Mr. Sushi, Middletown, NY

Uni

I had a friend raving about Mr. Sushi for some time now and I finally decided to check it out and see for myself what Steve was talking about. I trust his taste in food, Scotch whiskey and cigars. 

I looked at the place from the outside and thought they had two things going against them, the name and the fact that they were located in a strip mall. Going inside you lose that strip mall feel and realize they did a nice job of decorating the place. They created a warm and inviting sushi bar without going over the top. As for the name, well it's not as hokey as something like New #1Sushi, or something like that. 

We looked over the menus and Teresa decided on chicken teriyaki instead of the chicken tempura. I'll get back to her dish at the end. I decided we should share an appetizer and that I'd get two loose pieces of sushi and a roll. 

Gyoza

We started with the chicken gyoza for an appetizer. There were six on the plate and they were quite tasty with a delicate flavor. 

Naruto Roll

I went with the Naruto roll for my main course. This is salmon, tuna and crab meat rolled in cucumber with an acidic sauce on it. It was good, but not something I want a whole plate of. This is something better shared when out with a group and ordering a whole bunch of different things. My own fault as what I know about sushi could fill a matchbook cover.

I decided to try two single sushi, the uni (sea urchin) and the red snapper. The red snapper was good, the uni was amazing. I know, Uni is an odd and acquired taste, but it was really good. I may go this route the next time and try some different items. 

The sushi and the gyoza were excellent. The chicken however was not. The first few pieces were very good, but the last were tough and rubbery, to the point of being inedible. We pointed this out to our waiter and he brought the manager, who in turn went to the kitchen and examined the chicken with the cooks. They agreed and the manager apologized profusely and comped the dish. In retrospect it could be that the one piece of chicken was over-marinated in an acidic liquid. This happens to shrimp in a lemon marinade and gives a similar consistency. 

The bottom line is how they handled it, and they did a good job of it. That impressed me. We will be going back as Steve was right. It is good.