Sachi is a Japanese restaurant on upper Madison Avenue, a stretch above 90th Street lined with French, Italian and American restaurants. When Sachi first opened, it was somewhat lonely and in a primarily residential block. Well, lonely no more as the neighborhood quickly discovered its consistently good food. Step into the Japanese style entrance and a simply decorated and bright room greets you. The sushi bar is the main focus, and small tables fill up the L-shape room. The prices here are considerably higher than other favorite spots such as Sushi-Hana and downtown Japonica. However, if you live uptown, deduct the cab or subway fare and the prices will appear more fair.
A petite Japanese woman in a kimono, whom I assume to be the owner, runs the show here. Everyone who works there is Japanese, a good sign since many Japanese restaurants in New York actually have a Chinese staff. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it’s a definite plus. The menu offers the usual selection of set sushi or sashimi assortments, individual selection, and various chicken, pork, beef and seafood entrees.
I usually go for the Sashimi Regular for $18 or the Chirashi for $25. For the sashimi, there are three pieces of tuna, two each of yellow tail, mackeral, red snapper and salmon. The slices are nice and thick and the fish extremely fresh. My only complaint is that the price does not include salad or soup, as is standard practice at other restaurants. The Chirashi has more fish and variety, served over a bowl of rice. When we had dinner there tonight, we were served a small dish of marinated seaweed. It was slightly sweet and very delicious. Service was running a little slow and they wanted to thank us for being patient.
The pork Tonkatsu is excellent here. It is breaded fried pork cutlet with sauce on the side. It is not greasy at all, and the meat remains tender on the inside. Of all the places I’ve tried this dish, Sachi makes it very well.
A special lunch menu is available, from $11 for a sushi roll menu to $14 for sushi. Chicken Teriyaki, Tempura and other classics are also available, and these come with soup or salad.
This is not a bang for your buck place. I come here when I crave a good plate of sushi within walking distance from home and good, kind service. Noise level can sometimes be high, as the tables are close together and the room is small. Evenings are usually crowded, but I’ve never had to wait longer than five minutes for a table.