Ki Sushi To Go

A friend of mine who lives in Manhattan has been spending a lot of time recently in Brooklyn, and told me I should check out Ki Sushi (122 Smith St., between Dean & Pacific Streets, 718-935-0575). So after a long day of work, when I wasn't feeling much like cooking, I ordered delivery.

I got a Garden Salad to make sure I got some greens. There was some iceberg, some mixed baby greens, and a few grape tomatoes - all of it fresh, plus the citrus, ginger dressing was great. Tangy, zesty and light.



I chose three rolls as well. The Yellowtail with Scallion and the Lobster Tempura Roll are pictured below. The yellowtail was flavorful and fresh albeit small, but the Lobster Tempura tasted very much like a Soft Shell Crab Roll, so that was a bit disappointing. It was also wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber which was nice, but took away from the subtle lobster taste with it's distinct flavor and papery texture.



I also ordered an Angel Roll - seared tuna & asparagus inside, topped with salmon, avocado, eel & tobiko. The pieces of eel were a bit chewy, but the rest was incredible. Fresh, tasty and packed with fish and crunchy asparagus.



Ki Sushi was good, but a bit on the pricey side. My guess is that it's better for a dining in experience, and if you just want take-out, another spot would suffice and be easier on the wallet.

Dinner at Hibino

A cousin of mine was in town from Austin and since she studies Japanese, we thought it'd be fun to go to Hibino, (333 Henry St., on the corner of Pacific St., 718-260-8052), an authentic Japanese restaurant that offers more than just sushi to sate your appetite. It's a simply decorated, clean and open space, and we were seated in the back, near a window.

There is a large menu with appetizers, salads, entrees and Daily Obanzi, Japanese-style tapas. We ordered a mix of everything, with mixed results. I started with the Kamo Salad with duck, mizuna, daikon and carrot in a shiso dressing. The pieces of duck were plentiful, the dressing was tangy and sweet and everything was crispy & fresh.



I also got the Hirousu, a soy broth simmered fried tofu cake, which is handmade there on the premises. It was interesting; kind of dry, with an even consistency. It tasted slightly sweet, but overall was kind of bland. It made a nice reprieve from the more strongly flavored items, but it wouldn't be good as the only thing you ordered. Maybe the fresh homemade tofu is better?



I also got a side order of Tsuke Mono, Japanese pickles, an assortment of pickled veggies, some of which were delicious, some were a bit too funky for me. Not sure what everything was though.



There were two orders of the Yaki Nasu, the roasted eggplant from the Obanzi menu, which was not a hit at the table. It too was a bit bland, and had a chewy consistency. Maybe it's an acquired taste?



The Edamame was perfect - tender, well-salted little pods of green that burst in your mouth.



There was an order of Hibino Teriyaki Chicken which was great - light, tender and mixed with organic Spring vegetables.



The Salmon Miso Zuke was terrific as well. The fish was cooked to perfection, the sauce was lightly sweet and savory and the vegetables weren't overcooked one bit.



Another item from the Obanzi menu were these Daikon nugget things. Breaded and fried, they were just a bit too hard for me. My BF loved them however; another acquired taste!



We did get some sushi too. The Salmon Salad Roll and an Avocado Roll. The sushi was some of the best I've ever had. Fresh, soft, flavorful - all the ingredients popped, instead of getting lost among the mix.



I will definitely go back to Hibino for more of their sushi; it's clear that they take pride in what they're doing and pay close attention to the details.

Sushi to go from Kotobuki Bistro

So, Koto Sushi is my go-to place, but in an effort to try new places and expand my repertoire, I called up Kotobuki Bistro (192 Columbia Street at Degraw St., 718-246-7980) recently to place an order. I know people who travel from Clinton Hill to eat here (and they do have a nice little garden in the back for dining during the warmer months), so I had high hopes for our meal.

We started out with an order of Steamed Edamame, a nicely sized portion of gorgeously bright green beans, perfectly steamed, slightly salted, crunchy and tasty.



I also ordered the Spider Maki which is one of my most favorite rolls ever. I have to say that Kotobuki's spider roll was fresh and tasted just like the soft shell crab it was made out of. No gloopy mayo dressing smothering the meat, just big pieces of crab rolled up with cucumber, lettuce, and smelt roe. This was quite delicious.



In addition to that I got an order of the Rock'n'Roll with crab meat, salmon skin, avocado & crunch and an order of Spicy Tuna Crunch with tuna, scallion, smelt roe, spicy sauce and asparagus. The Rock'n'Roll was great, with crunchy salmon skin rolled up in moist rice, but the Spicy Tuna was awesome. An initial & quick burning sensation fades away so you can savor the flavor of the fish, which is also fresh and tasty.



I was a little disappointed though, as our Maki came with only six pieces instead of the eight I'm now used to, for the same or a higher price. They also use the dyed pickled ginger which I swear tastes different to me than the naturally colored version. It's a nice place to go to eat out back, but I think I'll stick with Koto for my sushi take-out fix.

Sushi To Go from Koto Sushi #2

The Junior League of Brooklyn is holding a fundraiser for C.H.I.P.S. (a soup kitchen and pantry in park Slope) next Thursday, April 30th at the terrific Franklin Park. There will be happy hour drink specials and complimentary tapas and cupcakes. Admission is free with one can of food. What a wonderful way to support the community!


I've written about Koto Sushi (552 Henry St., at Carroll St., 718-222-8055) before, as it's my go-to place for sushi in Carroll Gardens (they also have an amazing website which you should check out!). This time I decided to try something different and opted for the Nigiri Sushi Deluxe. You get ten pieces of sushi and one Spicy Tuna roll, along with soup or salad for $20. The quality and presentation of the fish at Koto is really good, everything tastes fresh, and the different types of fish have their own distinct flavor. The sliced pickled ginger is also really good, and sans dye which is just totally unneccesary.



So, with this Combination Meal you get some pieces of Salmon (both regular and King), a few pieces of tuna (regular and white), one shrimp, and a couple of Mackeral and Yellowtail. I loved it all. The rice is nicely cooked and moist, the fish was all tender and tasty and clean, and there was a variety. The Spicy Tuna Maki was also good, and very spicy, mixed with plenty of wasabi and sprinkled with sesame seeds on the outside.

The Miso soup is delicious as well, with loads of chunks of soft tofu and slices of scallion, perfect if you've got a cold or are just in need of something to warm you up. I wholeheartedly recommend Koto for their sushi. They also offer steak, but I haven't tried that yet.

Sushi from Koto Sushi

I tried to go to the elusive, near-impossible-to-get-into Lucali Pizza recently, and while they weren't too crowded, they were closed for vacation! I swear, I'm not meant to go there. So with a simple switching of gears, we went to Koto Sushi (see post from July for more info), and had ourselves a lovely little dinner.

We started with the Sunomono Appetizer which was an assortment of fish in a vinaigrette sauce. It was mostly octopus, which had an interesting texture; kinda chewy, but in a meaty, not rubbery way. There was also some crab, one piece of shrimp and some seaweed salad - tasty, but not great, and since there are other, more terrific appetizer options (think Ponzu sauce), I think this was the last Sunomono at Koto I'll have.



I've begun to order from the list of Special Sushi of the day. I'm not sure if this makes me a sucker, but I find that the fish I've had off of this menu has been so incredibly fresh and amazing, I'm going to keep getting it. Below is a photograph of the Sea Eel (from saltwater, vs. Unagi, which is freshwater eel), and the Aji Mackeral. Let me just say now that photographing raw fish in a dark restaurant is not the easiest task, with the result being less appetizing looking than the actual meal.




The Sea Eel was amazing. So tender and flavorful, and very different from Unagi. It actually was a little bit saltier. Our waitress made sure that we didn't put soy sauce on these pieces, as they had they own special sauce. The Aji was great too. I prefer mine with a little fresh squeezed lemon, but again, these pieces were fresh, flavorful and tender.

We also ordered two Maki rolls, the "Out of Control Roll" and a special Yellowtail Roll.



The Out of Control Roll was made of too many items (tuna, yellowtail, spicy tuna, siso, avocado), each one's flavor got lost amidst the others. It was also HUGE, and therefore difficult to eat. The Yellowtail Roll was great though, with crunchy asparagus and avocado inside, seared yellowtail on top, and I would definitely get it again.

The other great thing about Koto is that they use pickled ginger that has not been dyed, and has a terrific flavor that does not overpower. 'm often found eating that when all the Maki are gone.

Sushi To Go

Koto Sushi, at 552 Henry Street on the corner of Carroll Street (www.kotosushi.com, (718) 222-8055) on the corner of Henry St. and Carroll St., is my new favorite Sushi restaurant. At first I thought it was a weird location for a sushi place, being in the heart of still-old-Italian Carroll Gardens, but it won me over. For the first few weeks they were giving away Sake to celebrate their opening and getting their liquor license. What's not to love?

The food was great, and came super-fast, too. Fresh, tasty and beautifully presented. Spicy Yellowtail Maki, soft-shell crab Dragon Rolls, and appetizers that were creative, yet balanced, such as the Seared Tuna with Ponzu Sauce. They have special fish listed daily as well. We've tried the special Tuna and Agi (which is a kind of Mackeral) and both were amazing. The special Giant Clam was not my thing, tasting really salty and fishy.

They also prepare steak at Koto, but I haven't tried that. I'm trying to stick to my sort-of New Year's Resolution to eat only well-raised, grass-fed, organic meat, and I don't think the steak at Koto is.

I'll soon create a list of restaurants in Brooklyn that do serve well-raised and local meat, so be on the lookout!