Sushi Ko



Tuna 5 Ways. The fatty tuna was like butter.

 Soon took me out for sushi at Sushi-Ko on Wisconsin Avenue for my birthday. Sushi-Ko has been around at least 30 years and is D.C.'s first sushi restaurants. Amazingly, Sushi-Ko remains one of the best sushi restaurants in the City.

Sushi, everyone loves it and yet so few people really know what true quality sushi tastes like. How else do you explain Safeway brand Sushi?


With Sushi, it is important to start with an understanding of the rice. You can serve the finest quality fish in the world and if the rice is not good, the final product is ruined. Rice is everything with Sushi!

So, how do you recognize good sushi rice?  Sushi rice is a very starchy rice that has a unique flavor. The rice when prepared properly offers a blend of the sour from the rice-wine vinegar and the sweetness of the sugar. After cooking, the rice is spread out to cool evenly with a wooden spoon in a special wooden sushi rice bowl. If it is done correctly, each kernel of rice will move around freely in your mouth. In other words, it will not stick together in a lumpy and starchy mess. It should perfectly complement the fish that is gently placed on top and not ever compete. If the rice is hard, crunchy or salty the sushi is going to blow.

The fish should be so fresh that there is no need to drown out the flavor with wasabi. Too much wasabi between the fish and the rice and there is something wrong with the fish. Or the Sushi Chef is a non. (Short for Non-Sushi Chef or often used, by me, to describe someone who can't. i.e., "non" as in non-skier.).

Finally, you want your selection of fish to be unique and exotic. If you just really like California Rolls or tuna, go to Safeway. At Sushi-Ko, their Fish Monger often finds exotic fish like Jack Fish, Big-Eye Tuna, Spotted Prawn, Abelone, California Sea Urchin and fresh Mackeral. You want the rolls to be fine dining experiences that show the creativity of the Chef without being a sideshow.

Quail Eggs on Flying Fish Row. Can you really go wrong combining eggs of different species? The creaminess of the quail egg combined with flavor of the ocean that bursts free from the flying fish row is just too good. The Crunchy Spicy Tuna Rolls were spectacular. I always say that a good measure of a sushi restaurant is whether they use the tuna that is getting old to make their spicy tuna. Sushi-Ko gets it and uses only the freshest Tuna to make all of their rolls. They understand that the spices should enhance the flavor of the fish not mask the use of rotting fish.

You want a good sushi restaurant to serve authentic Japanese dishes. Not Thai Food for God's sakes. We followed our seaweed salad with yellow tail tuna jaw grilled and served with Sea Salt and Japanese Radish. It was awesome. The dark meat by the fin is oily and loaded with fishy flavor. If you are open minded enough to try this dish you will be blown away by the flavor.








The Softshell Crab Tempura Roll is a sushi restaurant staple. But when it is served warm with a sweet sesame and spicy sauce it transcends the expected. If you have the time, order your sushi one dish at a time and really enjoy the flavor. Then think about what would be a perfect complement to what you just finished.

Bottom line, I love to eat and Sushi-Ko in my opinion is the absolute best around.

P.S., we followed up dinner at Bourbons with Dino and Farah. Thanks Soon for a perfect Birthday!

Tom