Taste of Sarcasm: Downtown Sushi

January 1, 2017

By Denise DePaolo

Images by Elizabeth Lucille Photography

I’ll admit it. Watertown is not where I expected to find a quality sushi place. As my mom’s hometown, I spent a lot of time here as a kid, and grew used to patty melts and chicken dinners and five-ingredient salad bars. So when a couple of locals told us they ate at Downtown Sushi at least once a week, I knew we had to check it out.

Located on Broadway, this unassuming storefront gives nothing away. The interior was clearly decorated with care with warmly colored paint and tile flooring book-ending the brightly-lit, sterile white painted sushi bar. Various pieces of Japanese decor adorn the walls, with one token television set visible, yet completely unobtrusive far up on a wall.

We sat in a booth near the front of the restaurant by our server, who we later learned was an owner. She took our drink order while we looked over the menu. It was full of fairly standard rolls and some fun ones. We decided to try a big variety of simple rolls by each ordering the Lunch Rolls Special, and going for the choose three option. I loved that we were able to choose from a list of 24 rolls. It made choosing a little difficult, but if I was a regular, it would keep things interesting for sure.

Because it took a few minutes for us to decide on our rolls, we asked if they had edamame. Our server said it wasn’t on the menu, but they had it. She brought the edamame out with miso soup and salad. It was a wet, chilly day that threatened snow, so the slightly salty, deeply flavored soup with seaweed and tofu really hit the spot. The salad was as simple as you can get – fresh, crisp iceberg lettuce, a bit of shredded carrot, and bright orange ginger dressing. Although these items are mainstays in most Japanese restaurants, I will never get sick of them. When done correctly, these simple recipes are extremely satisfying.

As we arrived immediately when the restaurant opened, our sushi order was the first one in, and therefore took very little time to prepare. Within 15 minutes, we found ourselves staring at two long platters full of rice neatly wound around various fish and other colorful bits of vegetables, fruits and legumes.