In the last three weeks I've now been to three local sushi restaurants in the twin cities. You saw my thoughts about Origami, today I'll cover Nami & Sakura.
[Photo courtesy of joopy, one of the many people on flickr who license their photos with a Creative Commons license. In the interest of full disclosure, this photo was not taken at Sakura, Origami, or Nami. It was taken at Sushiharu]
I went to Sakura, because I was invited there by a few co-workers for lunch last Thursday. I was busy and had a lot of work to do, but couldn't pass up fresh fish. Sakura had an outstanding deep menu of sushi to try. They seem to have a more rolls and especially spicy rolls than some of the other spots I've tried. I had bin toro, salmon, and anago. All of it was very good, but nothing stood out to me. The bin toro wasn't quite what I was expecting as it wasn't quite the velvety taste of toro I've had before. I think that was a matter of expectation on my part rather than execution on the restaurants part. The chef at the sushi bar was personable and had useful suggestions. A few of my co-workers offered me slices off of their rolls. These were highly spiced and very good. I enjoyed them immensely (and was grateful they offered me some) but sometimes the rolls had so much spice or cucumber or melon or whatever that it took away from the taste of fish. The rolls are really good for serving people who might be taken back by the nigiri pieces that I crave. The verdict, Sakura is very good. The prices seem more reasonable than Origami, the selection is good, and their selection of fancy rolls would make it easier to introduce sushi virgins to the genre.
I've been working a lot of hours lately. My family went north this weekend without me to open up the cabin and see the relatives. I took this opportunity to work a lot of hours. After my seventh consecutive day of work, I decided that perhaps dinner out was in order. I chose Nami, because I wanted to go for a walk downtown and I had enjoyed a previous lunch there. Again I sat at the sushi bar. I love to watch the sushi chef make my food. Usually each hand motion seems like a ritual that is both practiced and efficient, but contains a certain flair. Not so with my chef at Nami. He was, however, very competent with a knife. This meant that he would make artistic small cuts into the top of the sushi which made for a beautiful presentation. The toro at Nami was exactly what I was hoping for. It was buttery and velvety and left a subtle but exquisite taste in my mouth. I had tuna and salmon as well which were also very good. One thing I enjoyed about Nami on my last visit was the beautiful pottery they served the food on. While I think I still like having sushi served on a ti leaf when eating at the sushi bar, Nami's elegant pottery is a nice touch. The verdict --- Out of the three restaurants, I had the best fish at Nami. While Sakura holds the trump card for selection and value, the toro I had at Nami pushed them over the top for me. Nami also has a slightly more elegant ambience. Last year I had a fantastic visit to Fuji-Ya, I'll have to visit then again soon so I can compare them while it's fresh in my mind. Origami, Sakura, & Nami all seem to serve very good sushi and likely you won't be disappointed with any of them. Sakura seems like a good value so that's the place I likely revisit first. Local blogger Scott McGerik has reviewed all of these sushi spots as well. The conversation at Sakura indicated that I was the only person who thought that eating with the fingers was polite. I've now asked this question to three sushi chefs at two restaurants. I've been told that eating the sushi with the fingers is polite and normal in Japan. Chopsticks are acceptable and normal as well. The chopsticks should definitely be used for the pickled ginger used to cleanse the palate. It doesn't appear that the "fingers versus chopsticks" question is nearly important an etiquette point as compared with offering other people sushi with your chopsticks or putting your chopsticks on the sushi bar. Here are some links from google that discuss sushi etiquette.
[Photo courtesy of joopy, one of the many people on flickr who license their photos with a Creative Commons license. In the interest of full disclosure, this photo was not taken at Sakura, Origami, or Nami. It was taken at Sushiharu]
Sakura
I went to Sakura, because I was invited there by a few co-workers for lunch last Thursday. I was busy and had a lot of work to do, but couldn't pass up fresh fish. Sakura had an outstanding deep menu of sushi to try. They seem to have a more rolls and especially spicy rolls than some of the other spots I've tried. I had bin toro, salmon, and anago. All of it was very good, but nothing stood out to me. The bin toro wasn't quite what I was expecting as it wasn't quite the velvety taste of toro I've had before. I think that was a matter of expectation on my part rather than execution on the restaurants part. The chef at the sushi bar was personable and had useful suggestions. A few of my co-workers offered me slices off of their rolls. These were highly spiced and very good. I enjoyed them immensely (and was grateful they offered me some) but sometimes the rolls had so much spice or cucumber or melon or whatever that it took away from the taste of fish. The rolls are really good for serving people who might be taken back by the nigiri pieces that I crave. The verdict, Sakura is very good. The prices seem more reasonable than Origami, the selection is good, and their selection of fancy rolls would make it easier to introduce sushi virgins to the genre.
Nami
I've been working a lot of hours lately. My family went north this weekend without me to open up the cabin and see the relatives. I took this opportunity to work a lot of hours. After my seventh consecutive day of work, I decided that perhaps dinner out was in order. I chose Nami, because I wanted to go for a walk downtown and I had enjoyed a previous lunch there. Again I sat at the sushi bar. I love to watch the sushi chef make my food. Usually each hand motion seems like a ritual that is both practiced and efficient, but contains a certain flair. Not so with my chef at Nami. He was, however, very competent with a knife. This meant that he would make artistic small cuts into the top of the sushi which made for a beautiful presentation. The toro at Nami was exactly what I was hoping for. It was buttery and velvety and left a subtle but exquisite taste in my mouth. I had tuna and salmon as well which were also very good. One thing I enjoyed about Nami on my last visit was the beautiful pottery they served the food on. While I think I still like having sushi served on a ti leaf when eating at the sushi bar, Nami's elegant pottery is a nice touch. The verdict --- Out of the three restaurants, I had the best fish at Nami. While Sakura holds the trump card for selection and value, the toro I had at Nami pushed them over the top for me. Nami also has a slightly more elegant ambience. Last year I had a fantastic visit to Fuji-Ya, I'll have to visit then again soon so I can compare them while it's fresh in my mind. Origami, Sakura, & Nami all seem to serve very good sushi and likely you won't be disappointed with any of them. Sakura seems like a good value so that's the place I likely revisit first. Local blogger Scott McGerik has reviewed all of these sushi spots as well. The conversation at Sakura indicated that I was the only person who thought that eating with the fingers was polite. I've now asked this question to three sushi chefs at two restaurants. I've been told that eating the sushi with the fingers is polite and normal in Japan. Chopsticks are acceptable and normal as well. The chopsticks should definitely be used for the pickled ginger used to cleanse the palate. It doesn't appear that the "fingers versus chopsticks" question is nearly important an etiquette point as compared with offering other people sushi with your chopsticks or putting your chopsticks on the sushi bar. Here are some links from google that discuss sushi etiquette.
