Sushi Train “The Track”
January 11, 2010 8:55 am Commentary, Economy, Food, ListsAs stated in another post, Midori was the first, original, and best sushi bar in NH. But Midori is long gone, but many, oh so many, have come yo fill the gaps. Here are some with commentary:
Odd Fellow Building (Nashua): Home to a slew of in/out restaurants from 1991 to 1995.
You You (Nashua): Right by the Nashua Mall, this “fancy pants” place had more emo to it then worth relating now.
Dynamite (Hudson): A favorite of a friend, but decidedly “iffy” to me–more support for the “ugly get worse service” principle.
Kobe (Manchester): A short lived place with niddle of the road service and quality.
Taipei & Tokyo (Bedford, Portsmouth): Introduced by the worldly Rapsis family, T & T is another middle of the road restaurant with nice locations and plenty of parking.
Sakurabana (Portsmouth): Diana, a college friend, brought me to this place when visiting her. Very quaint location with heavy oriental decor.
Yuki (Manchester, Goffstown): Pricey and sterile, but quality nonetheless. Never had good mutual karma with them.
Moritomo (Concord): Replacing Week’s restauant, the Moritomo has staked claim when they were the only game in town. Small and yet thorough–their Simka Roll is heavan with tobiko.
Red Apple (Concord): Under many names at different times, they have a sushi buffet which I have veered away from due to health reasons. An acquaintance once commented about seeiing rats there—more like a reason to ditch a potential date. Both Moritomo and Green Apple went sushi about the same time.
Beijing & Tokyo (Concord): Around 2007 B & T set up shop in downtown Concord. Best described a blue collar sushi bar they showed some top rate customer service during the dark days of 2007. (Also delivery came with two guys not one, delivering).
Thousand Crane (Manchester/Nashua): When I went to work for Vision Title & Closing, LLC in 2003, I was thrilled beyond reason to find a Japanese restauant (Thousand Crane) across the street and Margaritas restaurant downstairs. For four years T-Crane was “the place”. Following the Midori-Moritomo line T-Crane became the next “sushi home” in conjunction with Sara (see below).
Sara (Goffstown): No longer with us, but introduced by the ubiquitous Rapsis family, this Korean-Japanese restaurant was on the way home and thus a “sushi home”. In addition to quality sushi at excellent price, the banchan (extras) were reminiscent of the Midori.
Chen Yang Li (Bedford, Nashua, Concord): Rated as one the best Chinese restaurants in NH, CYL has high standings for the Japanese side of the menu. Had a Christmas party very recently there, nothing but good things to dsy for James and his gang. Oh, pricey, muy pricey for tuxedo service. Also THE PLACE for Manchester area sushi when Manchester had their sushi ban.
Lee & Mt. Fuji(Peterborough): Now just a few years old, this stylish retro-industrial decored restauant overlooking the falls at the Boiler House puts out a breathtaking beautiful product–pricey and far afield–the place is not to be missed, at least once.
Ichiban(Concord): This national franchise moved in to the classic landmark “Cat in the Fiddle” restaurant. Like Tokyo Joe in Nashua and Shogun in Manchester, Ichiban does sushi. Its trade is in teppanyaki–the grill before your eyes technique. Whereas Moritomo has a modest four tables, Ichiban has dozens. Ichiban does have a quiet room without the song and dance of teppanyaki.
Ginger House (Antrim): A lament of living in Hillsborough has been the distance to sushi restauants. Ginger House opemed in November of 2009, not next door, but at the town next door. In many ways, Ginger House is the typical rural Chinese chop joint—yet it has sushi and sashimi—and a motivated, cheery staff, bubbling with enthussiasm. Ginger House has made the penetration to the deep rural and for that alone they get applause.