Oishi Sushi and Grill: Hope in Irvington

I hadn't lived in Indiana very long before I became used to restaurants in strip malls, or in this case, an old Ponderosa. But inside it's a different story.

Sushi lovers agree this town doesn't have any really, really exciting sushi options right now, so when a possibility comes along, they all start buzzing. After the fourth person had raved about Oishi and asked me if I'd been, it was time to check it out. Plus, pal and blog editor Bil Browning of The Bilerico Project and his amazing family love it. They wanted to show me their new favorite spot.

In Indiana, we've all become too used to lazy sushi. Sure, the fish might be fresh (there's just no excuse if it's not), but restaurants shortcut the rice or use the wrong kind. They sell only tuna, salmon, eel, fake Krab, and "crunch" rolls because customers don't want -- or won't eat -- anything else. When a real sushi fan comes along, chefs are mysteriously out of anything even vaguely interesting -- snapper, mackerel, yellow tail. But not Oishi. While I wouldn't call them the single best, I'd definitely say their fish selection alone bumps them into the top tier of sushi joints in the city today. Certainly, it's well above average.

At Oishi, our sushi feast included both saba and the Japanese saba with traditional and well executed rainbow and dragon rolls. (We skipped the interesting sounding but unfortunately-named "Afghanistan Roll" described as "erupting with spicy shrimp.") Fresh was the word with not only our sushi but the cooked dishes. Potstickers were cooked correctly (steamed, then pan fried) and again, very traditional, which translates to "not super-sized." The teriyaki dishes featured tender meat on crisp vegetables and the sukiyaki was hot, sweet, and loaded with thinly sliced beef, glass noodles, bamboo, shitaki mushrooms, and the most flavorful silken tofu I've had in a long time. (It was like a delicate flan, perfect in texture, sourced from their Japanese supplier.)

Go for the tatami rooms for groups of 5 or 6 (and leave your shoes at the door). The menu is about half cooked items and half sushi/sashimi, but if you like sushi and live on the east side, you finally have an option. Service isn't perfect, but much can be forgiven for the quality. And don't forget they're open for lunch.

These days, there's a mini-Renaissance happening in Irvington when it comes to restaurants including Jockamo's Pizza and Edibles of Irvington. You can add Oishi Sushi to the list. It's not blow-your-mind good, but it's good and a worthy addition to the neighborhood.

Find it just off Shadeland at 10th.

Question from a Reader: Paulie's

Hey, all you southside afficianados, a reader asks for help sleuthing down information on Paulie's. He writes:

A couple of years ago there was a restaurant on the southside, Paulies. It was at Southport and 37. They had the best Lasagna I have had in Indy. They closed up shop and my wife was wondering if anyone knew if the chef or anyone was making their food anywhere else.

Anyone have any information?

Wednesday Tidbits

Bravo Moves South: Bravo! Italian Kitchen is opening a Greenwood location (from Cory at Property Lines.) Word on the local scene is that few restaurants -- chains or otherwise -- are seeing the numbers they hoped from the south side. There may be some overall economic issues (many restaurants had a tough December), but Greenwood may be an exception to the "if you build it, they will come" rule, one on which many restaurant investors were relying. Recently, one local restaurateur considering an expansion spent a week sitting in seemingly popular Greenwood establishments tracking and counting customers throughout the day. He wasn't surprised by what he found: a boatload of popular chain restaurants half empty. "When you consistently walk into Chili's right in front of a mall and it's not full, there's a problem."

Additionally, look for 2008 to bring some shake-ups in the chain market in Indianapolis, especially on the northside. With a slow December, restaurant supply companies (the closest early indicators to failure) say big changes are coming. A record number of restaurants have fallen behind -- and without a December bump to pay bills, some won't make it into summer. At least one company says look for the big chains to start closing locations that aren't working -- and addressing the market saturation among diners in the Castleton area and 86th St. corridor. We'll always have new ones coming in, but look for less patience from parent companies for restaurants to prove themselves.

Cheffy Shuffle: Oh, the drama of small town restaurants. Kathy Jones, chef at Cobblestone Grill quit and has re-emerged as chef at Cafe de Paris, the new bistro on Carmel's Main Street. (The Dish reports she'll be doing African influenced food? Seems odd in a French Bistro, but whatever.) Oh, you Zionsville folks are snickering behind your glasses of merlot over all this, I know.

Fletchers of Atlanta: Life might not be over for this Indiana institution. Look for new ownership from inside the kitchen in the next few weeks. They're hoping to help Fletcher's return to the best of the past -- and they *might* even be able to pull off the relaunch by Valentine's Day. (Looks like the website URL has already been hijacked by poachers since they've been closed.)

Name This Cheese: Going Local's Victoria Wessler announces that Fons Smits at Trader's Point is just about ready to unveil his newest cheese, a *pasteurized* cow's milk cheese that he calls a cross between Gouda and Cheddar. (Fons is a man that knows his Cheddars if you've ever had Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk.) Fons has been calling this new cheese "Chouda" which he pronounces in his wonderful Dutch accent as "Chowda". He also says "Gow-da" where we'd say "Goo-da" so, my vote? Call it "Chowda" but spell it so everyone knows how to pronounce it! Wessler says they're looking for ideas for the new name through the end of the week. Post here and I'll send the email over to Fons. (Would rather not post his email here to avoid filling up his spam box.)

Women, Tell Men How You Feel -- about Dining: Scott Hutcheson, the Hungry Hoosier asks the question of women: How to you rate men based on how they choose restaurants? Take the survey via his blog.

Quiz Answer: Huitlacoche is corn smut. (Heh, "corn smut" -- must be Michael Pollan's version of food porn.) It's actually a fungus that attacks corn in damp conditions and enlarging the kernels and turning them grey. Popular in some southwestern cuisine. In the late 89s, the James Beard Foundation even led a charge to change the name to "Mexican truffles."