Boston Area

Tips for Dining, Eating, and Food Shopping in Boston (and suburbs)

1. The options are:
   Cafe Sushi
   Shilla
   Takemura

   I'd probably walk or T down to the Porter Exchange mall for Blue Fin, if I were you.

   Permalink | Reply

   gini Dec 27, 2007 10:06AM

   1. re: gini

      Gini - what is wrong with that picture?! You would think that Harvard would have great sushi! But it doesn't - really no place in Cambridge or Somerville does, which I don't get. Never been to the places you listed, but I was always under the same impression.

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      Bob Dobalina Dec 27, 2007 11:02AM

      1. re: Bob Dobalina

         And that's so strange 'cause Harvard's such a great place to eat and all. I mean, we had 57 posts about it last week.

         Can the OP get up to Arlington for some Toroya action? I like their chirashi plate.

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         gini Dec 27, 2007 11:20AM

         1. re: gini

            lol...right.
            But pound for pound, there are many many places in Brookline that pretty much beat the pants off the Cambridge-side places. I have no idea why there isn't better balance.

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            Bob Dobalina Dec 27, 2007 11:44AM

            1. re: Bob Dobalina

               bluefin is always good. I'm trying to make my night easier ;0

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               trev80 Dec 27, 2007 12:42PM
   2. re: gini

      fwiw, I think Takemura is much better than the other two, but that's more because the other two are exceptionally bad than because Takemura is particularly good. Takemura isn't a contender for Boston's best sushi but it does deliver an acceptable meal; in contrast, you'd do better at Star Market's sushi bar than at Cafe Sushi or Shilla.

      Koreana just outside Central Sq is not too far afield and isn't bad, but I think Takemura is better.

      I've had enough memorably disappointing sushi (pretty far from fresh) at Blue Fin that I avoid it now, but I know I'm in the minority.

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      grg Dec 27, 2007 07:46PM

      1. re: grg

         Blue Fin can be inconsistent. When they're off, it's pretty gross (old fish and all), but in our experience it's about 80% excellent, 10% fair, and 10% bad. We haven't had a bad meal there recently, though, so maybe they're getting more consistent.

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         DavisSquare Dec 28, 2007 06:35AM

         1. re: DavisSquare

            Had dinner with a friend at Blue Fin tonight. Takoyaki (octopus balls) for her to start and Ohitashi (boiled spinach wrapped in cabbage rolls with sesame sauce) and then she had the sashimi set and I had chirashi for dinner. The fish in both of our sets was very fresh and had a good texture. Portions are generous. The chirashi is $16, $6 more than Kotobiyaki down the hall, and the difference is marked - better fish, a nicer flavor to the rice, and more interesting vegetables and fish.

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            gini Dec 30, 2007 06:38PM
         2. re: DavisSquare

            we gave bluefin another shot yesterday, and probably hit an 80% night. the squid and scallop were very good, the clam and tuna were a little sub-par. the maki & nigiri assembly was unimpressive (I know, now I'm getting more picky than I have the right to expect) - soggy nori, loose sushi. but none of the fish was old and gross, so it was at least better than my accumulated traumatic memory. :)

            blue fin's portions were smaller and cheaper than takemura. even within this one meal I feel like takemura is more consistent; blue fin's scallop and squid were quite good and better than what takemura usually serves, but the rest of it wasn't quite as good as takemura. overall they're both decent meals and I'll have to do some more comparisons to call it anything other than a tie.

            honestly just curious: have the hounds who recommend blue fin in this thread also tried takemura and found it to be clearly inferior to blue fin?

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            grg Jan 05, 2008 03:31PM

2. Bluefin in Porter would be my preference. Farther north in Arlington, I'd recommend Toraya or Mifune--the upside is that parking around there is pretty easy!

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   Bluebell Dec 30, 2007 07:42PM

3. I had dinner last night at Blue Fin which I've been eating at consistantly for 10 years now.
   The tempura was good as always, but everything else tasted old! The seaweed salad tasted as if it had been sitting in the fridge for a week, the sushi (mostly rolls were mushy and so overly sauced)
   The eel was drenched in sauce, the spice tuna was totally disintigrating and the salmon skin rolls were so fishy that they were inedible. I thought maybe they changed owner, sushi chef or even suppliers.
   Does anyone know or has anyone else noticed? I like Hana Sushi further up Mass Ave. but it is much more expensive. I am sad to see my old standby take such a sharp decline in quality. Even the little sushi bar in the mall near Blue Fin would have been better!

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   holldoll Jan 08, 2008 07:09AM

   1. re: holldoll

      We've had this experience too; see my comment above and then go back in a little while and 80% chance things will be just fine as usual.

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      DavisSquare Jan 08, 2008 07:39AM