Saketinis in the suburbs: Fish One, Arlington Heights

We had been driving by Fish One, afraid to go in because the previous restaurant in the space, Something-Hana, was wretched. We figured this would be another in the mold, and in a sense it is: a Korean-run saketini/sushi bar. That said, when we finally got the nerve up to visit -- out of our desire to support a suburban restaurant scene -- it turned out to be a good rendition of the genre.

We quite enjoyed our saketinis, which were made with gin, not vodka, and featured slivers of fresh cucumber as garnish. The lights are low. The spacious interior is filled with light woods, green walls, lots of plants and a row of semi-private booths. There's a stage in the corner with a drum set, so apparently they have live music sometimes, not just the pounding trance music that played while we were there.

As you'd expect, the menu offers a long list of newfangled maki creations, many featuring spicy tuna, spicy scallops, spicy you-name-it, a hallmark of Korean sushi bars. (I'm always a bit suspicious of these, wondering whether the seasoning masks fish that's less than pristine.)

We tried a special, Yin-Yang, cleverly fashioned with black rice as well as sushi rice to create the symbol. The itamae produces beautiful presentations. However, his nigiri is floppy and the fish pieces overlarge and ill-cut, though deliciously fresh. Nevertheless, the plate was gorgeously arranged, with a fan of deep-fried noodles as a garnish, and his chirashi zushi, in particular, was a lovely platter, with the fish attractively laid over a free-formed mound of rice, and garnished with a large variety of very good oshinko.

There was also excellent gyoza, crisp and bite-sized, served atop a sprinkling of shredded fried potato. I will definitely go back to try more of the cooked food.

As we left, the young waitress, of Asian heritage but clearly American-born, commented that she had been impressed with our order, which had gone beyond the usual. I laughed and said we hadn't even ordered any uni. She said she meant the chirashi, but then made a face and commented, "I'm really not all that into slabs of raw fish."

There are certainly better, more authentic sushi bars in the northwest suburbs, but this place is worth a look in if you're in the neighborhood and feel like a saketini.

Fish One
847/590-9722
www.fishonesushi.com
1309 N. Rand Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Thanks for the report! I have wondered about that place. The menus are more extensive than I would have expected. It looks like it might be a decent option for lunch in that area.