Sushi Taro, 17th Street Corridor

Sushi Taro is always a favorite. Monkey and I went for Friday night dinner. (Nothing like 15 pounds of warm stickyrice in your belly to put you to sleep.) There is almost always a wait at ST, and almost always, you’re told “30-45 minutes.” I don’t think we’ve ever waited more than 15. Also, you can’t make reservations unless you make them a day or more in advance if you want private rooms… or if you want kaiseki. For those of you planning to visit on my birthday, be warned: kaiseki is a Japanese mega-feast and 50$ a plate; I have never had it, and I figure it will go well with the AWESOME happybirthday rendition that the sashimi ninjas behind the bar sing to you on your special day.

Rolls aren’t bad here, just not stupendous; Dragonfly in Gville has better. Sashimi is excellent though, and the real play is the chirashi bowl and complimentary miso. Though, if you want to be a piggy, best to get the chirashi and supplement by splitting either the BigRoll or the Rainbow roll with someone else. (These are awesome. Big roll is imitation crab, spinach, sweet fried egg and shiitakes and is, as its name implies, rather big.)

And who goes to sushi and gets Kirin? Shochikubai Nigori is a traditional, unfiltered sake. It’s smooth and a bit milky; a little sweet. It’s missing the harsh middletaste (as opposed to aftertaste) that most sakes have (the one that gives me a bit of a headache.)

Saddest of sad though, Sushi Taro is CLOSED on Sundays! An otherwise perfect end to a lazy weekend perfectly destroyed. Le sigh.

Of special note, ST is also good for people watching, and a good game is: “first date, blind date or awkward friendship?”