Best Sushi in/near Baltimore: Edo Sushi
Good Sushi Downtown Baltimore: Kawasaki
Good Sushi South of Baltimore: Sushi-King

I say

yuck. -- Aug. 18, 2002

Sushi is really good. I finally made an honest try at tasting it at a good sushi bar (higher quality rolls than what you find at New No Da Ji). I'm still parrtial to vegetarian rolls since I don't like fish. But I'm thinking that could change soon as I get a little more adventerous. -- Feb. 20, 2003

yum - May 22, 2003

Kathleen Ellis says:

From: "K. M. Ellis"
Date: Fri Feb 1, 2002 10:51 am
Subject: Re: baltwash-burning Re: speaking of Sushi...

On Fri, 1 Feb 2002, Victor Coffin wrote:

> Am assuming the 'sauce' soy?

Bear in mind, not all sushi is marinated. If you go to a sushi restraunt, sidle up to the bar and order some tuna nigiri, it's not gonna be marinated.

Mind you, though, as wise as the Maine folks are in the ways of fish, the Japanese have been dealing with fish for at _least_ that long. Sushi chefs know their fish. Salt water fish _only_ is served raw..you will never see raw catfish. A good sushi chef (certainly one with a business or reputation at stake) knows what to look for, knows their suppliers, and knows what to serve and what not to serve. Typical offerings at a sushi bar: salmon (from the ocean), tuna, yellowtail, red snapper, eel (cooked) crab (steamed) or crab stick (heavily processed stuff), various types of roe, squid, octopus. Not especially dangerous to eat if you know what you're doing. And I don't know where raw pork comes into this..(yechh) but raw pork is _not_ served in sushi bars.

This doesn't mean it's impossible to get a parasite or other infection. But if the fish is handled well, kept at all the right temperatures, and served fresh, you can have a delightful experience at a sushi bar.

Another interesting tidbit: Sushi does not mean "raw fish". Sushi is the marriage of vinegar and rice. Just cuz it says sushi doesn't mean there's any fish in it at all, really..some of the best sushi is totally vegetarian!

Also, you said earlier you weren't sure if raw fish is healthier than it is cooked..I don't think it is, especially. In fact, vegan resources will tell you that fish isn't really all that much healthier for you than any other animal product..it's still very fatty and does have cholesterol in it.

Bear in mind also: while the Asian diet does rely very heavily on fish, very rarely is it served raw. :) Not all those asian men are out hunting for nigiri.

If you're actually interested in this and not just going on for the purpose of pointing out how ig'nrant all us pretentious sissified city folk are, I'd love to introduce you to the wonderful world of sushi personally. It's great stuff..healthy, tastes good, makes you feel wonderfully satiated after eating it, and no more dangerous than a hamburger.

Really! My treat!

-K

Tracy Soltesz says:

From: Tracy Soltesz
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 11:08:52 -0500
Subject: Sushi entry

hey Suz, I wanted to add to your sushi entry:

As Kathleen pointed out, sushi has nothing to do with fish. The raw fish that is sometimes found in a sushi roll (maki) or nigiri sushi is called "sashimi". True sushi is nothing more than sticky rice (a special type of sweet rice is used), vinegar, and sesame oil (also what gives the rice its sweet flavor). Many suski rolls actually have cooked fish in them -- like California rolls, which are made from cooked crab meat.

I'm not sure what places you have been to, but I'd like to recommend my favorite: Niko Japanese Restaurant on Rt. 40 in Ellicott City (Normandy Shopping Center). I too was not a sushi fan until a friend of mine worked at Niko during our senior year. She helped me to figure out what I liked and what I didn't, and forced me to try things I never would have that I now love. I've been to a lot of the sushi places in Federal Hill, and none measure up to Niko. I still go there like once a week even though my friend isn't working there anymore.

sushi

written on August 18, 2002; modified on January 14, 2004.