Uni (Boston Restaurant Week)

I love Japanese food, and my friends think that the restaurant Clio is one of the best in Boston. So when I saw that Uni (the sushi bar at Clio) was participating in Restaurant Week, I thought maybe I would give it a try.

The verdict: Ken Oringer definitely has a creative take on Japanese food - it's fusion-esque. The tuna poke appetizer was great, the chirashi and desserts not bad, and the kobe short ribs had good flavor but were WAY too tough. "What a waste of Kobe" said my dinner companions who ordered this dish.

Here's the pictoral representation. :)

Spicy Shrimp Salad with cucumber, mango, lime & chili

I did not get to try this dish, but the person who ordered it thought it was good.

Poke (Yellow Tuna) with sweet onions, sesame, seaweed and pickled mung bean

I loved the poke. The raw tuna had excellent flavor and was not overpowered by sauce, which was slightly sweet and tangy (reminded me of ponzu) with a strong sesame oil essence. This was very enjoyable.

Fish Taco with grilled halibut, avocado cream, and tomato salsa (add $7)

We had heard that the portions were small, so the guys got some extra "fillers", from the a la carte Restaurant Week menu. Accordingly to Peter, the fish tacos resembled a fancy tuna salad wrapped in a crunchy taco shell. Although not like a typical taco, it tasted pretty good. It was definitely a good value at $7. His final comment?

"Taco Surf is better."

(Taco Surf is a cheap taco joint in LA that sells $2.50 tacos)

Scottish salmon with Chinese black bean sauce ($17)

Bryan's "filler" turned out to be a five slices of raw Scottish salmon sashimi (so much for a filler!) The salmon was not particularly flavorful, although the black bean sauce was definitely quite fragrant and made up significantly for the lack of salmon flavor. Even though the concept was interesting, it did not seem quite inventive enough to warrant the $17 price tag. I guess as Chinese people, we are used to eating fish with black bean sauce.

Kobe Short Rib with spicy cabbage Salad

The most disappointing dish of the evening. Although the meat was season with a nice flavor (slightly sweet, deep soy sauce flavor), the meat was way too tough. Maybe they didn't stew it for enough hours? It's funny, because you would think that Kobe beef would be really soft. Peter was suspicious that it was real Kobe beef (vs. Wagyu or something even more inferior) since Clio sells Kobe beef at $30 an ounce. In any event, this dish was a true disappointment.

"What a waste of Kobe."

Chirashi with chef's choice exotic sashimi fish and assorted vegetable

I was slightly surprised when I got my chirashi. I definitely was not expecting my rice to be reddish black, nor was I expecting pickled Kim chi like vegetables on top. All in all, the fish was fresh and tasted fine. I was also able to enjoy some salmon with black bean sauce (again). The rice tasted very healthy - like I was eating brown rice or something. We think it was a combination of glutinous rice and forbidden black rice, but we're not sure. It was pretty flavorful - definitely not your typical chirashi. In the end, I still like traditional chirashi better, but this was not bad.

"Whole Foods and Harvest Coop's take on Chirashi"

Yuzu Curd with lychee

The Yuzu curd was tart, which is how I like it. The crunchy granola bits on the side complemented the curd very well, both in texture and flavor.

Strawberries and Coconut Tapioca Parfait

I thought this tasted fine, although it was a bit underwhelming. Peter said the strawberries were very good.

All in all, having dinner at Uni during Restaurant Week is not bad, as long as you don't mind non-traditional takes on Sushi and you don't order the Kobe!!! (Or if you like tough meat then that's OK too, since the flavor of the Kobe was pretty good).

A nice touch was the $20 gift card they gave us at the end of the meal. Service was good, and the mixed drinks were kinda fun (though the wine by the glass was a bit expensive - $12-$17 a glass!) I ordered green tea in a pot ($6) and it was excellent.

Uni
370a Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215