Sushi 21 – all the fish that's fit to eat (and then some)

Enter a comment from a stranger (to me): "try Sushi 21 in Watertown. It's traditional, so you won't find a lot of crazy-horror-dragon rolls, but it's soooo gooddd…." Being in the mood for an adventure (and having a pre-designated sushi date with my boyfriend last Thursday evening), I convinced him to go for it.

One of the best things about Sushi 21 for me is that it's only about 20 minutes away from my house (provided, of course, you don't get lost, like Nick and I did), there's plenty of parking, and the people who work there are really nice. Since it was fairly slow on a Thursday night, we were able to sit right at the bar, which meant I could truly be a little girl and just point at pieces of fish and say "I want that one!" We also got the chance to chat a bit with the sushi chef, who gave us the lowdown on different types of fish, kindly obliged our request for three more orders of nigiri (because we just couldn't help it) and told us about his own experiences fishing in different areas around Mass, including Rockport.

And the sushi? Let me tell you about the sushi. This was some of the best I've had, accompanied by the best green tea I've had in ages, and a fine fried tofu appetizer in dashi (which, if you've tofu squickish, may not appeal, but I still highly recommend). We had salmon and avocado rolls, eel rolls, along with amazing yellowtail, red snapper and a special roll which had shrimp, mayo, cucumber and other stuff I can't quite recall. Each piece was better than the last. But the best was my personal favorite – mutsu, usually called "white tuna" at sushi places (even though it's not really a tuna – it's apparently a cross between cod and big-eye tuna, and it isn't something that is normally found in North America). If you ever get the chance to try this stuff, do – words cannot adequately describe the exquisite beauty of this piece of fish. It tastes like pure white heaven infused with lemon zest. This particular version was so good we had to order seconds.

If you're new to sushi (don't be scared!), I'd suggest starting out with the lighter fishes and the salmon. Yellowtail, red snapper, and salmon are incredibly good beginner choices (raw salmon tastes just like butter, I swear it), and freshwater eel (while not quite a light fish) is made with a sweet sauce that makes it almost feel like dessert. Most rolls will be pretty safe choices, since you'll be dealing with more rice than fish, although I highly recommend trying at the very least freshwater eel and salmon as nigiri. If you're an experienced sushi-goer, than go for it – anything you try will be great. If you're one of those who is really into uni (sea urchin), I tip my hat. You are a braver soul than I ever will be.

Sushi 21 is located in Watertown at 54 Mount Auburn Street.  They're open from 12-2:30 Mon-Fri for lunch and 5-10 Mon-Sun for Dinner. Happy Hour specials (offering 20 pieces of sushi for $20!) are available from 5:30-6:30.