Sushi Koju is located inside the Ace Hotel at 252 Schermerhorn Street, at the corner of Bond Street, and is currently open on Tuesday through Saturday, hosting two seatings a night, at 5:45 p.m. and again at 8:15 p.m.
It all started with a stack of perfectly cut cucumbers.
Kevin Garrison went to high school in San Diego, then college in Orange County—a SoCal kid to his core—and then… he had no idea what to do with his life. So when his best friend suggested he become a chef, Garrison was like “Sure, why not?”, and got a job at what he called a “crappy revolving sushi bar.”
“I quit after six months,” he told Brooklyn Magazine. “But I met my mentor, slicing perfect cucumbers. ‘Your cucumbers are so beautiful,’ I told him. He looked at me and was like, ‘Of course. I am a sushi chef. Everything I do is beautiful.’ And that stuck in my head like crazy! This is what we do! And if you’re proud of what you’re serving, then the food will taste better, because you’re happy.”
More than ten years later, after a long, fruitful stint working for Sushi Zo both here, in NYC, and in LA, Garrison was tapped to open Sushi Koju, a hip, 14-seat omakase bar tucked into the lobby of the Ace Hotel on the Boerum Hill/Downtown Brooklyn border. And, based on our long, luxurious meal here recently, this chef is definitely happy.
Garrison says his sushi straddles the line between fusion (which is extremely popular in LA) and traditional Japanese style (more common in NYC). He also, unusually in this town, dry-ages all of his fish (“Everything has to rest at least one day,” he said), a process that firms up the flesh and really enhances the flavors. And the rice at Sushi Koju is a kind of bi-coastal mashup as well, boasting “the soft and moist texture found in California with a heavy hit of vinegar like you get here in New York.”
Other chefs have told him, “Your sushi is in a weird place.” Maybe! But that doesn’t mean it’s not delicious.
Chef Garrison blasting the pike mackerel (Photo by Scott Lynch)
At our dinner the other night, there were straight bangers throughout the two-hour, $145, 14-course omakase. Garrison blasts the sanma, or pike mackerel, with a dramatically high-powered torch before sliding the half-charred, half-raw, wonderfully rich and oily fish your way.
Chef Garrison smoking the king salmon (Photo by Scott Lynch)
His other fun theatrical trick is smoking the king salmon in a glass dome on the counter right before serving, dabbing a spot of inky-black caviar on top.
Sea urchin, or uni (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Bluefin tuna (Photo by Scott Lynch)
The uni is piled high and luscious as hell. The medium-fatty tuna is like a melty dream come true. And the scallop, plump, sweet, and wrapped in nori, was maybe my favorite bite of the night.
Crispy okaki asparagus (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Even the non-sushi courses kicked ass, especially the asparagus spear, thickly coated in what can be best described as a crunchy snack mix., and the cold chawamushi, an egg custard that Garrison makes in the most labor-intensive way possible, with impossibly creamy results (the uni, crab, and trout roe on top also do a lot of work in the pleasure department).
Kinki nigiri, $20 supplement (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Kani hand roll, $24 supplement (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Toward the end of the set omakase, one of the servers will bring a short menu of specials, and if you’re feeling flush, you should definitely tack on at least a couple of these.
The piece of extremely fatty kinki nigiri, or “idiot fish,” which Garrison says he ideally ages for at least five days to draw out and concentrate the flavor, was unlike anything I’ve had before. So fatty and still so subtle. And his opulent crab, avocado, and nori wrap eats like the world’s best California roll.
A sake pairing can be had for $65 (for four servings), cocktails cost about $20, and there’s an extensive list of bottled sakes, whiskeys, and wines.
(Photo by Scott Lynch)
The space is plush but not stuffy, and Garrison is an affable, entertaining host, dropping bits of sushi lore, personal stories, and little jokes throughout the meal. A glowing Audio Technica turntable (one of only two in the world, per a little sign nearby), and handmade speakers from Silence Please play classic Japanese pop.
You almost forget you’re inside a hotel lobby on Schermerhorn Street while you’re eating, but it hits pretty hard when you leave, because the Ace Hotel bar is apparently totally lit these days? Like thumping music, multiple bars, and a loud, palpably tipsy crowd. Who knew!
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