Sushi-rific

[thelastsupper]

Just ask them not to do any rolls. I don't see much of a problem. You probably won't get as much, but from what I've had there and what it sounds like you are ready for that shouldn't be a problem. . .

[LaurieA-B]

When looking at their menu online, it appears that the only way to have omakase without "rolls" is $30 or more. 

I watched Matthew's omakase meal at Mashiko's (not keen on sushi myself), which was at the $30 price point. He was served an extensive array of items, and the presentation was spectacular. If you're willing to spend $25, why not $30? The price seemed cheap for what he received. You can read Matthew's review of his meal here, along with Klink's lyrical descriptions of Mashiko meals.

[RandyB]

Finally made it to Mashiko last night. My buddy and I asked for the omakase at $30. The dishes kept coming until we finally said "enough." The only things we specified were: no rolls; no uni for me (but they weren't serving it, anyway); and no natto.

Got there at 5:30, only 2 others at the sushi bar and they soon left. Later, another pair showed up, but left long before we did. Coming early and taking our time (2 hours) on a non-busy Tuesday gave lots of chance to talk with the chef. Unfortunately, I didn't get her name.

The sawagani was fantastic. Our first time. We also loved the monkfish liver - a very generous portion. Skipjack and other specialties have been described in other posts, so I won't repeat. The tiny clams in a Thai pesto sauce were delicious.

Ok, I guess there was one roll, and it was great. Tempura asparagus with hamachi wrapped around it. But no rice!

[Schielke]

Glad you had a good time! Did you have the famed albacore? Drool...

So, do you have an aversion to rolled foods? Something involving a fruit roll-up mishap?

Ben

[RandyB]

As a small child, my parents kept all the albacore for themselves and made me eat California rolls that were mostly rice. Now I have them locked in a dungeon where the only thing the guards ever give them to eat are rice rolls stuffed with chunk light canned tuna in oil, and I never order rolls at the sushi bar.

[nightscotsman]

I like California rolls.

[Batgrrrl]

RandyB, that is a crime. You deserve to be given a bathtub of Mashiko's albacore to wallow around in. Come to think of it, we all deserve that!

One recent trend I've noticed in sushi places in the last year or so is more interesting rolls--I'm becoming a big fan of some of the really creative ones. Mashiko's revamped their menu last December (see Klink's and my description of his birthday dinner there, the first night of the new menu), and I noticed he had a lot of fascinating sounding rolls on it. So when we get rolls as part of omakase there, they're generally incredibly tasty, and as RandyB says, not overly full of rice.

I also really like the rolls at Hisago's, in the Northgate area--they do some really yummy and different ones, like the Maryanna roll, which has uni, de-skinned orange slices, and cucumber, and possibly something else. The uni and orange go together absolutely beautifully. They also coat some of their rolls in toasted rice, making for a lovely texture.

So good rolls are out there--they are no longer just for the uninitiated!

Crap, now I want sushi...

Batgrrrl

[Batgrrrl]

I like California rolls.

I confess, california rolls are my favorite grocery store sushi, though I'm picky--only if they've got the fish roe (as opposed to being half full of cucumber) and nice looking avocado, and I like the crab meat in mayonnaise. Larry's Market makes a darn good california roll.

And it's hard for me to argue with a good spider roll, with the cute little crab legs all tempura'd and sticking out the ends! Couldn't be more adorable.

Darnit, now I want sushi even more...

Batgrrrl

[col klink]

Darnit, now I want sushi even more...

Batgrrrl

Do we need a quick run to Musashi?

[tighe]

I was doing some Seattle-area sushi-related surfing today and came accross this web site:

SushiSeattle

As a source for ratings, it suffers from the same problems as any user-rating based site, but I think its a good reference on the different places around town.

BTW, if you find yourself in downtown Des Moines and are considering THE sushi place (called Sushi Saki, and something else), AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

[Kimo]

On the Eastside, I had a great lunch last week at Nara's in Redmond (first visit, not my last). I probably had four or five pieces of unagi.

I haven't been to Sushiman in Issaquah since last year. Reasonable bento lunch boxes. Tasty sushi. I don't know if they're still open.

And, I love the owners of Bistro Satsuma and Sushi Bar in Gig Harbor (two miles from the Narrows Bridge), who were the co-owners of Nikko in the Westin Seattle from 1997-2002 (BTW, their current offerings are $2 less per roll than at Nikko). Maybe rent is cheaper in Gig Harbor...the prices are substantially lower than anything in Seattle/Belltown. I just had sushi there two days ago.