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We went to Masu East a couple of weeks ago. We had reservations, but had to wait about 20 minutes for a table for four. They were incredibly gracious, gave us a drink menu and then brought out drinks, and kept checking in with us. The decor/ambience is very nice, great accoustics, nice feel. Finally got seated and started with a couple of appetizers - the kabocha dumplings and agedashi tofu - both of which were very good. We then ordered a bunch of sushi, including both rolls and nigiri. The fish was very fresh, nigiri were good size and tasted great. The rolls were disappointing. We had a tempura shrimp roll and one other that had something cooked/fried in it (it was one of the special crazy rolls). Neither came out warm, so the fried part was mushy. The rolls didn't have a lot of flavor and fell apart easily.
I would definitely go back because the service was impeccable, the space lovely, and the food was not bad, with fresh, good nigiri. I would, however, sit at the sushi bar and hope that I would have better luck with the rolls. -
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My favorite sushi place in Portland is Ichidai on Powell and 60-ish. Their fish is always very flavorful and fresh and they have interesting (but not too wacky) rolls, all pretty reasonably prced. Their squid salad is on my list of reasons why I can never leave Portland. It's out of the way, but if I have the time, that is where we always go. I have to say, though, that I've never been to Murata.
I don't understand the attraction to Saburo. Is there something people like about that sushi aside from the gigantism their rolls suffer from?
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Skip Koji (mediocre/forgettable), Syun Izakaya (simply not worth the trip unless you're across the street), Saburo (crappy service/not worth the ridiculous wait). Yuki is a sad shadow of its original self, having presumably been sold a couple times. I won't return, even though it's 1/2 mile from me.
Only places I'd go to are Murata, Hakatamon, Obi (way underrated!) and Meiji-en.
On Holgate E of 82nd is Takahashi. Not great sushi, but good country comfort-food cooking.
Btw: Just got home from Japan, was with GF visiting her mom. Had some heavenly sushi. Favorite sushi times were with the local (Izu/Shizuoka) specialties eel & sakura ebi, a small shrimp the color of cherry blossoms, which also makes for the best tempura I've ever had. Went to the sushi museum in Shimeji for the educational & foodie experience.
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re: Leonardo
I posted this in another thread, but just a heads up:
Meiji-En may win the record for having, hands down, the worst service I’ve ever experienced. After securing a reservation, our party arrived and our drink orders were taken. We waited upwards of 30 minutes before having to ask for menus. After our orders were taken, we waited for over 2 hours for our food and only then was told that the kitchen needed to make another batch of rice. 30 minutes later, some, though not all of our order was delivered. At no point were we told that items would not be coming, orders were mixed up or combined with other members of our party’s order.
At the end of the evening, the restaurant had offered us nothing but free edamame. When we protested, they begrudgingly gave us a discount, though we had to insist on an itemize bill because most of us had been charged for items we didn’t receive.
The manager told us it’s our own fault that we didn’t get up and leave if we were unhappy.In regards to the food, it was so-so. I suspect that since they needed to make an emergency batch of rice, it was just too soon out of the cooker to make into rolls. All the rolls were falling apart, the rice wasn't sticky, and whatever they did to cool it down seemed to make it a little watery. All in all, not even worth the discounted price we had to pay.
It may be a great restaurant when everything is going fine, but they were horrible in a crisis. They were going to offer us nothing but free edemame until we complained and they made no effort to let us know about the delay for the first 2 hours. We watched as smaller parties and the sushi bar were seated, fed and left, all while we received nothing more than miso soup.
Oh! And the tea was very watered-down
Bad bad bad
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re: BoyBlue
I have been to Meiji-En at least 50 times and have never experienced anything like what was said above. Service is always top notch and personable. All waiters and waitresses that have served me there take great care with my meal.
As for the food, it's the best sushi I've ever had. Everything is incredibly fresh and prepared in a beautiful manner. I think their tea is perfect and their miso is wonderfully smooth and flavorful. My favorite Maki is the volcano roll. The owner buys Toro when it's good and it's amazing when they have it.
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There are two places I have always wanted to try, but (for reasons that are about to become clear) I never have. One is out on SE Holgate. . .somewhere east of 82nd? The other is down on SE 82nd. . . into Clackamas County? I have gotten raves about both but, because I am not often out in those neighborhoods thinking about dinner, I never went, even back when I thought I knew where they were. Anybody? (One or both names begins with an "H," I think.)
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Let's not forget the Koji restaurants. I've been to them all, but one stands out: the one on Barbur, next to the McDonalds near Capital Hill. The sushi is great, as are the combo dinners and noodle dishes. But the special rolls and appetizers are particularly good. Maybe it's the sushi chef there, but I have found the sushi to always be especially good and fresh at that particular location.
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If you are going for ambience and trend factor, Sinju in the Pearl is the place to be. We reserved a tatami room for a birthday, and the food and service was very nice. For the best "deal", Saburo's in Sellwood is the best place to be for the best spider roll-the soft shell crab is rich and meaty. Neither place is very authentic, but I enjoy going there.
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re: audreyskitchen.com
Yes, I love the tatami rooms at Sinju. It's not my favorite sushi (mostly because of the prices!), but it's perfect for certain occassions. We went there back in December with a group of friends and sat in a tatami room. Just minutes after being seated, the entire NW area lost power. The waitresses were really nice and brought us our drinks until they could figure out if the power was going to come back on. We ended up eating by candle light, which we loved.
I'm also a huge fan of Mio's, which a few people have already mentioned. If you go there, you have to try their Sonny Special #1... so good!! It's cooked salmon over rice, topped with a sweet honey sauce. Definitely worth a special trip!
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www.pearlinsider.com
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I would like everyone to ignore my recommendation of SushiLand on NW 10th.
It is fresh and clean and the service is good, the conveyor belt brings it to you nicely but unless you really enjoy mayonnaise in your sushi, I would skip it. Also, Tempura Fried Calamari should not be tougher than my winter boots.
So go to Murata..Thank you. -
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extramsg
Oct 21, 2006 07:49 AM
Easily Murata. It's the only place I've had items that I thought were on a par -- or even exceeded (the salmon) - what I had in Japan. Though Hakatamon has several things that aren't far behind and it's ridiculously inexpensive for the quality. And much of their non-sushi is very good as well and also ridiculously cheap.
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I really find the quality of the conveyor belt sushi joints to be inferior. I think Mio is very good. Our favorite location is in N. Portland - Greely and Killingsworth.
Hama Sushi in Hollywood is our local place with good quality sushi, though sometimes it takes a long time to arrive at our table.
Oh, I just remembered Maki, on Main St. in Tigard. Awesome menu, and great sushi! A little out of the way for us in NE, but definitely worth the trip.
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JillO
Oct 21, 2006 05:59 AM
Murata is the best quality sushi in town. Also, probably the most expensive, but it is really worth it. The amaebi is amazing, as is the hamachi. Heck, everything sushi rocks there. If you order the special dinner, it isn't too expensive ($15? $25? pp), but if you order nigiri, it can get to be over $30pp. Again, it's worth it.
Other places worth eating at are:
Hakatamon, the Japanese restaurant attached to Uwajimaya (in Beaverton). Good sushi, good value, and you get to browse 'waji after you eat! ;o)
The Takahashi (the one on SE Holgate near 104th) - they also have a tempura menu where you can order just what you want (like nigiri) which is really nice.
Mio is decent too (I've been to the one in Beaverton, tho, not the others).
I really like Obi (in old town, 3rd and Davis-ish) for eel and the Oregon Roll...but I have heard that they closed. Can anyone confirm that? They had (have?) the best eel I ever had.
I have also had a few good meals at Ichidai on SE Powell near 58th.
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If you're into the conveyor belt style sushi, then Sushiville on NW 23rd is a fun place. Kind of kitsch, with lots of options. If you're going for high quality fish and rolls, I love Mio Sushi on Johnson, also in NW Portland. Both are inexpensive, Mio's about a step up qualitywise, but Sushiville's cheaper and still good. Both are always packed, which is a great sign!
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