Sushi Jin

 Sushi Jin in Houston, Texas 9 March 2011

I asked the sushi chef what he recommended. He said O-toro, which was not on the menu, sea trout, yellowtail, and, of course, I got uni. The miso soup was hot and tasty. I think I just like it a little thick, not watery.

I enjoy watching the chef work so carefully. After cuting the part of the fish he wats, he wraps it in a white material, followed by the usual sushi plastic wrap. He gave me a free yummy appetizer.


The otoro - fatty tuna - melted in my mouth. It was so delicious I would order more if not full. The uni was tasty and felt more like cream than velvet. Smooth. There was a decent amount, too.

This is my first time trying sea trout. It was salmon color, and, after the uni, felt more chewy. Definitely fatty, in an enjoyable way. I noticed that the sushi was so good I started eating without taking a picture!

Next was the yellowtail. I don't know how he does it - marinade, cut, preparation- but even the yellowtail has that creamy texture.

Still lusting after otoro, I ordered more. This time I got a photo.  There are some things in life that override our knowledge that it is time to stop. This otoro, I did not want it to end. So I forced myself to write, finish the tea, and get the check. No need to ruin a wonderful feast.


 2.00 Green Tea
 3.00 Miso Soup
30.00 O-toro Sushi (x2)
 4.80 Yellowtail Sushi
10.00 Uni Sushi
 6.50 Artic Charr Sushi
4.65 Tax

60.95 Total, plus tip

Sushi Jin Japanese Restaurant
14670 Memorial Drive
Houston, Texas 77081
(281) 493-2932

Sushi Hai

Sushi Hai, in  Denver, Colorado Tuesday 1 March 2011

I sat promptly at the sushi bar, which is L-shaped near the entrance.  The sushi restaurant is long and a little narrow, and there is another restaurant in the back, much wider. The sushi chef treated us to a yummy appetizer of very thinly sliced cucumber in vinegar topped with tan and black sesame seeds, and a bit of tuna. It brought out my appetite. There is something about finely sliced cucumber. 

The pickled ginger was extra spicy, just the way I love it. The uni is regular size, but overflowing the top of the seaweed wrap - extra uni! Topped with thin-sliced scallions/green onions, it is velvet in my mouth, melting on my tongue. Unagi is just warm but has a tasty sweet sauce. Saba was not dry nor fishy. I sometimes forget that my favorite saba is smooth and moist, not dry and too fishy.
White tuna sashimi had a different cut, like a comma. It was light pink. I know, I know, there are lots of different versions of white tuna. This one was "shiromaguro". Overall, a good tuna.

Now, I eat the fatty shrimp in the ama ebi because it comes with it, but it is the shrimp heads that I am after. These did stick me a few times - eating slowly helps, as does breaking off the sharp parts. The overall experience was good.







5.95 unagi
5.50 saba
8.95 uni
6.95 ama ebi
10.95 shiromaguro
38.30 subtotal
3.10 tax

41.40 total plus tip


The restaurant has a 32nd Avenue address but it is actually on Lowell Blvd near the corner of 32nd. Parking can be difficult in this part of the city. I found a spot around the block. Read the parking signs carefully! A lot of spots are resident permit parking only. You might consider valet parking, available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Sushi Hai

3600 West 32nd Ave

Denver, CO 80211

720-855-0888

http://www.sushihai.com/

Westwood Tavern and Bar

This is for tonight, Friday 24 February 2011

I picked this place both because it was close to the hotel and because it had a non-sushi sounding name. They serve sushi - no sushi bar - and many other items typical of a sports bar. The place is huge - two stories. It appears to be a higher end sports bar. The selection was very limited. For suhi/sashimi there was unagi, tuna, yellowtail, salmon, and king crab. These are sold by the piece instead of the usual pair. There were a lot more in the rolls menu.

I ordered two pieces of unagi sashimi - at $3 each, they were a little pricy. I also ordered the spicy tuna roll and the dragon roll.

The unagi had little bit of spice - a nice touch, and was a good size. Temperature (I like it hot) was warm but it did not detract from the experience.

The spicy tuna was maki style, not the hand roll I expected. It came with the beige dipping sauce (what is it called?) which complemented the spice well.

The dragon roll was good. However it did not match the good results from the first two items.

I would say, if you are in the area and want sushi and large screens with sports all around, this is the place. Small sushi selection in a place to sit back and watch all the games.

Total bill:
2.00 Lemonade
10.00 Rainbow Dragon
7.00 Spicy Tuna Roll
6.00 Sashime (eel eel)
25.00 Sub total
2.88 tax (yes, Chicago has a high sales tax)
27.88 Sub total
plus tip

Westwood Tavern and Bar

1385 North Meacham Road

Schaumburg, IL 60173-4805

Get Directions

(847) 969-9500

westwoodtavern.com‎

In the beginning

I started keeping a log, very short so far, of sushi places I visit. I travel a little, and I usually check out local sushi places. I was debating whether I should just post my comments on the excellent Yelp site (and I might mirror my posts there). After talking it over with some folks, I decided to start my own blog. My friends suggested Sushi King, but that was taken in a few blog sites, so I went with Blogger and became the Sushi Emperor. In the web, no one knows you are really an emperor. 

My concept is to have something for fellow travelers who love sushi. I will include personal disclosure of my tastes so that my reviews are more meaningful.