Miyake - Portland, Maine

I don't get the rave reviews of Miyake that I've heard of late.

And I had such high hopes.

After calling to confirm that it was still BYOB (which I love), we stopped at Whole Foods and bought a bottle of Sake (splurging on a $36 bottle of Horin Ultra Premium Junmai Daiginjo). While it chilled, we partook in their wine tasting of organic wines. The evening was off to a great start.

We easily found Miyake, on Spring Street, just after the entrance to the Cumberland Club and scored a parking spot right out front. We opened the door into the tiny restaurant and were immediately hit with the smell of fish. Not a good sign. Fresh fish should not have an odor.

Still optimistic, we settled in, the best we could, to the uncomfortable plastic chairs, at the plastic table, positioned against one of the lime green painted cement walls. The restaurant seats about 20, with a few seats at the bar. The night we dined, there was a table of 4 just finishing up, another table of 2 that was mid-way through their meal when we arrived, and a couple at the sushi bar. I point this out because the service was quite poor, (friendly, but slow) with a long wait before we received our appetizers and much too long intervals between the remaining courses. It appeared that there were only two people working in the restaurant: the sushi chef and our waitress who could be seen making non-sushi items that had been ordered by the patrons.

The waitress brought us two chilled shot glasses for our sake - the chilling was a nice touch. We ordered the shrimp shumai, seaweed salad and miso soup to start. The shumai was the best I've had thus far in Portland, sweet and tiny Maine shrimp filled the delicate and thin wrapper. They were set in a bowl of broth and served with traditional dipping sauce. Surprisingly, we learned that they are not home-made, but rather frozen and re-heated. I never would have guessed. The seaweed salad was also above average, with a bit of extra sesame oil gracing the greens and adding a nutty flavor. The miso soup contained cubes of tofu, scallions and bean threads - it was a little thick for my husband's taste; I didn't mind the consistency.

The sushi arrived, a few pieces at a time, starting with Unagi (still warm!), the Maguro (very tough - either a poor quality or poorly cut), the Sake (fatty and not as fresh as it should have been), the Tekka (light pink, not flavorful), the Una-Avo and the Caterpillar (the perfectly ripe avocado made this roll the prize of the evening). We also ordered one of the speciality rolls, consisting of yellowtail, maguro, omelet and squash wrapped in rice and a seaweed wrapper that was thin and delicate. We were too full to try dessert, but the grean tea tiramasu sure sounded good.

Many of us wear rose-colored glasses when frequenting our favorite neighborhood restaurant. There's nothing better than having a local eatery with decent food where everybody knows your name. And as neighbors, it is your job to ensure they are frequented enough to keep their doors open. My guess is that those singing the accolades of Miyake fall into that camp. I'm looking at it perhaps with a bit more objectivity, comparing it to other sushi restaurants in the area, as well as the myriad of sushi establishments I have tried during my travels. The appetizers were better than average, the fish did not have the Sushi-Grade quality in appearance, taste or smell that I expect and the service is...well...bring plenty of sake and your patience.

Miyake doesn't get my vote for best sushi in Portland....who will? Stay tuned.