My guide to the culinary scene on Wickenden St. continues with a visit to Tokyo sushi. Sushi has reached a level of ubiquity in the US food scene that few probably thought possible several decades ago. Every mall and grocery chain has its own sushi these days. New rolls with names like “Philadelphia” and “Boston” are popping up all over. This has made it all the more important to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff. I am not advocating sushi snobbery. I just want to get my moneys worth and know that the food is clean. The mystique of sushi was greatly diminished when I started rolling my own. The great marketing scheme behind sushi that convinces so many people to pay inflated prices is that you need to be a 7th generation Itamae to comprehend the intricacies of cutting raw fish and getting it into a nori. I know better and I look for quality wasabi, fresh spicy pickled ginger, and top notch fish. Tokyo offers an admirable product despite lacking all three. The ambiance is straight up American Japanese schlock meets Frankie’s pizza palace. The waiter reeked of weed to the point of it being hilarious. If you are out on a date skip this spot. If you want good prices, generous cuts of fish, BYOB, and fast service drop on in. We had 2 salmon rolls, a yellow tail roll, a spicy tuna roll, a straight up tuna roll, veggie and shrimp tempura, and two sodas for 37 bucks pre tip. The wasabi was pre made and the ginger came out of a plastic tub for sure…but there is a place and price for snobbery and this ain’t one of them. Skip the sake and go with a sweet Riesling or a light beer like Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale.
