Chicagoist: Sushi out of Water: South Coast Sushi

Ingrid

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:50:07 -0600

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.

Chuck Sudo

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:03:04 -0600

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

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:43:36 -0600

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.

Laura Oppenheimer

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:06:22 -0600

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.

Ingrid

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:47:00 -0600

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.

Anthony Todd

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:23:10 -0600

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.

matty

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:14:00 -0600

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.

Ingrid

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:02:38 -0600

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.

matty

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:10:32 -0600

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.

Ingrid

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:00:46 -0600

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.