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Chicagoland sushi is always a touchy subject with food aficionados. Some argue that Midwestern cities will never have even halfway decent sushi, and that those of us who crave sushi should either give up and eat beef or spend our entire incomes on overnight shuttles to Los Angeles. While it is certainly true that Chicago abounds with mediocre sushi restaurants, there are a few that rise to the top.
South Coast Sushi, the South Loop sister restaurant to Bucktown's Coast Sushi, seems to have figured out the trick to running a Japanese restaurant 1000 miles from the nearest body of salt water. The staff will suggest which of the fish selections are freshest that night, so those who like their fish unadorned will know what to pick. Their menu is also filled with other innovative dishes that require slightly less-than-pristine seafood. The “corny tuna” is our favorite appetizer, with lime-marinated tuna mixed with roasted corn, jalapeño, cilantro and avocado.
For those who want to stick to sushi, try the spicy scallop maki – the soft, creamy raw scallops compliments the spicy mayo perfectly. The restaurants signature maki are definitely for the American audience, as only one of them doesn’t involve some kind of mayonnaise. Even so, if you can take off your sushi-snob hat they’re extremely tasty – we especially liked the Coast Crab, which mixes king crab, scallions, masago and red tobiko, all topped with tempura crumble. They also have some cheap, intriguing side munchies to try – the seaweed tempura and the crispy carrot noodles were especially good.
South Coast Sushi is located at 1700 South Michigan. OPen 4:30-11 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 4:30-10 p.m. Sunday. Phone is 312-662-1700. There is a limited amount of free, reserved parking for guests.
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Actually, a couple of weeks ago I ate at a new sushi place in Oak Park called "Sushi House"....and being from the east coast....I know me some good sushi.
This is the 3rd sushi place in these parts and by far the best.
It's pricey though...and if you order a 'glass' of wine it's literally like 2 and a half sips.
The atmosphere is lovely. I now feel kind of sorry for the other two sushi places here. Oh well. It's about time we got something a bit more sophisticated with top quality eats in these parts!
This is now my place of choice for sushi in the western burbs. It rivals anything you'll find in downtown Chicago.
The idea that you can only get good sushi on the coasts is rediculous.
Do you think the Atlantic Salmon that you eat in L.A is somehow not as fresh as it would be in New York?
I mean, these fish aren't taken from the sea and thrown on your plate. They go through large distribution channels that more less make all the "best" sushi in the nation equal contenders.
Well, let me put it this way...if you live in New York, chances are you're going to recognize good sushi when you see it.
I didn't say that you can ONLY get good sushi on the coast, but you're just going to have a much better selection of good places, then say....Bumblefuck, Oklahoma.
Do you see what I'm saying?
Because let me tell you, I've had some b-b-b-baaaaaad sushi. Not rotten. Just bad.
And then there are the midwesterners who actually think sush is just cucumbers wrapped in rice and seaweed.
So, there is something to be said for living on a coast, in a big city.
I would say that large cities probably have better sushi restaurants than somewhere in oklahoma. But that's the same for anything.
The "coast" thing is a total myth. All sushi has been frozen to be served in the USA and therefore even the freshest sushi can be shipped anywhere in the USA and stay the same quality.
Sushi preperation on the other hand is depdendant on the chefs.
I would also venture to say that Chicago with its ubiquitous sushi restaurants (there's honestly one everywhere) has a pretty refined sushi culture. Some are better than others but hey that's the same as LA or NYC.
I tend to agree with you about Chicago's sushi culture, matty. But i've gotten in TOO many fights with New Englanders about how all fish west of the Appalachians is automatically rendered rancid.
Well, as anyone from New England would know...if you eat seafood that is freshly caught, locally...well...you just cannot replicate that with anything frozen.
I don't care what you say, it's just not the same.
And if you get into an argument with a Baltimorean over crabs...well...you'll lose that one too.
You just don't get between a Baltimore native (or anyone from the Chesapeake Bay region) and his/her freshly caught crabs.
And about frozen fish for sushi/sashimi...it is frozen not so much for shipment, but to kill any parasites. There are standards for freezing i.e. temperature and time.
So...I'm sure that the best restaurants would not use fish that has been frozen for too long, which is why some places have fresher/better tasting fish than others.
So, yes...it all depends on the standards of the chef. And I'm sure that the standards are going to be higher in bigger cities where people are more sophisticated and knowledgeable.
There is a place in San Francisco where the sushi chef will kick you out of the bar if he sees you eating his sushi improperly i.e. putting the wasabi into the soy sauce and mixing it, or letting the soy sauce touch the rice part. LOL
You are allowed, however, to commit this blasphemy if you eat out in the restaurant...just not in front of him at his bar.
So...people take their cuisines seriously...and I respectfully disagree that the 'coast' thing is a myth.
I think both sides make valid points. For me, the issue is price. Sushi the quality of Coast's (I haven't had South Coast) goes for about 2/3 the price in San Francisco than it does here.
yeah, but, again, sushi is not "caught locally" on the east coast. I also think Chicago restaurants are equally as high-grade preparation wise as any in the country.
I think that, to some extent, we're seeing the ramifications of restaurateurs jumping on trends. Four, five years ago it was upscale sushi bars. Last year, wood-fired oven pizzerias. Even as places like Japonais and Heat were making names for themselves with the style conscious crowd, the best sushi restaurants in town are the ones that we don't have to dress to impress in order to enter.
For my money, Ginza Fish on East Ohio is hands down the best bang for your buck in the city. The fish is always fresh, the portions are reasonable and affordable. All those Japanese business travelers flocking to the place cannot be wrong.
Matty, I've got to tell you...there is nothing in Chicago that is of better quality than NYC.
That's my opinion...but the standard will always be New York.
That's the bar and that's the way it has always been.
But I do recommend you all to try Sushi House in Oak Park and get back with your opinion. It is just as good, if not better than anything downtown.