Sushi on the Run - Los Gatos - 2.5/3 stars

Visited on: September 15, 2006

Cuisine type: Japanese style sushi

Comment: Recommended, if you like your sushi big and filling.

Ordered items:
Hamachi
Maguro - Zuke (soy-bean sauce marinated maguro)
Ika
Unagi
Saba
Tuna-Negi maki
Ume maki

General description:
Freshness, quality, and portion of the fish is definitely superb. The amount of fish given in this place is equal to the double of any other

place. Amazing technique for making mashed maguro: scraping it off the skin with a spoon. Definitely old school there. Nice unagi, very thick and juicy. Ika carved with intricate patterns to enhance its texture and chewability, if you know what I mean. Zuke was done "a lot" faster than I am used to seeing, but as the maguro is of great quality, no complaints there. Hamachi is buttery and melts on the tongue. All in all, iIf I came here for sashimi, I'd probably be in sashimi paradise.

However, I came here for sushi, most particularly nigiri. Now, although there is no "rule" about this, the preferred way of eating a piece of nigiri is to put the whole thing in your mouth at once. There is an obvious reason why: if you try to bite a piece of nigiri into half, the remaining half will probably crumble in your hands. The shape is simply not designed to be bitten into half. The not-so-obvious reason is that one of sushi chef's main skill is to ensure that the proportion of rice, fish, and any condiments is perfectly balanced to create a tight little cosmos of flavor. Well, there is no way I'll be able to fit this chef's nigiri in my mouth, unless I can put my fist in my mouth, which I most assuredly can't do. Sushi rice is too mushy and wet, yet parts from the fish at the first opportunity, leaving me with the task of combining them back together.

This is a tiny place of 8 stools and a sushi chef with a big attitude. Come to get your fill of delicious fish and leave amazingly full. However, if you are looking for something a bit more delicate, I'd recommend Angelfish. And of course, the one and only Hideki-san, who's on vacation right now...

Basic information:
114 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Los Gatos, CA Tues-Sat: Noon-2:30pm Tues-Thurs: 5pm-9:30pm Fri-Sat: 5pm-10pm Sunday: 12:30pm-4pm Closed Monday Phone 408-354-1125 http://sushi-on-the-run.com Please refer to the menu for items and price