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Inexpensive, Carryout Sushi between Downtown and Woodley Park


eatruneat

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My co-worker asked me for recommendations on an inexpensive but good sushi place between work (downtown DC) and her apartment (Woodley Park). She generally goes to Umi in Woodley Park but says she ends up spending more than she'd like there ($25) and is looking for other options. I am not familiar with the options on that side of town and could only think of Kotobuki in the Palisades or Momiji in Chinatown. Is there any other place I can recommend to my co-worker? I want to keep my reputation as the office guru of DC restaurants. Thank you!

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1 hour ago, eatruneat said:

My co-worker asked me for recommendations on an inexpensive but good sushi place between work (downtown DC) and her apartment (Woodley Park). She generally goes to Umi in Woodley Park but says she ends up spending more than she'd like there ($25) and is looking for other options. I am not familiar with the options on that side of town and could only think of Kotobuki in the Palisades or Momiji in Chinatown. Is there any other place I can recommend to my co-worker? I want to keep my reputation as the office guru of DC restaurants. Thank you!

Kotobuki was the first thing that came to my mind, but I haven't been now in a couple of years. Any sushi restaurant, with the possible exception of Sushi Taro, will do carryout, so now you just need to think of the cost. Tono Sushi has dollar rolls at happy hour, but the one time I went (about ten years ago) didn't impress me. The "other" super-cheap sushi ten years ago was Sushi Aoi (by the Greyhound terminal), and that's still there, too - but again, I'm going off a ten-year memory (if it matters, I preferred Aoi to Tono). Momiji is awful - what about Kaz? The Sushi Tasting 001 is $19 at lunch, and the rice is first-rate.

The problem with sushi (especially as carryout) is that there's no getting around the fact that it's something of a luxury item. When you start focusing on price, you lose sight of paying ten-times markup for a sliver of fish, and that a lot of the price is in the presentation and artistry. I know that when I have a Sushi Jones, I throw in some vegetable rolls (oshinko, kanpyo) to make sure I'm full after enjoying the more-expensive pieces. There may be some Korean-owned lunch spots downtown (I mention Korean-owned as a descriptor, not an epithet), and if you're willing to sacrifice rice quality, these "office lunch" places often have sushi; I'm just not familiar with them specifically. 

I don't think Ogawa does carryout, but they might - they also might be out of your co-worker's price range. Does anyone know how Whole Foods is, sushi-wise, these days?

Maki instead of Nigiri keeps prices down, and I also think the insulation of the nori keeps things fresher.

A quick scan of the Dining Guide may give you some ideas.

If it was me - especially given that the owner is active here, and that early reviews are positive - I'd give Rakuya a try.

I have a note into Kaz for his opinion.

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Tono Sushi represents well in this incredibly narrow criteria, but that must be right next door to Umi and she has likely looked at it already.  Hana Japanese Market also sells pre-made sushi in its cases, I imagine it would worth exploring one time.  

eatruneat, I wouldn't feel obligated to pull a rabbit out of a hat, these requests are borderline wishful thinking IMO.  I know a chef who refuses to eat a burger that is less than $10, he feels that there is no way to get beef/roll that meet his minimum standards of quality at that price point.  For $5 more, we all know she could sit at our darling Corduory bar and get the tuna over sushi rice and hijiki, with two other courses.  

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6 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

Tono Sushi represents well in this incredibly narrow criteria, but that must be right next door to Umi and she has likely looked at it already.  Hana Japanese Market also sells pre-made sushi in its cases, I imagine it would worth exploring one time.  

eatruneat, I wouldn't feel obligated to pull a rabbit out of a hat, these requests are borderline wishful thinking IMO.  I know a chef who refuses to eat a burger that is less than $10, he feels that there is no way to get beef/roll that meet his minimum standards of quality at that price point.  For $5 more, we all know she could sit at our darling Corduory bar and get the tuna over sushi rice and hijiki, with two other courses.  

Andy Shallal said - about five years ago - "If you eat a hamburger, and pay less than seven dollars, someone else is paying for part of that hamburger."

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1 hour ago, DaRiv18 said:

I wouldn't feel obligated to pull a rabbit out of a hat, these requests are borderline wishful thinking IMO.  I know a chef who refuses to eat a burger that is less than $10, he feels that there is no way to get beef/roll that meet his minimum standards of quality at that price point.  For $5 more, we all know she could sit at our darling Corduory bar and get the tuna over sushi rice and hijiki, with two other courses.  

Definitely feels like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I am just going to enjoy the $50 omakase at Sushi Capitol.

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