Even if it mostly isn’t cooked, sushi is hot right now. New sushi spots are springing up in the city and suburbs; names such as uni, ebi and edamame are creeping into everyday conversations.
If there’s a downside to this sushi explosion, it’s that sushi parlors are opening faster than I can review them. As a way of catching up, here’s a look at three recently opened sushi restaurants:
Bob San
The name means “Mr. Bob,” and is a reference to owner Jainn-Wen Bee, who also owns Naniwa in River North and who answers to Bob because it’s easier for his customers to pronounce.
Bee’s newest restaurant is in the burgeoning Division Street restaurant corridor in Wicker Park, an area that already has a pretty spiffy sushi specialist in Mirai (which I reviewed in March). Bob San cannot match Mirai in ambition or variety, at least not yet, but the newcomer certainly has its charms.
Its location, alongside the venerable Leo’s Lunchroom, has a distinct urban look, with tall walls ending at exposed rafters and stainless-steel accents adding industrial notes. In the dining room, wood-topped tables are small and unadorned except for some tiny oil candles; overhead lights are romantically dim. Dance-beat music plays non-stop, but the volume is muted; conversing is easy. While the sushi bar is brightly lit and quite comfortable, it is too close to the regular bar, where smoking is permitted; smoke infiltration is an occasional annoyance.
The Bob San menu, similar but not identical to that of Naniwa, is long and thorough, with a substantial list of “light entrees” (really appetizers) that include some cooked dishes. Highlights here include gyoza, light pan-fried dumplings filled with shrimp paste; the filling has a pleasing taste of the sea that is gently modulated by a soy-vinegar sauce underneath. Cold octopus salad is a pretty thing, with thindisks of octopus ringing a pile of tentacles.
Sushi and sashimi may be ordered as single pieces or larger groupings; the special handrolls are particularly massive. Quality is uniformly excellent throughout the offerings, but I particularly like the Mother and Child, a clever combination of sashimi salmon paired with salmon caviar, served on thin-sliced cucumbers, and the hamachi sashimi, topped with micro-thin slices of jalapeno (seeded, so there’s just a hint of heat in the combination). Ebi (shrimp) are served with a handful of tempura-fried shrimp heads, which may be munched in the manner of softshell crab (though some may prefer a tentative nibble around the edges). Uni (sea urchin) was a trifle disappointing, more fishy in flavor than the sweet earthiness I look for.
Massive handrolls are fun, whether it’s the signature Bob San (smoked salmon, fish eggs, radish sprouts and mayonnaise) or the outstanding salmon-skin handroll; I ordered the latter at the sushi bar, and the chef took me at my word when I indicated a tolerance for heat. What I got was a beautiful handroll that, as a bonus, cleared my sinuses.
Servers present hot towels before the meal, a plus; paper napkins and u-break-em chopsticks are minuses.
The beverage list offers a nice variety of hot and cold sakes; purists may prefer the cold, but there’s something awfully comforting about a hot sake on a cold winter night. The wine list shows a little thought, filled with medium- to light-bodied whites that work well with the food, along with a handful of oakier chardonnays. Most bottles are priced under $30.
Late-night sushi fans will rejoice in Bob San’s hours; the kitchen doesn’t close until midnight during the week, and not until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays (last call is 11 p.m. Sundays).
Bob San, 1805 W. Division St. Open for dinner Mon.-Sun. 773-235-8888. (star)(star)
Maki Sushi
The historic Pickwick Theatre building in downtown Park Ridge is home to one of the newest sushi restaurants around, run by two of the newest restaurateurs around.
Owners Daniel J. Cummins and Sean, his twin brother, don’t have a restaurant background nor a great deal of experience with sushi. But they have surrounded themselves with capable chefs and well-trained servers, and the brothers Cummins are passionate hosts, visiting tables and chatting up customers with genuine friendliness.
The wide open dining room is dominated by a huge, U-shaped sushi bar in the center; to either side are curved-edge wood tables, each set with linen napkins whose folds contain a pair of elegant lacquered chopsticks (which are available for purchase).
Start with a dish of edamame, the boiled and salted soybeans that make an addictive snack, while perusing the menu for more substantial fare. There’s a nice assortment of individual nigiri sushi and maki rolls, and more than a half-dozen cooked entrees.
Or you can opt for various sushi assortments, including the Chef’s Choice platters, available in sashimi or maki presentations. Either way, you get a good assortment, though the kitchen should be a little more creative with its choices. A chef’s choice maki assortment probably doesn’t need to include tempura shrimp or California roll, and certainly shouldn’t include both.
The Park Ridge maki is a pleasant item, including tempura shrimp, fish roe, green onion, ginger and a dab of mayonnaise, and the offbeat Peachy maki (a deep-fried roll containing eel, smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado) is surprisingly good. Best of the bunch is the rainbow maki, a colorful presentation with alternating pieces of salmon, tuna and yellowtail.
There are a few Western-style desserts on the menu, including a Japanese-cherry tart with fresh berries, and a mandarin-orange pudding cake. Another Western touch is Maki Sushi’s downstairs lounge space, which boasts a walk-in wine cellarthat includes some 40 sushi-friendly wines.
Maki Sushi, 12 S. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge. Open for dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Sat. 847-318-1920. (star)(star)
Sushi Doraku
Call this concept McSushi. Sushi Doraku, an offspring of the Benihana chain, aims to combine high-quality sushi with moderate prices and quick service. And in its Chicago store, the third location for this fledgling enterprise, this mission mostly succeeds.
Seating is decidedly informal, along a laminate-topped counter that meanders throughout the dining room. Running the length of the counter is a conveyor belt, along which ride a series of sushi dishes, set on plates whose color corresponds to its price (everything from $2 to $4). That’s one way to order food — just grab any passing dish that catches your eye. The other way is to flag down a waiter (each table has a wooden “attention getter” with green and red sides; red-side up means you need assistance) and order from the menu, which includes all the revolving-plate dishes plus a dozen or so specialty rolls; soup, salad and noodle dishes; and “side orders” that include anything from grilled vegetables to teriyaki chicken (most dishes are $4 to $6).
There are a couple of specials at lunch. The lunch boat is a sashimi and tempura assortment with salad and steamed rice; the sushi boat includes two maki rolls (California and spicy tuna) and a nigiri assortment. Both are essentially complete lunches and are under $10. Dinner is strictly an a la carte experience, though management says the restaurant will add some evening combination plates in the near future.
For now, content yourself with prettily presented dishes such as the Caterpillar roll, which actually looks like a caterpillar with its sliced-avocado exterior, or the spicy tuna, which predictably isn’t terribly spicy.
Among the cooked dishes, grilled vegetables are a safe choice, and the fried chicken liver, served in tiny crisped pieces, isn’t bad at all. Tempura scallops are nicely done.
Table appointments are sparse, but you never have to ask for extra soy, ginger, wasabi, napkins or even chopsticks; they’re all sitting in individual bins within arm’s reach. Servers are not the folks to ask about the fine points of sushi/sashimi — sit near one of the sushi chefs for that — but they’re fast and friendly. And there’s full wine and liquor service available.
Sushi Doraku makes lunch and dinner deliveries; there is a $10 minimum.
Sushi Doraku, 1139 N. State St. Open dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun. 312-867-7772.(star)
