When date night plans have to change last minute, what is one to do with a highly coveted dinner reservation at a 8-person seating sushi spot? Call your sister to visit for a girls weekend of course!

Excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day in NYC this year, our plans had to be adjusted a bit when my boyfriend was called out of town for work. Taking his place was fellow Rookie Chef—my sister Kristin (celebrity sighting alert!)

Anytime we can both be in the same city, it’s an absolute blast, planning our entire weekend’s together around new restaurants and foodie experiences—always. This time, we were checking out Mayanoki—New York City’s Only Sustainable Omakase Sushi Restaurant—thanks to those previously set Valentine’s Day reservations.

Here’s a little bit about Mayanoki from their website: “Mayanoki is New York City’s only omakase sushi restaurant focused on solely serving sustainably sourced seafood. We stand behind prolonging the life of our oceans and instill those values in everything we do.”

“We work directly with fishermen, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, the James Beard Smart Catch program and a number of other ocean conservation organizations to ensure we are continually adhering to best practices when it comes to sourcing sustainable seafood. Our dinners are served in a traditional multi-course omakase format in an intimate setting where you can interact with Chef Jeffrey Miller and learn first hand where your dinner comes from and what goes into its sourcing and preparation.”

Dishes we were hashtag #blessed to enjoy that night included:

• Oyster + Citrus
• Fluke from Rhode Island
• Blue Runner Fish from Florida
• Steel Head Trout from the Hudson Valley, smoked with Applewood
• Salmon Roe from Washington
• Scallop Sashimi from Massachusetts with Fennel Dashi puree and Fennel Chips
• Porgy from Long Island
• Albacore Jack from Hawaii, smoked with Walnut Oil
• Local Shrimp, torched with “shrimp head” oil
• Arctic Char Hand-roll from Iceland
• Yellowtail Snapper from Florida Keys
• Scallop Sushi with Citrus Paste
• Monkfish liver from Massachusetts
• Malaysian Lobster Broth (using all the previous dish heads and bone to make the broth) with mushrooms and wild shrimp from North Carolina