New York City College of Technology,Cuny
Department of Hospitality Management
Janet Lefler Dining Room
MEMORANDUM
To: Professor Abreu, Director of Service
From: Shanika Thompson, Student
Date: September 27, 2018
Re: New York Times Restaurant Review
Pete Wells reviewed a sushi restaurant named Shoji at 69 Leonard Street. He really enjoyed his time there because of the 3 star rating and the quality of the food. The restaurant seems small because it only provides 12 people to be seated. The staff team is smaller than the people that can be seated. The chef of this restaurant is Derek Wilcox, a male who has studied Japanese cuisine for over ten years by working in a Japanese restaurant in Kyoto and worked at a traditional sushi parlor in Tokyo. Through this experience Derek has gotten the real feel of ethic Japanese food in Japan. It won’t be the same if he were to learn Japanese cuisine anywhere else because it can get influenced by outside culture that is not Japanese. The ambience of Shoji is quiet and calm. It seems like a nice place to come and eat a delicious meal while relaxing after a long day. I like the way Wells was describing the food. He is using great details to provide his readers a clear image of what the food may look like and taste like. I like a particular part in the review where Pete Wells states “He tracks bluefin that has been caught from healthy stocks, like the o-toro from Ireland that he served last spring and that was so seductive it could have been captioned “the guy she told you not to worry about.” I find this to be an odd but yet creative way to describe a type of produce. I can relate to type of description because I once had candy yams from a soul food restaurant in Harlem and it was the best yams I have ever tasted. I described it to my peers in similar way of how of Pete Wells described the bluefin.
I would want to visit this restaurant but to eat at it I am not sure. I do not eat sushi or anything raw. It is just not my thing. I would still love to visit to see the chef in action, creating his dishes that he designs. I would want to analyze and feel the Japanese culture from someone who is not Japanese. If I do go to this restaurant I need someone to come with me who is willing to pay over 200 dollars for my plate because I am not. I do not think food should be that expensive. For some people that is their whole paycheck. Based on the article the restaurant seems really interesting and can be a good experience.
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