Matsuri

Non-fish people like E, you probably want to stop reading here.

You have probably seen me rave about Sushi Mio, our favorite spot for sushi. It's near the office and very good, so it's convenient for a good lunch or a nearby dinner when traffic is really bad.

The only time that Sushi Mio's location is really unfortunate is when we are already home. I've been lamenting this recently. We stopped going to Sushi Avenue in Decatur Square due to a bad experience. Prior to that, we were happy weekly regulars. We frequent Sushi Yoko off Winter's Chapel, but I don't really get sushi there, only traditional Japanese fare.

So after a day of house hunting, I suggested Matsuri. A quick search on the blackberry indicated that:
- Most people go to Matsuri for hibachi. I discounted all of those people.
- Many people find that the sushi at Matsuri is far too expensive. And their favorite roll is the california roll. I like those as much as anyone else, but I don't qualify a sushi place by them. I also discounted these people. However, this tied into the few posts that I saw where
- Some people said that the sushi was outstanding and expensive, but you get what you pay for.

So with this in mind, I figured that the sushi was likely outstanding because it was so expensive and it would be worth the try to have a good "close-by" sushi place.

And try it we did. We ordered the deluxe sushi platter which came with a spicy tuna roll and several nigiri. It was quite tasty. I had read complaints that the nigiri was too expensive -- $4-6 for 2 pieces for the most common stuff. Yeah, but each piece of fish on the nigiri is 1 1/2 times as long as if you go anywhere else.

We also got the deluxe sashimi platter, which had six (I think) different kinds of sashimi. Each piece was cut thickly and they all melted in your mouth. You know when you put a piece of fish in your mouth, and it's buttery and rish tasting? That's how every piece of sashimi was. Incredible.

We also got a black dragon roll which is an eel roll (avocado, cucumber, eel) topped with more eel and then covered in seaweed. They arrange it on the plate with extra eel on the first and last pieces so that it looks like a dragon in repose. Nice presentation and very good.

We also got a california sunset roll which was like a rainbow roll except topped with white tuna, salmon, and tuna. I'm fairly certain they use real crab meat and not the fake stuff. That was really good also.

After all this food, we were pretty stuffed, but the sushi chef made us a special complementary roll, and how could we refuse? It was cucumber, crabmeat, and masago wrapped in a very long, very thin slice of vinegared daikon. An excellent end to our meal.

While it's true that Matsuri is pretty expensive, the incredibly quality of the fish is worth it.