oishii too

[glauer]

We were in the neighborhood and in the mood for sushi, so we stopped at the Sudbury outpost of what are said to be the best sushi places in the Boston area (I guess with the exception of O Ya).

And the classical sushi pieces did not disappoint at all. Perfect fish and seafood on perfect rice (though the pieces were huge, almost tough to handle in one piece).

What I do not understand is the rave these places get for their "creative sushi". Being a sceptic from a previous visit curiosity still got the better of me and we ordered a crispy rock shrimp maki roll, some lobster tempura sushi and something else that I quickly forgot. These dishes, while certainly well prepared, almost spoiled our night. Already the fried seafood is slightly problematic next to the perfect raw preparations with all their "oceany" freshness. But the mayo-like sauces and almost cloying sweet flavors killed any subtlety and taste of the original product. We had to argue who would finish these dishes..... It saddens me that such perfect ingredients get pushed in a way that reminds me of cheesecake factory, especially as perfection is already right there.

I will go back happily but definitely stick to the classic stuff.

[opinionatedchef]

I think it's the 'young folk' and the new converts- who go for the trendy rock 'n roll sushi. The (usually older)sushi traditionalists have more sophisticated palates in general (gee, I won't get any hate mail from this post, right?)and appreciate the sushi for its simple clean unadorned quality. I don't go for any of the flavor-masking spicy mayo sauces myself, but I do like an occasional deep fried-type soft shell crab maki. Mea culpa, Mea culpa, Mea maxima culpa.

thanks much for your report.

Edited April 18, 2009 by opinionatedchef (log)

[John Rosevear]

I eat at Oishii Too every few months... our take is generally that it's good, but whether it's good enough to justify its high-ish prices relative to the better local competitors is an open question. (For my money, in metrowest Boston, one could do a lot worse than going to the Bamboo in Burlington or Westford and sitting at the sushi bar.)

As for the QP-and-tempura creations, I think that's part and parcel of being a sushi restaurant in suburban America nowadays. You're always going to have a certain percentage of diners who won't venture far past crab stick and eel, and those folks help pay the bills... but if a little spicy mayo helps to tempt them in more interesting directions, I'm all for it. It's like the argument that some used to make for white zinfandel: If it encourages people to start drinking actual wine instead of "hard lemonade" or whatever, that seems like a good thing.

[Bricktop]

I went there a few months ago. It was closer to my hotel than Oga's in Natick (my usual sushi spot in Metrowest),

and since it was a rainy night and I'd read praise online, I figured what the heck.

It was a mistake. The rolls and pieces were big and clunky, not particularly imaginative, and all in all, Dullsville.

I came out of there thinking I should have sacked up and taken the drive to Natick.