I love sushi. Raw salmon is probably one of my favorite foods, whether it be prepared in a tartare or in a piece of sashimi. There is even a cartoon with sushi fighting crime.
Sushi Pack!
There are a number of good places to get sushi in Boston, thankfully. The obvious favorite is Fugakyu, in Brookline. While expensive, Fugakyu's creativity is unrivaled. The fish is always fresh and the atmosphere is always fitting, but plan on bringing a full wallet. It is definitely not cheap.
I also love Maluken in Kenmore Square. While it used to be the site of much pre-legal age drinking in the city, the new ownership has changed it into much less of a sketchy place. The karaoke is always fun, and the sushi always fresh. They have my favorite spicy salmon rolls in the city. And at around $5 a roll, the prices are great. The service is cheerful and the sake bombs are plentiful. Plan on seeing a lot of college age kids belting out bad Journey covers, but if you avoid Friday and Saturday after 9, you'll be fine.
My favorite non-city sushi place would be Fuji Steak House in Needham. The prices are unbeatable, while the sushi is always fresh. While they aren't great in terms of creativity -- everything is pretty standard -- the lunch specials are unbelievably cheap. I'm talking $9.95 for two sets of fancy rolls, including soup and salad. My favorite combo is the America maki (shrimp tempura, avocado and roe) and the Alaskan maki (salmon, avocado and cucumber).
I personally avoid the Sushi Express places. The one on Beacon St. has amateur sushi chefs who often cut the fish badly. I've had mealy fish there with a weird texture. The price certainly reflects the quality. The one on Newbury St. isn't too bad, but I find it's hit or miss. When it comes to things like sushi though, I would rather pay the cash for good quality fish. I've had food poisoning too many times to have a different philosophy.
There are some great sushi places in Somerville as well, such as in Porter or in Davis. What are some of your favorite sushi places?
Are you feeling OK? You didn't mention bacon at all.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm... bacon sushi.
ReplyDeletemy one and only: oishii. can't tell you where it is, though, the place is small enough. kidding. tried to recruit you that day we went to palm's at night. you missed out. it's authentic (call me a snob, but eating sushi at a non-japanese owner and/or non-japanese chef is just wrong), fish is fresh all the time, and quality is very high. one of few places i'll gladly hand my wallet over.
ReplyDeleteanother decent place that's also not outside of boston: douzo. i've seen mixed reviews of it, but the time i went, it was quite alright--both service and food. was a bit too lounge-y, though. music so loud you have to scream to get heard. and oh, i know the owner is not japanese, actually (oops), but the sushi was ok. rarely, but it happens, i guess.
:)