Usagi-Ya REVISITED

Hi everyone. Tonight, my roommate and I decided to wander up the street for a quick bite of sushi. Usagi-Ya was the closest, so that's what we settled on...

I visited Usagi-Ya when it first opened and was thoroughly unimpressed. Tonight I was blown away.

We sat at the sushi bar and asked what fish was the best (apparently a signal to the sushi chef that we've indulged in raw fish before). He encouraged us to give the tai (snapper) a go. We ordered a few rolls (summer and negihamachi) along with some individual pieces of tai and sake. He respectfully asked our permission to experiment ... if we were up for it. Of course we were.

The first plate presented to us was a piece of sake (salmon)- that had been marinating in sake (rice-derived libation) for 24 hours. There was a drop of ginger-mayo draped on top. Despite this alternative treatment, the flavours remained true to the fish. It was stunning. The more indulgent treat, however, was the succulent piece of "super white" tuna that sat beside it. Take super white in it's fatty goodness and add a subtle hint of our favorite tuber from Alba... damn.

Another amazing treat was the Tai Carpaccio... four perfectly cut pieces of snapper laid ontop of a rosemary-inflused olive oil with dollops of black tobiko. This was an explosion of flavour that, again, did not diminish the purity of the fish.

The man behind the sushi bar is Melvin Vizonde. He started at Usagi-Ya in mid April. Prior to that, he worked at Tatami, Kamachi and Kizuko (pre body-sushi)... amongst others. The man is innovative and knows how to cut fish. He will happily prepare a feast for you and your friends (izakaya style). If you call ahead, you are in for even more treats.

I would love to hear about other people's recent experiences here.

Address and phone number would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the report.

Chef Sotohiro Kosugi (of Atlanta and now NYC fame) has been pairing sashimi with white truffle oil and soy sauce for a couple years now. It's not quite crudo in that he garnishes the dish with Asian accompaniments of micro-julliened ginger and scallion. The dish on the whole is amazingly successful because the buttery unctuousness of top-quality fish marries well with the umami of the oil, creating a sensation that's almost like eating truffle butter. I can see how super fatty escolar would lend itself quite well to this kind of application

Here is the address:
Usagi-Ya
1178 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60622-4019
Phone: (773) 292-5885

I will be very happy if Usagi-Ya has turned a corner, quality-wise, since it's right around the corner from work for me. I ate there about two years ago and was thoroughly unimpressed. Looks like I'll have to try it again!

nobu @ sea saw in scotsdale has been doing the sashimi/truffle combo for @ least 3 yrs. helped him win one of food and wine magazines new chef of the year award a couple months ago.

We eat here once a week. It's a great neighborhood place, I'm not sure if it's a destination place. Started out as
BYOB, but now there is a $15 corkage fee, and they have a small bar, and a few wines.
The sushi is good, and lately I have seen some incredible things coming out from the sushi bar, it really has turned the corner. Be warned, it isn't cheap.

I have also had good experiences at usagi ya. I am fairly picky about my fish quality and I have had nothing to complain about so far there. My favorite is the summer maki - tuna, yellow tail, cilantro, avocado, chili oil, spicy sauce and lime juice - but I am also like all things mexican. Beyond the food, which is no more expensive than any other sushi spot in wicker park, its very easy to get a table there. while most trendy places in wicker park can be too much to handle on a weekend evening, you can just stroll into usagi ya and get a table.

Stopped by this place on Sunday because I was in the neighborhood at noon and it was open.
My son and I shared the deluxe sushi platter, called Sushi Usagi, and I thought the sushi was above average. I took a chance with the two pieces of escolar ("white tuna") and found them to be delicious with none of the notorious after-effects. The rest of the platter was pretty much the usual suspects but all of the fish was fresh. I could have done without the owner's screaming at her sushi chef at one point, and the ceramic tea cups need handles of some sort, but overall it was better than expected.

The cups w/ the handles are over by the forks.

Couldn't help it. I kid. Seriously, though, thanks for the report. I'm right there all the time and never think to go in because no one ever says anything about it. Sea Dog, which I think is pretty overrated (not on here, but in other contexts) is near and that's where folks end up if I cant get them to go for Mexican seafood.

JeffB wrote:The cups w/ the handles are over by the forks.

Couldn't help it. I kid.

I know, I know. It's just that my ultra-heatconductive cup was filled for me, to the brim, and I had to wait 10 minutes to start drinking my tea, and then only by using a napkin for some sort of insulation for my hand.
I doubt you'll be impressed if you stop by, but if you hit upon the right order it might be worth it. Probably depends on what they have in on a particular day.