Shine

Shine has moved from Armitage near Sheffield to the location on Webster formerly occupied by O’Fame. We went last night to this pan-Asian (Chinese, Thai, Sushi) place and had an enjoyable experience.

I concentrated on sushi. For a place that will never win any recognition from sushi purists, I thought it was pretty OK. A “signature roll” consisting of spicy tuna wrapped alternately in avocado and eel was quite good, I thought, the flavors of all three ingredients coming through. It didn’t “make your taste buds stand up and say howdy,” but it did make them go “mmmm.” Another signature roll, “white tuna, cucumber, and sesame honey sauce rolled in tempura crunch,” was less successful—kind of mushy and very bland, though not unpleasant. The rest of my dinner consisted of nigiri—every piece of which I thought was good. Only disappointment was that the kani was not a solid piece of Alaskan king crab, but ground up crabmeat wrapped in nori, Kind of a cheat, I thought, and the resultant crabmeat paste was only slightly redolent of crab. But other than that, while no piece of sushi made me feel I was in the presence of God, every piece was pleasing and fresh-tasting. And the pieces were large; not all that wide, but long, so each was a real mouthful. I thought the value was good. The tab for the three of us, including beverages and tax but not tip, was about $123.

My wife and our friend also enjoyed their dishes, which were from different subsets of Asian cuisine.

A bustling, high-energy, attractive young place, filled with bustling, high-energy, attractive young Lincoln Parkers. That will turn some people off from the get go, but not me. I’m nearly three times too old to be a Chad or a Trixie, but I don’t mind being in their presence. If you don’t, either, you might like Shine. (If anything, I thought the vibe emanating from the place was improved, more joyous and friendly somehow, compared to the old Armitage location, based on one visit there a few years ago.)

Shine Restaurant
Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar
756 W. Webster
Chicago IL 60614
773 296 0101