french | toast

Itto Sushi is a charming little neighborhood sushi bar.  The staff, some of whom have been working there since I was an infant, speak rapid-fire Japanese to one another.  The sushi chefs deftly make some of the city’s best sushi under a playful clock, on which chopstick hands point to a different type of sushi for each hour.  Chopstick boxes bearing the names of regular diners are stacked rather precariously in a corner.  We invariably go there during cold weather, but it’s always warm inside.  It’s the sort of place where the sushi chefs will remember to ask after my brothers, even though they haven’t eaten there with us for a year or so.

When I say that I’ve been eating at Itto Sushi for my entire life, I’m not exaggerating.  My parents went there on a weekly basis, and once I entered the picture, so did I.  As soon as I had teeth, they got into the habit of letting me gnaw on some tuna sashimi.  I loved it, though I did go through a brief sushi rebellion once I realized exactly what my parents were feeding me.

I am not a picky eater, but when it comes to sushi, I tend to stay close to what I know.  With the exception of a somewhat-infamous, hand-sized oyster that I encountered in Japan, I’m not afraid of trying new things.  It’s just that I’m so darned fond of maguro that I can’t see why I would order anything else.  (Naturally, I blame this on my parents and their sashimi indoctrination methods.)  I do like maki, and I will frequently try new rolls.  That said, I rarely find anything good enough to deter me from ordering nigiri on my next visit.

Last night, I had one of those rare experiences.  My mother and I went to Itto for dinner; she’s a bit of a toro addict, and the quality of their fish is unparalleled.  We decided to split a Fall Roll.  The menu’s description was a bit cryptic, but I knew that the roll involved some combination of spicy miso sauce (which I opted out of, as I’m a spice wuss), escolar (one of the fish marketed as “white tuna”), grilled mushrooms, cucumbers and “rice crack.”  When the roll arrived (beautifully presented, as always), we were surprised to discover that it was topped with little brown balls, about the size of your average silver dragée.  These baked rice crackers added a brief initial crunch and a pleasingly subtle smoke flavor (similar to the flavor that toasted rice adds to genmaicha) to an otherwise normal maki.  The roll was sublime; the toasted rice complemented the grilled mushrooms in the roll.  The cucumber provided a more enduring crunchiness, and the escolar was smooth and not at all fishy.  It was quite possibly the best maki I’ve ever had.

I told my mother that, while I do love her, she should order her own next time, because I won’t be sharing.

Itto Sushi is located at 2616 N. Halsted in Chicago.  The Fall Roll (8 pieces) costs $10.  Further information is available at www.ittosushi.com or (773) 871-1800.