Xian's Sushi
3925 Irving Street
Who cooks at the end of the weekend? I don’t, especially after cruising up the coast from Big Sur to the City on the back of a motorcycle. Neither does the boyfriend, who did all the actual riding of the bike in question. So out we went to Xiao’s Sushi House on Irving and 41st.
We sat in a six-table space that resembled an argyle sock: white walls with brown trim, and a carpet carefully plotted in blue and brown plaid. And after hearing some definite (and disturbing) not-Japanese coming from the kitchen, we started with Edamame and Gomaae, blanched soybeans and a steamed spinach salad with sesame dressing. The Edamame were fresh, steaming and a tad salty, but the Gomaae tasted bland and was mostly stems.
Xiao’s sushi flew out of the kitchen minutes after the appetizers, shepherded by our waitress, who quietly stalked us from across the small restaurant and waited for the sake to run out. But not before she brought tail-slapping fresh nigiri-sushi (on rice) and makimono (rolls) that reminded me that hey, so what if the chef was Chinese? This is America, where anyone can wiel a cleaver. We ate Maguro ($2.95 for two pieces) that only knew ice and a sharp knife during its short tenure as food. Xiao’s Hamachi ($2.95) and Sake (Salmon, $2.95) pleased equally. More great Yellowtail came in the Hamachi-maki ($3.25 for six pieces), rolled with scallions and wrapped with seaweed that I only had to bite once to get to the inside goodies.
Aside from the regular menu, Xiao’s posts a few items on a whiteboard. From there we ordered the Vegetable Tempura Roll ($3.95 for four pieces). Hot nuggets of tempura framed by rice and more seaweed are served topped with ponzu sauce and make a good intro-to-sushi for your fishaphobic friends. Xiao’s also serves the usual noodle, donburi, and teriyaki dishes, as well as shioyaki (broiled with light salt) entrees. Which might be a nice switch if I ever get over the idea of sushi minutes from my house and minutes to the table. Xiao’s Sushi House. 3925 Irving St. Free Delivery, Wheelchair Accessible, Visa and Master Card accepted.
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