Originally Posted by
Boraxo
You do not have to be a car expert to easily understand and appreciate the differences between a BMW and a cheap chevy. Similarly, I don't think you have to be a food snob to understand and appreciate the quality of ingredients, preparation or presentation. But with the exception of bocastephen's comments I see little in the way of specifics as to what differentiates the quality of sushi from the rest of the world such to justify the price tag. ...
It's not something you can describe easily - it's just something a sushi lover will "know" when they taste Jiro vs anything else (sushi, high end or not, eat outside Japan). I've been to other low-mid priced sushi restaurants in Tokyo and had sushi that I would rate comparable, but not better than my favorite - Musashi's in Seattle/Bellevue - yet the sushi I had at Jiro's was just at another level as though a special door was open for me that I never noticed before.
Is it worth the price? Hard to say - that's up to the individual diner. I was taken to Robechon in Las Vegas as a guest and stuffed with $500 worth of butter, truffles and foie gras and was not impressed to say the least and would never go back and spend that kind of money on my own dinner. It just didn't resonate with me at all.
Is Jiro the end all of old school, high quality sushi in Tokyo? I'm sure there are other small shops offering comparable quality and experience, but his shop is the best known. If someone can offer suggestions on other, similar sushi shops, I'm open to try one.