Saturday, July 24, 2010

OSushi | Lunch

The other day I received an email with the following information. I usually ignore these monthly statements, however, check the date in bold below. US Airways Dividend Miles E-Statement:
Member since: 2008
Last activity date: 03/27/2009
Beginning balance:10,973
Miles deposited:0
Ending balance: 10,973
To keep your account active, earn miles before 09/29/2010.

I must keep my account active! Luckily I am a member of US Airways Dividend Miles Dining Program. There are a lot of restaurants in the area that I can dine at to redeem miles. They even have a special going on this month: "Change of Scenery Bonus: Spend $30 at a restaurant, bar, or club where you've never earned miles before and become 500 miles richer."


I had previously purchased a $30 Groupon t0 OSushi which just so happens to be on the Dividend Miles Dining list. This means I need to spend $60 on lunch - $30 to cover the Groupon and the other $30 on my credit card so I can become 500 miles richer, ensuring I don't loose the hard earned 10k miles in the bank.
OSushi is located at 10 Huntington Avenue inside the Westin Copley Plaza Hotel.
I was greeted right away by the woman who would end up being my waitress. She sat me in the corner next to the sake case and presented me with both a drink and lunch menu.
History: I have been to OSushi before. Twice in fact, both times for dinner. The first time was when My Mom, sister, Aunt Cheryl and cousin Cayla were visiting me in the summer of 2005. I did not fully move to Boston until 2006, however that summer I lived 4 days out of the week in Allston completing an internship at what is presently the company I work for. The other 3 days of the week were spent on Cape Cod. That was an awesome summer! I digress. The second time here was a date night way back when Adam and I first got together. As a result of these two outings I am a big fan of their sushi.

They have an extensive wine list by the bottle and a fun martini menu too. In the end I chose to start my afternoon with a carafe of cold Nigori Sake. It drank light and smooth with subtle hints of juicy pear and apple.
Originally I was not going to tuck into in a bowl of Miso Soup ($3) but it was quite chilly in the restaurant. Piping hot, full of salty soybean flavor and plenty of scallions, thick strips of seaweed and tofu chunks, Osushi does a great job on this staple starter. They even add baby mushrooms to the mix earning them extra credit.
Lunch.is.served. 
The Tako Nigiri ($4) is a smooth slice of fresh, clean tasting octopus fastened by a belt of nori atop a block of compact sushi rice. 
I could not pass up a longstanding favorite Unagi ($6). It is delicate, soft, umami laden and melt in your mouth. I savored the nigiri sushi in between bites of my almost-too-pretty-to-eat lunch rolls.
The Hamachi Hako ($12) is yellowtail, garlic, scallions + shiso, topped with daikon and jalapeno served on top of pressed rice. Pearly pink and super smooth yellowtail tops a block of sticky rice where the strong flavors of garlic and jalapeno give off just the right touch of heat.
For my final roll: TNT Maki ($8.50) with baked spicy salmon, avocado and cucumber is served atop a homemade hot sesame oil with a firecracker of lettuce and a sprinkle of black sesame. This awesome roll kicked things up a notch.
This meal continued the winning streak. OSushi is my favorite among Japanese cuisine in Boston for sure! What is yours?

12 comments:

  1. This restaurant looks fabulous! You can always tell the quality of a sushi restaurant by the presentation of the plates. ;) I love the sounds of the TNT maki. Salmon and avocado are two of my favourite sushi ingredients!

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  2. Everything looks fabulous! If you need a sushi date next time, let me know.

    I like Spice and Rice but probably more out of convenience than actually really knowing much about sushi.

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  3. I have not seen the Copley in YEARS. I have been there a few times, when I come to Boston, I visit there and BackBay! Wow! Nice... Looks awesome!!! I love the old world feel to the other bar there, I don't know the name, but it feels very Old Money! Nice!

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  4. Awesome. Some great photos of some beautiful sushi. What a lovely platter of art. I wish I could take photos in restaurants...I just can't.

    By the way, LOVE the shades. You wear them well!

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  5. I officially love your blog. And your blog title. And I officially dislike US Airways on your behalf. So lame that they would take away your miles just not flying with them recently.

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  6. Oh god. I want to eat there so bad, but never get a chance when I'm in the city. I want the eel!

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  7. I went to Osushi this past year for the first time in over five years and it was still just as good as I remembered it! I really think it is a completely underrated sushi joint!

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  8. Dining points? that's awesome! flying is so much more expensive than eating out :D

    Your sushi looks... mouthwatering. I'm in a serious need of sushi again!

    Cute shades!

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  9. I am obsessed with unagi and anago, my very favorite sushi! Lucky you, lady, looks like a great lunch! Hey, do you want to be friends on FB? If so, friend me, Shari Knight Miller. XO!

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  10. I actually like eating by myself sometimes. I can also easily finish off enough sushi for 2 people ;) My favorite sushi places are Fugakyu, Haru & Mr. Sushi.

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  11. ooo the TNT roll looks fabulous! what a lovely lunch. so i assume that your account w/ united will remain active? thank ya jesus for expensive sushi lunches!

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