Good sushi options?

Hi, a friend is coming in to town & we've decided to slurge on an evening of sushi. We're pretty serious sushi/traditional japanese eaters, so I'm not inclined to pick Japonase or Sushi Samba Rio, but am looking for alterative options.

My choice would have been Matsumoto if it were still open - & Chiyo doesn't quite fit the bill, if I understand the menu corectly (we're not interested in focusing on shabu shabu). Can anyone else offer options (prefereably downtown, else we may just bit on the bullet & drive to Katsu).

Many thanks,

Athena

You won't regret driving to Katsu.

You also wouldn't regret Bob-San, just make sure they know you want fish more than rolls.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2620

If you want to stay fairly close to downtown, I would recommend Tsuki. The atmosphere is a little on the trendy side, but the quality of their fish is second to none. On weekends, there are usually a number of specials that have been brought in from Japan (horse makeral, several types of snapper, monkfish liver, and fugu for a while). The otoro is out of this world.

Tsuki
1441 W. Fullerton
773-883-8722

I would second the motion for Katsu and Bob-San, noting that they have two very different atmospheres going on.
Katsu makes me feel like I'm having a nice dinner in someone's home. There's no razzle-dazzle, but the service is excellent and the raw and cooked items consistently exceed expectation.

Bob-San, with it's Division street location, has a bit more of that "trendy" thing going on. Okay, a lot more of it. But, sometimes I want a martini menu and some eye candy with my crazy-tasty slabs of raw fish. The rolls are generally a bit precocious and geared towards those who prefer tempura and eel sauce slathered over everything. Sit at the bar and strike up a convo with Bob, the owner and namesake. He'll probably chat you up even if you don't initiate conversation. He's a real stand-up guy with a quick wit and a warm demeanor. Not to mention he's a master at giving you a great selection of fish based on your preferences--as well as nudging you into the unfamiliar. Heck, he managed to convince my meat and potatoes husband that eating deep-friend shrimp heads complete with eyeballs was the way to go, which it is.

Also, near Bob-San there are boutiques and bars to visit on foot prior to and after your meal, whereas Katsu is a bit more in no-man's land.

I, too, think Katsu best fits your description. However, I once went to Japonais, sat at the Sushi bar, and asked the chef to make what he thought best. Everything we were served was traditional nigiri and it was fantastic. Based on your needs, I wouldn't go to Japonais to sit at a table and order off the menu, but it is very close to downtown and the sushi bar could be a great option.

If it is only traditional sushi/sashimi that you are going for (I assume you'll sit at the bar) and you are looking for a wide selection of fish, I would actually suggest skipping Katsu. The cooked stuff is fabulous and the quality of the fish there is excellent, but the selection is limited. It has been a while since I've explored for (or for that matter, eaten) sushi, so I can't be of much help – especially with places downtown. Kamehachi would be a good bet and I've heard good things about Heat (but never been to the latter). I'm hoping others can post specific recommendations – especially on places that carry seasonal stuff like iwashi or kohada (is it past time now?).

Suddenly wondering about sushi and digging through here, I came across these threads:
Kizoku
oh, and this one: Downtown sushi

Far, far from downtown, one place that I have been impressed by is Sushi Station on Algonquin. Although it is a kaiten (conveyor) place, the sushi is excellent. On weekends (at least) they have many special items they fly in from Japan (though I'm sure other places do this too)

Kamehachi
1400 N Wells St,
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 664-3663

Sushi Station Inc
1641 Algonquin Rd
Rolling Meadows, IL
(847) 593-2450

Bob-San is really two restaurants. One makes lots of rolls for the younger set. I find most of these way too sweet with eel sauce or whatever. I also find it sometimes takes some effort to get the waitperson to stop pushing them on you...

But if you sit at the sushi bar, or at a table but make your preferences clear, they serve excellent sashimi. It's a hair more work to get than at Katsu (though the first time I went to Katsu, the waiter pushed a fried chicken leg on me, so the same thing isn't unknown there either). Just read up a little and know what you want, tell them the kind of things you want and set a price (say, $60) and ask them to make you a platter, and either one will offer an exceptional meal at a price that, while by no means low, is far from the highest you can pay for sushi in this town, either.

The sashimi in soy sauce with jalapeno at Bob-San is one of my favorite dishes in town, and I don't even eat the jalapeno-- just taste the traces of it on the fish.

I do not see what the big fuss about Katsu is. I went to Katsu last friday after reading loads of great reviews on this board. Needless to say I was not only dissapointed but felt like I got ripped off. The duck app that some people say is to die for was mediocre at best..and for $19 a complete rip off. I also had a philly roll...4 pcs for $11. I asked for the grilled yellowtail jaw but was told they were out.I had some of the worst temura i have ever had. I had the daily chef sashimi special..it was pretty good but not outstanding. Let me end this by stating that many of you will say i didnt order the right things, but the way this place is praised on this site everything should be outstanding...especially since it is so expensive. Many of you call it a " must visit if in chicago". Not for me.

Nathan,

Do tell, where do you go for sushi and what are the highlights?

I have never been to Katsu, so I cannot begin to comment on your experience though it seems an anomaly.

Welcome to LTHforum!

Regards,

Kamahachi also has a location on Ontario just east of Fairbanks (in the old Spruce space).

I think the quality is pretty high there.

DML wrote:Kamahachi also has a location on Ontario just east of Fairbanks (in the old Spruce space).

I think the quality is pretty high there.

And a new location at 311 S Wacker.

i am a regular at sia cafe on sheffield. I usually get sashimi..the usual stuff, salmon, red snapper, basic. All I could think about as I paid the bill at katsu was how much sushi i could have got sai. I am by no means a sushi expert, i just wanted vent a bit about my experience at katsu.I'm sure this thread will get allot of attention..and im sure i will be bashed.

nathanfletcher wrote:i am a regular at sia cafe on sheffield. I usually get sashimi..the usual stuff, salmon, red snapper, basic. All I could think about as I paid the bill at katsu was how much sushi i could have got sai. I am by no means a sushi expert, i just wanted vent a bit about my experience at katsu.I'm sure this thread will get allot of attention..and im sure i will be bashed.

Nathan, Welcome to LTHForum!
Sai Cafe and other places (say Itto sushi) indeed have very good sushi. I would agree, much better value for money on sushi than Katsu.

I'm not sure if you are suggesting this thread will get more attention than usual, but I do hope you don't care whether you get bashed or not - it's your opinion and you should stand by it and keep posting.
What downtown places do you suggest?

Whadya think of Oysy on Michigan?

Many thanks for all the suggestions.

We're leaning towards Bob-San, but had one other question - trawling the board I noticed that Naniwa is owned by the same folks & is in walking distance of where I live (& have apparently walked by repeatedly without noticing it). I couldn't find any recent comments on Naniwa - can anyone comment on preferences on this versus Bob-San (quality, similar menu, quiet or not? etc.).

Thanks again,

Athena

Naniwa and Bob-San are owned by the same person. The menus are pretty much the same, except Naniwa has sushi/sashimi combinations and Bob San has more kitchen food.

Links to their menus:

Bob-San
Naniwa

Naniwa is more business casual/family dining, whereas Bob-San is more hip, lively, etc. The cocktail selection is better at Bob-San since they have bartenders. At Naniwa, the waitresses or hostess makes the drinks.

It just depends on what kind of dining you are look for.

PS. Many people on this board know that I used to work at Naniwa. But I am mentioning this here just in case...

In the city, I would say the best bets are Katsu, Tsuki, Mirai and Sai Cafe.

Katsu is waaay north if you live in River North, and I don't like the ambiance much, but they have some very good and unusual items. I think the entire menu is in both English. We mostly ordered from the specials menu. I've only been there once, but my parents and I were very impressed (we are Japanese and have eaten lots of authentic stuff all over). I remember thinking it's expensive but worth it.

At Tsuki, I love sitting in front of Chef Hemmi and enjoying his Omakase menu. I believe it is $50 per person, and I don't know if it's on the menu. Keep in mind that Omakase isn't all sushi, but when I asked, he said he will do a sushi and sashimi-only Omakase if you tell him that's what you want. Tell him that you want traditional stuff, not lots of maki. I think the ambiance here is great, but it's not at all traditional (brilliant blue mosaic and frosted glass sushi counter). I recommend the smoked duck sushi (I have never had that anywhere else in Chicago) and the chawan-mushi (egg custard topped with 3 kinds of seafood) trio that comes in tiny sake cups. So pretty and delicious! Their saketinis and shochutinis are delicious too. My favorites are the kappa and lychee (they have more imaginative names but those are the main ingredients).

Mirai Sushi is the trendiest of the bunch but I have always been impressed with their specials menu. If you want to be surrounded by beautiful people while eating really good sushi, this is the place for you. I went with a sushi lover and ordered mostly from the specials menu. I remember it was $120 for the two of us and I could have eaten more (and we only had one cocktail each so the money didn't go to alcohol). Unfortunately, it was my turn to pay.

The above three can be a bit pricey, so if you're looking for very reliable sushi at a lower price point, Sai Cafe fits the bill. Sit on the right end of the sushi counter right in front of Chef Dan (he's not Japanese). The pieces are HUGE and always good (but not as great as the above three). My friend has been a regular there forever, but he said Chef Dan has never been as attentive to him until he brought me there. So if you or your friend is Japanese, let that be known! I have only had sushi there so I can't speak for anything else.

I haven't been to Naniwa in over 5 years but I remember thinking that I wouldn't go back. I don't recall it being bad, but it was unimpressive. But that was a LONG time ago so things may have changed. Itto Sushi is okay but I didn't think it was great. The staff is mostly Japanese and the atmostphere is authentic, but I thought the place looks like it needs some updating. I've never been to Bob-San but my friend likes it alot. She probably doesn't have as sophisticated a palate as most of the people on this forum, though.

Oysy on Grand was good, not great. I went there because I used to work 2 blks away. Very trendy, very crowded, very noisy (hard to have a conversation). I thought it was good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there.

I haven't had sushi downtown too much, but Hatsuhana and Kamehachi have been around for a long time and has been good. Both Heat and Kizoku get good reviews but it seems too gimmicky for me to spend that much money for their shock factor.

I hope this helps!

asami

asami wrote:I haven't had sushi downtown too much, but Hatsuhana and Kamehachi have been around for a long time and has been good.

I think Hatsuhana is closed... I agree that Hatsuhana was very good. That was actually the first Japanese sushi restuarant I ate in in Chicago... sniffle* ... Ah, the memories....

I have not been to Sai Cafe in years... The owner of Sai Cafe is actually the brother of the owner of Naniwa and Bob-San. Their sister owns Dee's on Armitage... See! All in the family... =)

In Chicago proper we have recently been to Mirai, Coast and Sai Cafe. I think Mirai had the best fish, we definitely liked what we had better there. Neither Sai nor Mirai seemed as hung up on weird fancy rolls as Coast. I thought the pieces of fish at Sai were too big, and it just wasn't as good as Mirai. Coast is OK if you like (and stick to) the fancy rolls but their sushi rice was hard. An advantage at Coast is that it is BYO.

None of them compare in quality to Kuni's sushi, where we also have eaten recently - it definitely is still the best sushi we have had in the Chicago area.

I have never been to Naniwa, but a friend LOVEs it.

the newish hachi's kitchen in logan square is also a sai cafe offspring. the owner is jim bee, and "hachi" stands for bee in japanese. they had been looking to open something on the NW side (bucktown/WP/etc), and i'm so glad they landed in logan square.

much more modern on the inside, but same great stuff you'd see at sai cafe.

i've been unimpressed the few times i went to mirai, and coast seems to have gone downhill with their rising fame, so this is my new spot.

also love bob san, too.

miss ellen

IMHO,

Naniwa: unimpressive.
Itto: unimpressive, good value.
Edo: unimprssive, good value.
Kamehachi : unimpressive, touristy for the loop spot, but airy and open decor, more cozy at the Old Town spot, and food is a tad better.
Starfish: unimpressive.
Sushi Wabi: good, nice decor, bit pricey.
Mirai: Good.
Ginza: Good, homey, good value..
Oysy(Michigan Ave location): Good, loud thus good for group, bit pricey.
Sushi Samba: Good food and decor, pricey.
Triad: Good food and decor, bit pricey.
Katsu: Great, pricey.
Kizoku: Great, very pricey.
Kurumaya (suburb): Great, bit pricey.
Sankyu (suburb): Great, bit pricey.
Sakura (2 suburb locations): Great, bit pricey.
Daruma (suburb): Great, good value.

Re Naniwa:

Very good sushi, and they deliver!

It is a habit for us. We order from there about once or twice a week.

Overall, we think the fish is very good. They do not do the great creative stuff that some others do, but for basic sushi it is great place.

If we want creative cooking, we go to Japonais or Kamahachi. Day in and day out though, Naniwa is the place.

fenger wrote:Itto: unimpressive, good value.
Edo: unimpressive, good value.

these don't quite make sense. are they unimpressive as good values? if they're truly unimpressive, how can they be good values? if cheap is good, is bad food ok (think buffets)? personally, Edo was pretty disgusting, no matter how little I paid.

looks like someone likes sushi in the burbs!

TonyC wrote:

fenger wrote:Itto: unimpressive, good value.
Edo: unimpressive, good value.

these don't quite make sense. are they unimpressive as good values? if they're truly unimpressive, how can they be good values? if cheap is good, is bad food ok (think buffets)? personally, Edo was pretty disgusting, no matter how little I paid.

looks like someone likes sushi in the burbs!

You caught it =). My favorite Sushi place doesn't exist in the city (Ginza probably come the closest). My guess is that they don't cater to Japanese clientele day-in day-out, so good (not great) sushi, nice decor and location are good enough. I also like a lot home style dishes the 'urb spots serve to their Japanese expat clientele (my gf is Japanese).

As far as Itto and Edo, nothing stood out to me in multiple visits when I was in the area, but nothing was disastrous, hence unimpressive, but I felt their prices justified their quality, hence good value.

I'd have to say my two fav places are Tanoshii on Clark by Bryn Mawr and Katsu. Always a wonderful experience at both, never had anything less than scrumdidliumpcious.

Recently I have also been very much enjoying Agami on Broadway just south of Lawrence next to the Border's in the old Goldblatts building. Been there 3 times now and have enjoyed everything I have tried both raw and cooked. They have an excellent selection of traditional sushi/sashimi and they also have many very tasty and creative rolls as well. It is very trendy, the place is gorgeous, the service is friendly and attentive. I have gone only on weeknights, so I have not had to deal with noisey or crowded situations there, which seems to be the case on weekend evenings.

T-Spot is obviously supposed to be a slightly naughty play on words, though for me it conjured up a less appetizing image from the history of my profession (advertising):

Some copywriter for Camel Cigarettes wrote:THE T-ZONE TEST WILL TELL YOU.
The "T-Zone" - T for taste and T for throat - is your own laboratory for any cigarette. For only your taste and your throat can decide which cigarette tastes best to you... and how it agrees with your throat. On the basis of the experience of many, many millions of smokers, we believe Camels will suit your "T-Zone to a "T."

Well, tonight I found myself with a raw fish laboratory in my stomach as I decided to check out T-Spot Sushi, a tea and sympathy, er, sushi place on the newly hot stretch of Lincoln that includes Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro and Sola.

T-Spot has a small sushi bar, a cozy little room which says 90s hipster coffeehouse, and a row of tea-leaf dispensers along one wall. I started off with a rooibos, an herbal tea, and this maki:



This was called, apparently under the mistaken belief that it belonged at the nightclub across the street, "Latin Heat." The improbable name aside (less improbable when I learned that Leo, the Latino fellow in front of me who made it, was the restaurant's main chef and its inventor), it was a surprisingly well-balanced roll made of spicy something or other, a slice of jalapeno, cilantro, some white and red tuna on top, and scallions, drizzled with a little lime.

After I took a picture of it, to the general amusement of the staff, they offered me a chance to take pictures of other peoples' food as it went out. Here's another roll, the "Chicago Fire":



Now we're definitely in the realm of gussied-up trendy rolls here, but within that genre, T-Spot seems to show more restraint than most-- just compare this dragon, artful and in actually edible-sized pieces, with the cartoon silliness of this unwieldy oversized one from Midori. More to the point, as I said, the Latin Heat kept its flavors under control and complimentary to one another, not allowing any one flavor to overpower the rest with gloppy spicy mayo-ness or the like. Certainly one of the two or three best rolls I've had in recent memory, mainly because it isn't a squirtin' glob of mayo or a super-sweet eel-sauce-candied maki.

I also ordered a platter of various sashimi pieces and was pleased with them overall:



This was not cheap, mainly because the two slices of otoro at the far right were not cheap, but it was fairly priced and the pieces were quite large. The otoro was quite good, if not as melt-in-your-mouth good as similar tuna at Katsu; the regular tuna was just okay, but the salmon and the hamachi were excellent. Overall I'd say the quality of the fish exceeded my expectations for a little neighborhood sushi spot, and the prices were fair for it.

Chatting with Leo and various others in the restaurant, I learned they've been open about 7 weeks and actually had pretty decent weekends, probably due to the crowds Sola is attracting and, occasionally, forcing to look elsewhere for seating. Just this week they went to offering lunch as well (Mrs. Murphy now has lunch too; is there that much lunch business in this neighborhood?) Overall, for a place that at first glance screams hipster vibe rather than authentic Japanese-ness, T-Spot Sushi offers pretty high quality and a friendly welcome-- not least because it's the only sushi place where I've ever seen them bring a lighted birthday cake out to a customer. (I assume the party brought the cake in with them.) All in all, I think I have a new lunch spot for sushi.

T-Spot Sushi
3925 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Tel: (773) 549-4500

Many thanks for all the suggestions, I'm going to do a dry run at Nanaiwa this weekend!

I have fond memories of the old Hatsuhana & while out this weekend was walking by Bice on Ontario (i.e. east of Michigan) & noticed a sign next door saying Hatsuhana coming soon with a phone number, which unfortuately I couldn't jot down (no pen & paper handy). Anyone any further info?

Has anyone been to Sushi Ai in Palatine? It made it onto Chicago magazine's Best New list. I'm taking an evening course at nearby Haper College and thought I might stop in beforehand.

Given the front page headline article in the Tribune today regarding the link between the so-called "Reverend" Moon's Unification Church and fresh seafood distribution not only in Chicago but nationwide, is anyone having second thoughts about Sushi?

RMaris9 wrote:Given the front page headline article in the Tribune today regarding the link between the so-called "Reverend" Moon's Unification Church and fresh seafood distribution not only in Chicago but nationwide, is anyone having second thoughts about Sushi?

Not really. I don't have to like someone's religion or politics or whatever they do with the money they make to like their food. If I did, I'd have to do the whole Altria boycott, etc. Too much hassle.

Sure, Rev Moon sold nuclear subs to North Korea and had Danny K. Davis preside over a "coronation" in DC. But, cmon, what religious leader hasn't?

I'm too lazy for boycotts.