Kotobuki Sushi in Haupaugge

My wife and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary by going out for a nice meal with our boy. My wife wanted sushi; it makes her happy. So, she searched around for fine sushi, and we ended up agreeing to go to Kotobuki in Hauppauge. We were extremely pleased with our meal.

The food was outstanding – the best sushi that I’ve had to date. We started with pickled noodles, edamame, and fluke sashimi with sweet chili sauce with baby onions. Our son ate up all the edamame, while Lisa and I ate the fluke, which was terrific. I can only imagine that the fluke was very local, as it is commercially fished just east of Long Island. Anyway, it was thin sliced, presented nicely, and the combination of the sweet chili sauce with the onions made us think we were going to have a very fine main course.

The main course was ordered from their sushi menu (they have plenty of non-sushi dishes – Japanese fare). Two rolls were ordered for the boy: a cucumber roll and a crab role. Lisa ordered a rainbow sashimi roll and a crab roll. I ordered a shrimp roll and an avocado roll. Giving the specific names to the rolls would be silly, as they were given local names (for instance, they termed the Mackerel roll the “McRoll.”) Each of these was fine, but the fish rolls were particularly noteworthy, as they were very fresh. Overall, we were quite pleased with the meal and found it well worth the price (though it the price was a touch salty).

The environment was very nice, especially considering it was housed in a tacky looking strip mall. We entered fulling expecting to leave and head to Brooklyn for our second choice. Once inside, it was clear that they’d done quite a bit to prevent the interior from looking like a temporary little such restaurant. The environment was well above average.

Lisa commented on the food presentation. Lisa makes sushi, and whereas she may not have the skill of a chef, she makes up for it with her care and attention to detail and aesthetics. Lisa gets lots of compliments for her sushi, and Lisa believed the presentation was average – at best. I find it interesting the best-presented sushi we’ve had has actually come at tackier restaurants.

To sum, we enjoyed the visit but will probably venture into the city for Kotobuki’s prices.