Day Trip: OSUSHI, Boston, Massachusetts

CHICKPEAS: 3

We grabbed dinner at OSUSHI on our trip to the see the Boston Pops.  OSUSHI was conveniently located in the shopping area of the Westin Copley.  While the entrance was from the mall, it was easy to feel like you were in a cozy restaurant once seated.  We were seated at a high top table near the windows so we could look out over the street.  We had purchased a gift certificate to OSUSHI from Ruelala (an invite only, flash shopping site).  The deal we purchased was $30 for $50 worth of food at OSUSHI.   The prices were high so it was easy to exceed the $50.

To begin, we ordered edamame and a fresh spring roll.  The spring roll was quite good with shrimp and raw tuna in it.  Unfortunately, our waitress's single blunder was forgetting to bring out the edamame.  Once we reminded her, she brought it out at room temperature instead of steaming.

Fresh Springroll

We ordered 4 rolls to share.  Overall, they were good, but as you can see, two were quite big (in terms of diameter).  Really large sushi is difficult to eat gracefully.  From top to bottom we got the follow rolls:  Dragon, Miso Sexy, Spicy Scallop, and Vegetable Tempura.

Sushi

All of the above and one beer came to around $75.  I would go back if I was staying at the Westin and wanted take out to bring back to my room, or if I found another coupon/deal.  Otherwise, you can find sushi of equal or better quality for less.

Sakura Sushi Buffet

CHICKPEAS: 4

We both love sushi and were delighted to hear about an all you can eat sushi buffet in Northampton.  We have gone probably 5 or so times in the last two months.   Sakura is currently running a special through the rest of the year.

The deal:
All you can eat lunch or dinner: $9.99 (dinner is normally $15.99)
Happy Hour from 2:30-4:30pm: $6.99

Now, we aren't people who frequent buffets on a regular basis, but we feel that we need to take full advantage of their current special!  Sakura has an assortment of traditional Chinese dishes including fried rice, lo mien, spare ribs, crab rangoon, and more for those who don't like sushi.  Additionally, there are some Japanese dishes that I won't try to name.  They have a few soups, a selection of fresh fruit, and some desserts.  The Chinese dishes are less greasy than I would expect at a buffet and are in general pretty good.  The sushi is good.  I usually get some maki and a lot of nigiri.  I will say that the sushi has less fish in it than you would find at an upscale sushi restaurant, and I believe even less during the happy hour.  Additionally, we recommend filling up on dinner because the desserts are lacking (although there is a soft serve machine if you like ice cream).  Still, we believe it is a good value and as mentioned we continue to go back for more!

Here are some plates from various trips: