Benkay - Portland, Maine

Years ago we were regulars at Benkay, indulging our sushi cravings there every week. But when the sushi chef left Benkay to open Yosaku, we noticed a decline in fish quality at the same time that they increased their prices. So we tried Yosaku. In fact, we were there the week they opened. Memorable because our waitress started crying at our table as she delivered the news that they didn't yet have any green tea ice cream. I think the opening-week stress got to her; she never returned to Yosaku, but we became regulars, touting Yosaku as the best sushi in town. The consistently high quality of their fish was like none other in Greater Portland.

And now the tides have shifted once again. Disillusioned by a half dozen disappointing experiences at Yosaku, we have again returned to Benkay. I have been frequenting Benkay for lunch for the past several months and have noticed improvements in the consistency of the fish quality, so we opted to give it a try for dinner.

We kicked off our dinner at Benkay with a bottle of Kirin and a hot sake. My husband selected his former favorite Benkay appetizer, the Seafood Pancake, a potato and flour pancake with scallions, squid, scallops and shrimp, served with a soy ginger dipping sauce. This is an appetizer that two can share, though he managed it all on his own while I enjoyed my Miso Soup and Steamed Shumai. The miso soup held cubes of tofu and slices of scallion; the shumai, shrimp steamed in a delicate wrapper, was served with hot mustard and soy ginger sauce.

Though sushi was our quest, my husband could not resist the Tempura Udon Soup, particularly on this cold winter night. A generous bowl held steaming seafood broth filled with udon noodles, tofu, seaweed, scallions, lightly battered tempura shrimp and vegetables. It beats both Sapporo and Yosaku's versions, hands down.

I'm not much of a soup-as-an-entree person myself, and opted for traditional sushi and rolls. Maguro (tuna), deep red and completely free of fat, melted in my mouth, as did the Sake (salmon). The less-than-healthy, but oh-so-good Benkay 8 is my absolute favorite sushi splurge, consisting of tempura battered tuna wrapped in sushi rice and topped with wasabi cream sauce. I also enjoyed the Caterpillar, cooked eel wrapped in rice and ripe avocado and Tekka, containing the same deep red tuna as the Maguro. I was disappointd to learn that Benkay still does not offer Kampachi (Amberjack) sushi on its menu (Yosaku often has it, Sapporo does not), as it is one of my favorites, though I did appreciate the perfectly cooked sticky rice used in the sushi. I consistently have issues with the rice at Yosaku not being sticky enough. Consequenctly, the rice bed or wrapper falls apart leaving the soy sauce dipping bowl filled with rice remnants.

Benkay underwent significant renovations 3+ years ago; the decor is comfortable and pleasing. The service is so-so - never stellar, but not poor enough to keep me from returning. I'll hold out hope that Yosaku will get their act together in time for summer, when it is so nice to enjoy sushi on their patio. Until then, when I have a sushi craving, you'll find me at Benkay.