🚀 go-pugleaf

Ty Liotta asks:

  What do people consider to be the best place to get sushi in the area? My
  favorite is Matuba in downtown Bethesda. What does it take to make sushi
  good? What types of sushi do people like?

Unfortunately, nothing in DC is really great in my opinion.  I think you may
have to be closer to the Pacific.  (The best sushi I've had has been at
Kanezawa Tei, Kailua-Kona HI & Ebisu in SF).  

In DC, you might try Sushi Ko (Wisconsin Ave, g'town); they're inconsistant,
but occasionally really good.  Also high on my list is Sakana, on P St, near
DuPont Circle.  Hisago (K St, Washington Harbor) is good, too, but Kaiseki
is their thing more than sushi.  I've had good food at Sushi Taro (18th st
or thereabouts), but I can't stand the obnoxious expense-account clientel
that I can't seem to avoid there.  Sakura Palace (Georgia Ave, Silver
Spring) is OK, but not great.  I think Matuba is mediocre, but I work
nearby, so I eat there now and then.  At least it's better than it's
neighbors Tako Grill and Hinode (althogh have robatayaki at Tako Grill).

What makes sushi great?  Well, the first thing is perfect rice.  That *is*
what the word "sushi" means.  Each grain should be perceptable, yet cohere
to its neighbors -- not mushy, or glutenous, and not falling apart.  The
fish has to be spectacularly fresh, of course.  This has a lot to do with
the volume of sushi served; less popular items (e.g. Ikura, Uni, Akagai) are
often not as fresh as the fake crab :-(.  Also, I find those items
(especially Uni) are particularly sensitive to freshness: In its ideal
state, Uni is transcendent, with all the flavors of the sea; a day later,
it's pretty vile.  The next issue is the skill of the chef.  Does he (pardon
the sexism -- anyone ever seen a female sushi chef?)  really get rid of all
the white from the quail eggs?  Are the clams, etc. properly cross-hatched
to make them tender?  Is he well educated in more obscure items? E.g., will
he make tiger's eye rolls well?  Really, the core of a good sushi experience
is one's relationship with the chef.  Does he try to get to know you?  Does
he offer little side dishes for you to try, or suggest items you may not
have had before?  This point suggests one of the fundamental truths of sushi
eating: it's not the restaurant you should judge, but the sushi chef.

Happy eating!

Larry

--
Lawrence Hunter, PhD.
National Library of Medicine
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