Quick Anniversary Dinner Ping

1st anniversary tonite.
Trying to deciced between TAC, and a good sushi option. Have not been to Katsu yet, and it is in the frontrunning for the sushi choice. We are not looking for fancy schmancy, just great food. Rather have great food in a dive, than ok food sprinkled with gold flakes in a trendy setting surrounded by the people who need to be seen crowd. So, guess what I'm getting at, is - are there any sushi rec's for a place with a freshness reputation like Katsu, without all of the fanciness associated? Sure, we "clean up" ok, and Katsu (gold flakes and all) might be a good change of pace from what we're used to, but we generally scoff at the places that go overboard on the garnish just for the sake of going overboard. As in: "Gold flake? BWAHAHAHA! How silly!" Or, please see the recent David Hammonmd started thread
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=12905&highlight=coral

We'd rather just have the great food, and not have to pay for everybody else's gold flake to get it, since it does not have any function for flavor. Is there a Katsu "lite?"

Location matters not. Would prefer if recommendation stems form a recent (ish) visit

Seebee,

You have the wrong impression of Katsu, it is not a haven for " overly sensitive coterie of effete and self-important snooty- pants dilettantes," but a friendly surprisingly casual place with drop dead gorgeous fish, genial owners and, yes, the occasional decorative filigree.

It's not like TAC is a bad choice for your evenings festivities, it's a terrific restaurant, just that you seem to have Katsu confused with the Japanese restaurant at Versailles.

Enjoy,
Gary

http://sushiotaku.blogspot.com/2006/07/ ... sushi.html

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/340558

Commonly held misbelief or no, I don't eat sushi on Sundays in Chicago. And, the one time that I made an exception to this rule the facts seemed to bear out the theory... tired and flat-tasting fish at Sakura, which is considered to be one of the premier establishments in the Chicago area.

Now, for a different reason entirely, I don't eat fish of any sort at TAC on Tuesdays...

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:Commonly held misbelief or no, I don't eat sushi on Sundays in Chicago.

Erik,

I've not experienced the Sunday phenomena at Katsu, though after an unpleasant sushi experience in Lake Tahoe I've made a mental note never to have sushi the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Erik, I've not experienced the Sunday phenomena at Katsu...

Nor have I.

You've gambled and won.
I've won without gambling.

E.M.

I had another great dinner at Katsu on Friday night. Only one kind of fish, some pristine otoro, had a hint of gold flake.

Katsu Otoro


You won't find better sushi in Chicago, though it would be easy to find a trendier, more pretentious place than the comfortable neighborhoody Katsu.

Hmm. Katsu gets a few votes, and yes, I was a bit hasty in my assumption that Katsu was a bit more upscale than what I prefer.