Sushi Hai

Sushi Hai Restaurant Review:

Long and narrow with a mid-century modern look, this three-tiered restaurant---with a bustling sushi bar on the street level, a dining room half-a-level down and the hip HaiBar in the basement---is always filled with a casual neighborhood crowd. The open kitchen is loud and lively but can be a little slow, although the service is brisk---a disconnect that can make for less than a totally smooth dining experience. We enjoy such appetizers as creamy shrimp dynamite and grilled crab-heaped mussels on the half shell. The sashimi and sushi are first-rate, including salmon, tuna, yellowtail and snapper, plus a nicely crunchy spider roll of soft-shell crab, avocado and spicy daikon sprouts. For folks who don't eat raw fish, the rest of the small menu is well thought out and includes good rib-eye steaks. For dessert, try the tempura green tea ice cream or lemon cheesecake. Then, walk downstairs to the HaiBar, shoot a round of pool, or sink back into the big, soft pillows and sample flights of saké to end your evening.