous tuna/salmon items, plus a generic snapper or white fish.
I feel as though I’m fed “safe” fish when at a new place. I want something that I can request that will indicate to the chef that I’m all in.
At Shibumi today, I definitely noticed a Japanese three-top get different fish than me and the white guy/Korean guy two-top.
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Maybe get the chef’s name right? I kid, I kid.
Ask for the shirako.
He said Mickey!! The young guy. The owner ignored me. 
Edit: errr… ummm… Shunji. 
Konowata.
There he goes again.
But seriously @Bookwich, I always wonder the same thing. I’m pretty sure I’m being served Omakase for beginners. I’m not as experienced as some, but I’ve had enough of the offerings you mentioned. What does someone have to do to get next level offerings?
Are you being serious? I can never tell with you two.
Uni. Save fugu for later.
In my experience, the set lunches are set. You’re not going to get something customized at the deal end of the spectrum (unless, of course, you say there are things you absolutely don’t want or can’t eat).
Beyond that, at proper omakases our experience has been that knowing the Japanese names of fish is usually enough to get you taken seriously. At our last meal at Mori, Maru-san looked at us sourly when our chef informed him we didn’t want bluefin but a few pieces later he was all smiles and chatting with us (even though he wasn’t making our sushi) and telling our chef what to give us. I can’t ascribe it to anything but the fact that we were interested about provenance and knew the names of the fish.
Jun-san at Shiki recently told us that kohada is the fish of choice for most sushi chefs. Maybe make a point of asking for kohada and a few less standard fish (kinmedai, shima aji etc.)?
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The Japanese Scrapple!
I know I’m spitting in the wind but don’t do omakase. Order yourself, find out whats on offer and don’t be afraid to google fish you don’t know. Talk with your itamae if they feel like chatting, maybe after a few rounds ask what they would follow with…
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If one is even minimally conversant with sushi (I think even using the English names is fine, though Japanese is even better) you can avoid getting a pigeon holed/dumbed down omaksake. I often start by asking what looks good that day - though i occasionally get a surly, slightly p. o.'d, “Everything good.”
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Hi @MyAnnoyingOpinions and All -
Great observations. I suspected as much. Requesting the no holds barred “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it” type experience will bring out the big knives. 
But we can’t all do that. So knowing the names of the fish and the provenance is a plus - hence Sushi School. Before going someplace I try to crack open Sushi by Kazuo Nagayama, recommended by @Sgee. It’s fantastic and written by seasons.
Mostly, what helps me is being enthusiastic, inquisitive and admitting you don’t know a lot and want to learn. It is flattering and encourages the Itamae. It’s why I prefer the younger guys to the masters at this stage in the sushi game. They seem to get it and are enthusiastic. Jun-san at Shiki Beverly Hills is one such chef. He gave me my most enjoyable experience to date. @Bookwich, when you’re in that part of town go have the Lunch Omakase. It is not expensive and a full experience of courses (hot/cold) textures, preparations, seasons.
This is what I’m talking about!
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