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    Time Out Chicago / Issue 177 : Jul 17–23, 2008
    Restaurant review

    Inari Sushi

    Head west, young man, for surprisingly good sushi.

    By Heather Shouse

    7428 W North Ave, Elmwood Park (708-583-2300). Bus: 72, 90, Pace 307, Pace 318. Dinner. Average nigiri: $2.75.

    Photo: Martha Williams

    Okay, I’ll admit it. I had my doubts that new Elmwood Park sushi joint Inari would offer much to write home about. The busy stretch of North Avenue it’s tucked into is mind-numbingly adorable for a Sunday supper with the kids, but to be honest, the surrounding food (aside from Italian beef at Johnnie’s and decent gelato at Massa) is the definition of mediocre.

    And let’s move beyond the crowd (glittery bebe tops, Jersey hair and deep tans) to the real deal: Inari offers creative and tasty food at good prices. Straightforward sushi isn’t top-tier, but it’s definitely fresh, firm-fleshed and arrives in generous-sized cuts. But the real gems are found in original dishes such as steamed Manila clams swimming in soy-spiked broth with bits of bok choy and rice at the bottom of the bowl to soak up every last drop. Just as good is the togarashi -dusted crispy calamari with addictive honey-wasabi sauce and the thinly sliced red snapper drizzled with ponzu and topped with radish, fresh lemon and red grapes. Maki fans should keep things interesting with the Oni-Moriwase, a salmon tartare roll done four ways: wrapped in cucumber with sweet shrimp and mango; wrapped in daikon with octopus and a sort of pico de gallo; combined with spicy tuna in soy paper and topped with tempura; and with spicy scallop balanced by sweet unagi sauce. Just one of those four options would likely induce eye-rolling from the sushi-snob city slickers, but take a cue from the Vegas-ish crowd—what happens in Elmwood Park stays in Elmwood Park.




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    • 26201 David Mon, Jul 28, at 08:19pm
      Philip makes a great point. I'm sure the writer meant nothing by it, but when taking about the article, the racial undertones are apparent.

      Flag as inappropriate


    • 23011 Philip Thu, Jul 17, at 10:06pm
      This comment is in regards to the writer of this article. When making racial undertones such as jersey hair and deep tans, you should take into consideration that if you were to make these ignorant and irrelevant comments about other races, you may not have a job by tomorrow. Just imagine if you did an article about a restaraunt that catered to clients with afros and saggy pants. You would be on channel 2,5 7, and 9 news that same night. So when commenting , leave your stereotypes at home.

      Flag as inappropriate




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