Rhode Island’s Best Sushi
Thursday, March 08, 2012
This week we delve into one of those subjects that people always want to be knowledgeable about: sushi. This particular food preparation puts the fear of God in people because of the raw fish element. Nothing ruins a good night like bad fish, so we sought out the freshest, cleanest fish the state has to offer and we came back with five great options.
Ichigo Ichie, East Providence
Just before Route 6 winds into Massachusetts, diners are treated to a wonderful Japanese restaurant called Ichigo Ichie. This beautiful restaurant features dark wood in a cool dining room and some delicious Japanese food. Ichigo features traditional Japanese hibachi, chef's specialties and creative, tasty sushi all served with fresh ingredients. The name means "one chance...one encounter" and that's what you get at the hibachi tables. You may be seated with a group of people you've never met before, leading to that chance encounter. We love to start with the fun sushi dishes and then enjoy the show at the hibachi. We love the Mango Tree, which is cooked lobster with mango and cucumber. The sweetness of the lobster is highlighted by the mango and accented by the cucumber. The black pepper tuna provides a teaser with its appearance of pastrami but the flavor of fresh, clean tuna. The rainbow roll is another cool choice with avocado, crab and cucumber on the inside and tuna, salmon, yellow tail and white fish on the outside. It is a feast for the eyes. 5 Catamore Blvd., 435-8989, www.ichigoichieus.com
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHaruki, Cranston
We were first turned on the the quality of Haruki's seafood by a fisherman friend. He told us that not only was Haruki's fish fresh and local, it was our friends "go-to" spot for sushi. We decided to give it a try and we were blown away. Years before most chefs were using local species like fluke and black bass, Haruki had them in sashimi and sushi preparations. When you know the care and quality in the catching of the fish you can feel confident in the care the chef takes with the seafood. We love the bento boxes with California rolls, the noodle dishes and the fresh vegetable preparations. We also fell in love with the quality of the sushi at Haruki. The rolls are always tight and fresh and delicious. One of our favorites here is the baby octopus or E-Danko. Octopus is one of those tester ingredients for us. If they can prepare nice, tender octopus, you can figure they're good at other preparations also. The octopus is served Nigiri style on a bite sized seasoned rice ball and it is bright and flavorful and of course tender. We also love the spider crab roll with crispy soft shell crab, cucumber and avocado on the inside and avocado and masago--which is a sustainable fish roe--on the outside. It gets us every time. 1210 Oaklawn Ave. 463-8338, www.harukisushi.com
10 Prime Steak and Sushi, Providence
As part of the venerable Chow Fun Food Group, 10 is one of Providence's best known spots for after work drinks, delicious steaks and some really creative sushi. We love the fun and funky interior with a bubble machine above the front door and "Chihuly-esque" art behind the bar, but we return for Chef David Jackson's incredible food. We really enjoy the flavor combinations he and the sushi chefs come up with and check back often for new stuff. Our current obsession is the Crunchy Munchie, which features tempura coconut shrimp wrapped with sushi rice and topped with tempura crab and a honey/truffle aioli that brings everything together. That aioli would make a good topping for anything, we think. The Morris roll is named after former Patriots running back Sammy Morris, and brings together his love of crab and asparagus in a roll with tuna and tempura shrimp. He brought along a lot of Pats players with him over the years and they all have their names on the stools at the sushi bar. So head over to 10 and let Carlo make one of his signature mojitos, sidle up to the sushi bar and spend the next couple of hours in pure bliss. 55 Pine St. 453-2333, www.tenprimesteakandsushi.com
Enn Sushi, Lincoln
When you think sushi, Lincoln is not always the first place to pop into your head. Ours either. That was until a couple of the state’s top chefs began calling Enn the best sushi in the state. Located on the George Washington Highway, Enn has become an oasis far from the ocean for those seeking out impeccably fresh sushi in a classic looking setting. A recent nominee for the the people's best new chef in New England, chef Jake Rojas of Tallulah on Thames has been tweeting the exploits of Enn for some time now and we too are impressed. Chef Rojas pointed us in the direction of the sashimi and it did not disappoint. Fresh and clean and flavorful are the first adjectives that came to mind. A good rule of thumb when eating or buying fresh seafood is that it should smell clean and like the ocean...not like fish. Enn has that "ocean" smell and feel down to a tee. We loved the lion roll, with the spicy hamachi and a spicy sauce offset by the coolness of the cucumber. Also not to be missed is the crack roll. Salmon, lemon, crab, asparagus and avocado accented by the unexpected addition of roasted garlic. The latter provides an earthiness that was a welcome addition. 600 George Washington Highway, 333-0366, www.ennri.com
Kon Asian Bistro, East Greenwich
Folks in East Greenwich-and almost everywhere else-- have long known about the terrific food being served at Kon Asian Bistro, and so have we. One of the problems about doing these round-ups is that we give away our favorites, whether they are places people haven't heard of or places they have, we give up spots that we would prefer to keep under wraps. Kon is one of those places. This is a place where you can find the familiar Asian dishes that will allow the family something they know and love while you push the envelope. While they enjoy the tasty General Tso's chicken you can go for the Kon special rolls. A couple of our favorites are the spicy crab and caviar explosion of the Angel roll or the Crazy Bumblebee, with lobster, avocado, mango and goma wakame or seaweed salad. Each roll shows the depth and complexity of the flavors here and push you to try more. We also enjoyed the Chiriashi, which was mixed sashimi over sushi rice. All of the fish was fresh and tasty. 553 Main St. 886-9200, www.konasianbistro.com
Related Articles
- RI’s Best Mac and Cheese
- Rhode Island’s Best Chinese Take-Out
- Rhode Island’s Best Date Restaurants
- Rhode Island’s Best Fries
- Rhode Island’s Best Indian Food
- Rhode Island’s Best Pizza Strips
- RI’s Best Old-School Italian Restaurants
