Karuta Japanese Restaurant

Just not happy with the cleanliness of my plate

One of the 2 best sushi places in Westchester. Manhattan quality and terrific sushi chef.

Although it isn't fancy, the food is good and wait staff is quite friendly. Both the lunch and dinner specials make this an affordable place to enjoy both sushi as well as their bento boxes. They are also food allergy aware and have assured us each time that they use separate utensils as well as cookware. It is a place to go for a special treat for lunch especially because it never gets too crazy.

My first meal here planted itself firmly in the top three meals I've ever had in my life. Sure, the restaurant looks like one of those dinky Japanese restaurants (probably run by Chinese or Korean people) where you can order a quick and cheap order of California rolls and miso soup. Trust me, it's not. The owner studied business in Japan, and for the 16+ years she has been running Japanese restaurants, the sushi chef has followed her for 15+ years because she's that good. She's kept the sushi chef around because he is top-shelf. This restaurant knows where to put its priorities: the food. This fish you will eat has not been frozen or sitting around for hours. It is fresh, tender, and tastes like it just swam in from the ocean. The chef is extremely creative and an artist at his trade. He will arrange slices of avocado and seared tuna into a rose, and it will taste as good as it looks. He's also an artist in general. The paintings on the wall? He painted them. The decor is low-key because the focus is on what's on your plate. Definitely go for the omakase. You will try things you would never come across normally (e.g. fish liver? Who thought it'd be as good as it is?), and he often crafts things off the top of his head that you wouldn't find on the menu. I would trust this sushi chef for every meal for the rest of my life. Sit at the bar if you can and watch a master at work.

I went to Karuta tonight and sushi was excellent. The sushi chef knows his craft and the fish is of superior quality to that found in your average neighborhood sushi place. The prices for dinner are expensive ($30-50) per person for appetizer, a cocktail/wine/sake, and entree. Not an everyday place for me but on special occasions where I want to treat myself to the best sushi, Karuta is the best I've had in Westchester.