Sushi in Greater Utica, New York

I knew there would be sacrifices involved in moving from Salt Lake City to a small town in upstate New York, but there are some things I hadn't realized I would miss so profoundly. Access to a wide variety of ethnic and good vegetarian restaurants has been the hardest thing. One of the things I miss more than anything is sushi.

Luckily, though, I've discovered some sources here. Let's start with the not-so-great, and just get it out of the way. Mitsuba, has a lot of pluses going for it - disappointingly though, delicious, fabulous sushi is not among them. It's in a convenient location-in a strip mall close to the largest and most popular movie theatre in the area. It's a lovely place-contemporary Asian urban-style décor. There are tables and well as sushi bar-seating.

At Mitsuba, the presentation of food is attractive and pleasing, and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, answering all questions we had about the items on the menu with detailed information. So-it is a great place to go if you know nothing about sushi and may be afraid to ask. There's also a huge menu, with some very creative sushi offerings.

However, the food was underwhelming. We started with an appetizer, 'Age Dashi Tofu', with a ginger sauce. This is a common offering--fried tofu, and is so simple it is usually a safe bet anywhere. Unfortunately, this was made from a silken tofu, which did not hold up well in a fried state.

The sauce it was served with had a strange, flat, beefy taste. I ended up eating it with only a bit of salt sprinkled on, because the soy sauce available on the tables was odd with a flat, almost metallic taste-I believe it was a low sodium version.

My husband ordered teriyaki salmon, which was a very generous portion, well-cooked, and delicious. My son and I ordered sushi-he had two orders of avocado rolls, and I got tuna rolls. I ended up scraping the minced and whipped raw tuna off the top of my rolls-it looked and tasted a bit like what I imagine cat food would. I can't complain about the rolls themselves-neither the tuna nor the avocado. But, they were fairly unremarkable altogether. Overall: Overpriced and a definite Miss.

In downtown Utica, there's a little Asian place called Geisha II. It's nice inside-comfy, clean, casual. The waitress was just excellent-wrote nothing down, and got everything perfect. Again, we ordered the fried tofu. It was good, with a great dipping sauce to boot.

We all ordered sushi, and it was nicely served family-style, on a large platter. My only negative remarks are that it took quite a lot of time for the sushi to be served (but, slow food is good food, right?) and the rolls were not as cold as I prefer them. But, everything was tasty and very inexpensive. Overall: Comfortable, affordable-Hit!

I've saved the best for last, and it's somewhat ironic. I never thought I would be recommending a grocery store for best sushi-but Utica is not exactly known for its plethora of Asian fare, let alone sushi options. So, here you have it-the hands-down best sushi I have found in the area: The Hannaford's on Commercial Drive. It has everything going for it, sans the restaurant atmosphere of course. But-there are café tables right there in the deli area.

Why is it so good? It's made fresh daily, on the premises, by a super-friendly, experienced sushi chef. He's even made it to order (avocado rolls) for my son. The case is large, well-stocked, with a good selection of different types of sushi, including brown rice and regular vegetable rolls, tuna and salmon, eel, dragon rolls, inari, and even seaweed salads.

There are generous portions of both ginger and wasabi, and soy sauce is included in each tray. Chopsticks are also available. One of the best things about it is the price-only between $4 and $7, for about 12 pieces, depending on what you get. Overall: fresh, inexpensive--a certain Hit!

Hannaford's: 4593 Commercial Drive New Hartford, NY (across from the Sangertown Square Mall.)

Mitsuba: 17 Ellinwood Dr, New Hartford, NY (just south of the Marquee Theatres; shares the same parking lot)

Geisha II: 32 Bank Pl Utica, NY (on a side street off Genesee street in downtown Utica.)