On the State of Sushi in the Village

Dear Blog,

When my better half and I first moved to Roslindale from JP, one of the big draws was Village Sushi & Grill, the little sister of JP Seafood Cafe. It has been a great comfort to have such high-quality sushi close to home. This summer, much to my consternation, a little sign appeared on the door saying they were closing temporarily. I assumed they were doing some redecoration, but close to two months passed before they reopened.

When they did reopen, I started hearing scuttlebutt that the restaurant had changed hands. My heart sank. Village Sushi was an early Roslindale adapter and always seemed to be doing well; the seats were generally filled on weekends and there was almost always a good deal of business, including take-out, on week nights. Why, why would they forsake us? I, of course, immediately blamed The Nefarious Land Lord (see On Emptiness). Sure my only proof is his ownership of the storefront, but that does seem to be enough.

Then I started hearing mixed reviews. I went into a neighborhood sushi funk, eating only outside, sure bet sushi. I wanted desperately to know that everything was OK, that there was still good sushi in Roslindale, but at the same time I was too petrified at the prospect of learning the opposite to cross the threshold and taste for myself. Finally, earlier this month, a friend from Needham, who didn't know anything about my neighborhood sushi woes left a voice mail saying she was going to be in the area that evening and we should meet a Village Sushi.

The perfect excuse. I told her that the place had changed hands, but she was resolute. The better half and I decided to take plunge. It was a weeknight, and when we walked in at about 6:30 there were three or four tables full. Our friend was already there with her young one, and had ordered a kappa maki, which came shortly after we sat down, to keep him busy.

After spending some time with the menu, which has been reorganized, we decided to concentrated on comfort foods. For appetizers we had vegetable keroke and steamed edamame. It's hard to go wrong with these. Both arrived at the table hot and in short order. The keroke was nicely fried and the edamame was crisp and well salted. We were off to a satisfying start. Between the three of us we then ordered a California hand roll, avo kyu maki, ikura nigiri, sake nigiri, toro nigiri, and hotate nigiri. Everything was well made and very tasty. In fact, the knife work on the fish was quite fine. The nigiri slices were longer, thiner, and more highly biased than I'd seen previously at this restaurant.

The menu is much the same, with some additions and some subtractions. On the new side there is a giant surf clam negiri (seasonal) and a line up of new house maki, including caterpillar, scorpion, and flamingo. However, the Korean fish cake appetizer, which was the first thing I ever ordered at JP Seafood, and the Yosenabe, a winter-time favorite, are no longer with us. Kimchee is no longer listed as a "salad," but I can only assume, since the bibimbop and other Korean dishes are still on the menu, that it is still with us upon request.

Needless to say, it is with much relief that I report that the state of sushi in the Village is strong. Our beloved neighborhood sushi restaurant is much the same and perhaps even in some ways improved. As the temperatures start to turn cool, the better half and I look forward to trying anew some of stir fry and noodle dishes.

That's all for now, Blog.

On Mussels

Dear Blog,

Mussels are are a favorite food of this Rambler. They're a delicious, guilt-free gift from the ocean. Wild, they're numerous and in no danger of becoming over-fished. Farmed, they're extremely unlikely to cross breed with their wild cousins. Plus, as siphons, in the wild and farmed, they're nature's little water filters, actually cleaning their surrounds. What's not to love?

Yet somehow I had neglected to try the mussels at Sophia's Grotto. I rectified this recently at dinner with my better half, my mother-in-law, and her gentleman friend. It was a warm night, so we sat out on the patio. The courtyard is truly lovely, especially at this time of the year. How unfortunate that he-who-will-not-be-named has a stranglehold on the property and seems content to let half of the patio-facing shop fronts lie fallow. But I digress (see On Emptiness).

It was a lovely evening, and I decided to try the Spicy Mussels. Sophia's mussels are steamed in a tomato fennel stew with chorizo and poured over a base of soft polenta. The mussels are of medium size and steamed just to the point of opening. Peaking out of the blackish-blue shells the meats are revealed as perfect, tender, orange pillows. In addition to the chorizo, itself packed with spicy, smoked paprika, I think the broth has some saffron. Together with the tomatoes these ingredients create an orange-red broth, finished with a splash of olive oil for shimmer. The smooth polenta adds just the right balance to this dish, and a few toast points ensure that you get every last drop of the precious liquor.

Prefaced by an arugula salad and together with a Stella Artois, these mussels made a perfect meal on a warm, Roslindale evening.

That's all for now, Blog.