Sushi Jin, Fairfax Station and Silver Spring - Silver Spring Branch Has Reopened After Fire

[blakegwinn]

Has someone already started a thread for this new place? I didn't see one. Anyways it got a sound thrashing by someone on Tom's chat and I was just wondering if anyone else had tried it out. I saw it opened and was reallllly hoping for a go to sushi place near home.

[dwt]

Has someone already started a thread for this new place? I didn't see one. Anyways it got a sound thrashing by someone on Tom's chat and I was just wondering if anyone else had tried it out. I saw it opened and was reallllly hoping for a go to sushi place near home.

SO, son, and I stuck our heads in one Friday night 2 weeks ago and the place was jammed, so we ambled on down Fenton to Adega.

This past Saturday, I stopped in for lunch. There was one 2-top, 1 guy at the bar, and me. The staff was very nice. The space is snug but attractive.

Now, look, this is my one and only visit, so give this place a chance and report back on what you find. I was disappointed. I ordered Ngiri: tuna, eel, saba, yellow tail -- i.e., nothing challenging. It was all disappointing. Nothing was out-and-out bad, just not pleasing. The saba was the worst: it appeared desicated. I am not a sushi snob. I'm perfectly happy with the offerings at a modest place like Matuba in Bethesda. But my take on this Sushi Jin is, for now, that I might try other items on the menu, but won't order sushi again unless someone reports a better experience than I had.

Please, remember that this was just one visit. Go, give them a chance and let the rest of us know what you find.

[blakegwinn]

SO, son, and I stuck our heads in one Friday night 2 weeks ago and the place was jammed, so we ambled on down Fenton to Adega.

This past Saturday, I stopped in for lunch. There was one 2-top, 1 guy at the bar, and me. The staff was very nice. The space is snug but attractive.

Now, look, this is my one and only visit, so give this place a chance and report back on what you find. I was disappointed. I ordered Ngiri: tuna, eel, saba, yellow tail -- i.e., nothing challenging. It was all disappointing. Nothing was out-and-out bad, just not pleasing. The saba was the worst: it appeared desicated. I am not a sushi snob. I'm perfectly happy with the offerings at a modest place like Matuba in Bethesda. But my take on this Sushi Jin is, for now, that I might try other items on the menu, but won't order sushi again unless someone reports a better experience than I had.

Please, remember that this was just one visit. Go, give them a chance and let the rest of us know what you find.

I will try to get over there sometime soon. Quick side note, Adega is really growing on me. Do they not have the nicest staff you have ever encountered at a counter service eatery?? I was floored at how friendly the girls at the counter were.

[LizH]

I walked by this place yesterday. Has anyone else tried it? it does not bode well that there hasn't been a review or mention of it since November...

[blakegwinn]

I walked by this place yesterday. Has anyone else tried it? it does not bode well that there hasn't been a review or mention of it since November...

We have been getting ready for a big move, Beth is taking the pharmacy boards and I am going back to school all in the next three weeks so the last month or so we have been reallllly budget concious. Everytime we walk by and look at the menu one of us says some version of this, "For these prices I would rather just go to Sushi-ko or for two meals at Kotobuki." It has gotten to the point where everytime we go up there and try and decide where to eat we narrow it down to 2 places and then always end up going to Adega anyways. The special bar menu at Ray's would usually be number one for quality on a budget but it is usually a Saturday or Sunday that we are out because we both work weeknights so the bar menu isn't an option.

[wrash]

I ate at the Sushi Jin restaurant in Burke last night. This is the newest of a two-restaurant chain with the other place located in Silver Spring.

I've eaten at this restaurant several times since it opened earlier this year. Normally I have sushi, although on occasion I've ordered other items. The dinner menu contains few surprises. it's a standard neighborhood Japanese restaurant that produces decent food at reasonable prices. However, this is not Nobu and it's not even Yama. On the other hand, it's far better than the rest of the competition in Burke, which consists mostly of Korean restaurants that also serve sushi and a few Japanese dishes.

The sushi bar is well run by a staff with actual training. The fish is perfectly cut, the maki is tightly rolled, and the flavors are what you'd expect. A major difference from its less capable competition is that the fish is actually fresh. There are no off flavors, nothing looks dried out, and there's no sign of happier days in the past. However, the rice is bland - even for sushi rice.

Preparation is very clean and traditional, and service is quite fast, except on the busiest nights. This isn't a surprise since the sushi bar staff really does make each item to order. The unagi is nicely done, served while still warm, and has the proper amount of sauce. The bean curd is kind of soggy. I had avocado rolls along with the nigiri sushi. The rolls were well made, and you could taste the avocado.

I've had tempura on two occasions. As in the case of the sushi, the food was properly prepared. The batter was fried so that it was light and crisp, there was no extra oil, and the items delivered a delicate crunch when I bit into them. The miso soup is good, but could use more flavor. The standard salad has a miso dressling that's bright orange and kind of goopy. It looks like Kraft French, but tastes sort of like miso dressing.

Sushi Jin serves both lunch and dinner. Lunch is a better deal with lower prices and a broader menu. You can only get bento boxes at lunch, for example. The wine and beer list appears good, although I have an evil attraction to Kirin Ichiban, and haven't moved beyond that. There's a nice selection of tea and coffee items on the menu. I've tried the green tea, which is unremarkable, but I guess that's the point of green tea.

I have not eaten at the Silver Spring location. The two restaurants appear to share a common menu, but I have no idea how they compare otherwise.

I should also note that the Burke restaurant is quite attractive, has quiet music and a friendly staff. The chefs at the sushi bar are very pleasant, willing to offer advice, and if you go back a second time, they remember you, which is nice. The restaurant is located in the Fairfax Station shopping center, which it shares with a post office, Gold's Gym and a Pizza Hut carry out. It's basically around the corner from Panisa. Maybe a good sushi place and a very good Thai place will encourage more upgrading of the otherwise fairly dismal choice of Asian eateries in Burke.

Wayne Rash

[B.A.R.]

I live 5 minutes from there but have never been. Our "go to"ushi place is Blue Ocean, which is great. Does Sushi Jin compare well, as I could literlly walk home after a belly full of sushi and sake.

[wrash]

I live 5 minutes from there but have never been. Our "go to"ushi place is Blue Ocean, which is great. Does Sushi Jin compare well, as I could literlly walk home after a belly full of sushi and sake.

Blue Ocean is on the To-Do List, but not on the list of missions accomplished. So I don't know how it compares.

However, I go there because it's decent and its close. As I said in my post, it's not Yama. But it's not bad.

WR

[fuzzy510]

I can't speak for the Burke location, but the Silver Spring location has been closed for a while because of a fire, and it was clear walking by tonight after work that the spot has been totally gutted. Not that it's a surprise given the length of time, but I highly doubt they're coming back.

[DonRocks]

I can't speak for the Burke location, but the Silver Spring location has been closed for a while because of a fire, and it was clear walking by tonight after work that the spot has been totally gutted. Not that it's a surprise given the length of time, but I highly doubt they're coming back.

Thanks for this info - I think the Burke location is still open.

[dwt]

The Silver Spring location has re-opened, not sure exactly when, but some time in the past 3-5 months. I've been 3 times now and can only give them a C+ on the food. The refurbished space is nicer than the old one that was closed by fire. Wood, or imitation wood, flooring covers the walls. There is a larger sushi bar than before, a line of comfortable booths down one side and a few 2- and 4-top tables near the front. Their sushi, both rolls and nigiri, are BIG, as in two bites per piece of nigiri -- this is not a style I enjoy. The fish is only OK, not very flavorful, and the rice is bland. It's basically one step up from the best grocery store sushi. I want to like this place more because the service is good and the staff are very friendly. I might return but only when, like last night, I'm late returning home, wanting a light meal, and have only pasta on hand to make for dinner.