It’s that time of year when pink blossoms pop from cherry trees, and everyone starts jonesing for sushi. Why crave raw fish wrapped seaweed and not cherry pie or cherry cobbler? Probably because cherry trees along The District’s Tidal Basin were gifts from the Japanese government and blah blah blah. Whatever.
If cherry blossom season has you itching for unagi and dreaming of wasabi, you can score your fix at a couple of joints in downtown Silver Spring:
Asian Bistro
8537 Georgia Ave, (301) 589-0123
This bright restaurant, parked on premium real estate in the Downtown Silver Spring shopping center, does sushi as well as Chinese and Japanese entrees. Penguin taste testers went nuts for the Chinese dishes in July 2007, but a couple of readers were quick to sing praise for the sushi.
“I keep going back for the sushi,” Penguin reader Jimmy wrote. “Among the freshest I have ever had, which is strange for a restaurant that doesn’t exclusively serve Japanese food.”
“The sushi is quite good, and I know my sushi — much better than Sushi Jin” on Fenton Street, wrote Silver Spring Resident.
But Asian Bistro’s sushi bar had its detractors. Penguin reader Thayer Ave, Too was less than impressed with the freshness and construction. “Sushi shouldn’t smell fishy, and the rolls shouldn’t fall apart before you can get them to your mouth,” the comment read.
Then, in February 2008, the quality of Asian Bistro’s Chinese options went downhill, according to some Penguin readers. “I used to go there all the time, but I went about a month ago and it was not good,” Penguin reader Courtney reported.
“The sauce on my veggie chicken and broccoli was congealed and looked like it had been sitting out for a long time before I got it. My friend’s orange chicken looked old, too,” she added. “Maybe they were just having a bad day, but I haven’t been back since.”
It’s unclear whether the sushi selection has suffered the same fate. Asian Bistro is officially on notice for another review.
Pomegranate Cafe
1215 East-West Hwy, (301) 562-9400
Here’s another place that started out with a bang, quickly changed management, and is now waiting to emerge from the dust cloud. In December 2008, Penguin taste testers had decent things to say about the sushi lunch special, which kicked it with three pieces of nigiri and eight bite-sized California rolls.
The raw tuna and salmon nigiri tasted, well, like raw fish. But the California rolls’ imitation crab meat had a fresh, taut texture and worked well against the softer (but not squishy) avocado. The smoky seaweed balanced out the sweetness, and tiny orange pearls of fish roe added pop to every bite.
The spicy tuna roll also got mad props for its finely chopped but not mealy tuna, spicy (though not spicy ass) sauce, and cool mayo for balance.
Three months after opening, the South Silver Spring restaurant found itself under new management. Penguin taste testers have not been back since the change, but one reader gave the new Pomegranate Cafe a clear thumbs down. Bill the Guy wrote:
They don’t serve nigiri sushi any longer, much to my disappointment. The sushi bento is large but unrewarding, the sushi being poorly made California rolls.
I ordered a sushi bento after my friend. The new guy rang it up as $8,466.6666. I had never seen a cash register do that. He had no idea how to fix it, turned the register off and pressed a lot of buttons until it went away. He rang it up again as $8,450.00.
After he finally got that correct, I waited patiently for my lunch. As my friends were half-finished, I asked about my bento box. Apparently no one ever told the cooks to make me one, one of said cooks being the woman I watched tell the other cook, the alleged sushi chef, to make me one.
They presented the bento box well after my friends had finished, so I asked to have to prepared to go. I ate lunch at my desk.
Oh, and they forgot the wasabi.
The Pomegranate Cafe breaks the Penguin newsroom’s record for being placed on notice so soon after a positive review.
Sushi Jin
8555-A Fenton St, (301) 608-0990
Oofah, you know things can’t be good when a review starts like this:
Downtown’s Sushi Jin has a choice to make. It can dim the lights, crank up the techno and become Silver Spring’s next scene. Or it can stay on its current path to mediocrity. For now, expect unremarkable sushi, boring teriyaki, unappetizing prices and muzak so painfully bad, it would trigger spontaneous hara-kiri.
That was back in March 2007, and Penguin readers were quick to concur at the time. Things might have changed since, but Sushi Jin’s bland fish, overly sweet rice and steep prices haven’t given Penguin taste testers the impetus to try this joint again.
Spring Garden
8613 16th St, (301) 588-9337
Yet another restaurant that does decent (or at least edible) Chinese food with a sushi bar on the side. In an May 2007 open letter to county council member and trans-fat hater Duchy Trachtenberg, I asked rhetorically: “With such good food from the fryer, how can trans fats be so bad?”
The 16th Street joint really does a mean deep fry — whether that’s the General Tso’s chicken, prawns with walnuts, or crispy beef strips. But Penguin taste testers haven’t given the sushi bar a shot, nor have Penguin readers submitted comments on the matter. It’s an open case.
Blue Pearl Buffet and Grill
8661 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, (301) 565-4334
One must question the wisdom of culling every form of bad mall food — greasy Chinese, cheap Mexican, and dull sushi — then splaying it on a buffet table. It’s a bad idea. A really bad one. Just don’t.
Read 
What the hell are they building now? Learn more from 
Boxed wines and rosés are back in vogue. Just ask The Penguin's sommeliers.
Spring Garden sushi is pretty bad.I like their Chinese food but the sushi is pretty bad. I tried the dragon roll & eel roll & it was messy, slipery mess. The sushi was super sweet for some odd reason and fell apart before I can put in my mouth. Don’t waste your money on it.
I’ve found that Spring Garden’s Chinese is good overall. I like very American Chinese (not brave enough for the traditional), as in General Tso’s and Sesame Chicken. Once in a while it can be hit or miss though.
The Oriental East Chiense is not good at all, at least in my opinion. However I always see people lined up for their dim sum, so they must be doing something right.
Is Asian Bistro good for American Chinese? I’ve heard different things and though I’ve walked by many times, I’ve never gone in. Also, do they deliver?
My husband and I think Asian Bistro rocks when it comes to sushi. Ooh their “flaming volcano” will get any couple frisky. And their curbside delivery takeout is very helpful.
L.
Hrmm… When I read the first few lines of the article I thought.. maybe I missed something and there’s some outstanding hidden sushi joint I just haven’t found yet…. Really no rave reviews for anything… which has been my overall take on DTSS sushi… mostly edible, but nothing stands out… bummer.
I love Asian Bistro’s sushi, but definitely recommend skipping the Chinese parts of the menu.
I’ve always been fond of Asian Bistro’s Sushi. I am let down by the lack of good sushi choices in downtown, though…
We’re big fans of Asian Bistro, and they seem to have regained their footing after switching owners and losing some quality. Their vegetarian Chinese dishes are very good. Their vegetarian sushi is fine, though unfortunately they do not have natto (a fermented soy food). Like most sushi places, their wasabi is not the real, fiery deal, but what ya gonna do?
JG, they do not deliver.
I have been in the Philippines for the past two year, but am excited about returning to Silver Spring this fall, and look forward to once again eating at a Sushi place in the triangle area off Georgia Avenue. Can not remember the name, but it is run by a Koren couple who do a great sushi, the best in the area since Mr Kim of the now defunct Yokahama moved half way to Baltimore.
Editor’s note: I think the sushi place “in the triangle area off Georgia Avenue” might be Moby Dick’s in Wheaton. Any clues, people? — JD (Mar 27, 2009)
I think the Sushi at Spring Garden is the best, always very fresh It is less expensive than other places and they deliver.
I used to love Asian Bistro for the inexpensive shrimp tempura appetizer they offered. Wasn’t on the menu on my last visit. Alas.
I sometimes get nigiri sushi there, though with less frequency than I once had. Pleasant, though not great, the rice being the primary issue. This is a problem in one form or another with most Silver Spring sushi places.
The sake, some Korean brand, sucks. And they have no idea how to prepare and serve cold sake.
I haven’t dared return to Pomegranate since my last visit. In the week or so since, I’ve thought about it, wistfully hoping for the likable experience I and my NOAA comrades frequently enjoyed before. It was the Penguin that had originally drew us to this lost pearl. (Though their rice had that falling apart issue, also.)
Do NOT get the regular cold sake at Sushi Jin! Oh, boy, that was bad! The sushi varies from poor to sometimes good, but the prices are outrageous and unjustified.
I only tried Spring Garden’s sushi once, rather late one night a couple years ago. Was poor but that may have been a fluke. Haven’t had a chance to try again.
At this point, I tend to go to Rockville or Bethesda for sushi. I particularly the Japanese cafe Temari in Twinbrook/Rockville Pike; there’s something really nice about getting Japanese food prepared and served by Japanese people. But Niwa No Hana in Rockville and Matuba in Bethesda are usually okay. And Tako in Bethesda, while pricier, has a wonderful sake catalog.
I order takeout sushi from Spring Garden all the time, and it’s always great. It’s not up to the same standards as say, Sushi Taro in DC, but for crying out loud, it’s a takeout place. I’ve tried my fair share of sushi places in the DC area as well -so I’m speaking from experience here. Sushi from Spring Garden is usually fresh and tasty, in my opinion. Definitely better than eating in at Sushi Jin.
Hey JD,
I think the sushi place Jim Rieden is talking about is Woomi’s (in Wheaton on Blueridge Ave). It’s incredible…
yes, he’s talking about moby dick sushi, 11220 triange lane. i ate there on monday: seaweed salad, eel roll, & moby dick roll. fresh and delicious!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/moby-dick,1132971.html
http://www.wheatonmd.org/go/moby-dick-seafood-and-sushi
(woomi gardens is the korean barbecue restaurant. also pretty darn good. i think they may serve some japanese food too.)
Out of all the Sushi places I’ve been to, Moby Dicks in Triangle Ln near the Wheaton Mall is the absolute best. Their Unagi Don, Eel Rolls, and Lunchbox A is what I would definitely recommend. My friends and I go there every week and have never been disappointed by the food or service.