Many fans of Japanese cuisine would point to Nagoya, Kyoto or Tokyo as meccas for their favorite food. Most wouldn't mention Porter Square - but maybe they should.
Bluefin Restaurant, tucked away in the back of the Porter Exchange Mall, serves some of the best - and most inexpensive - sushi around. The restaurant, however, is far from the only option for Asian food in the area. Composed of a half dozen supermarkets, restaurants and clothing stores in the Porter Exchange, Common Market Row forms a mini-Asian commercial district. On any night of the week you can expect to hear a cacophony of foreign languages mingling in the lobby of the one-story mall.
As the cornerstone of this row, Bluefin draws a crowd. Such a crowd, in fact, that diners should expect a 20 minute wait before being seated (there are no reservations). These 20 minutes are best spent perusing the aisles of Kotobukiya, the expansive Japanese supermarket across the hall stocked full of exotic seafood, juices, snacks and desserts. It's a good place to try a can of Yogloo.
Once seated, patrons have two options: ordering from the menu, or composing a selection of sushi from a provided checklist. The regular menu, which is in both English and Japanese (always a good sign), contains all the Japanese standards Americans have come to expect, from teriyakis to tempuras. Although palatable, they are nothing special.
As far as appetizers go, the house salad (tangy and a little salty) is probably the best. For a main course the beef teriyaki is a perennial favorite, as is the vegetable tempura. The bento box is always a nice sampler, but it never feels like enough of anything.
What makes Bluefin truly remarkable, however, is the sushi. When a small restaurant has space for a lengthy sushi bar and three to four sushi chefs, you can be fairly certain it's a priority. Bluefin is no exception.
As with any serious sushi eatery, the list of available options is extensive, consisting of about 60 selections from Nigiri through rolls and specials. It is in its combo plates, however, that Bluefin sets itself apart. Plates are available in sizes of 16 ($18), 24 ($24), 32 ($30), and the gargantuan 120 ($100). Estimating about eight to 12 pieces per person, it comes out to a little more than $10 a person, quite reasonable for a delicacy usually reserved for birthdays or Parent's Weekend.
Selections are a matter of personal taste, but a few stand out. The spicy tuna and eel with sweet egg rolls are invariably good. (Speaking of which, if you've been reluctant to try eel in the past, get over it - it's delicious. If you're not eating it because eels are mean looking, how rosy do lobsters look? Have you ever seen/smelled an industrially-raised chicken? Not pretty.)
The nigiri is especially impressive - atop well-formed boxes of rice sit sturdy chunks of raw fish, still slightly chilled from the fridge. Of these, the tuna, salmon, and yellowtail are especially impressive - none of those wimpy slices found in prepackaged fare.
In all of this superior sushi speak, however, let us not forget the cardinal rule: do not, under any circumstances, go on a Monday. Why not, you ask? Restaurants everywhere get their seafood deliveries on Monday and Friday mornings.
Think about it: because the Monday delivery absolutely has to last all week, the leftover fish from Friday is what's served up on Monday, the last possible day before it must be thrown out. Raw fish that's been sitting in a reach-in fridge for four days? Thanks, but no thanks.
Although Bluefin, set to double its floor space this winter, is the centerpiece, remember that Porter Exchange in general is worth a visit. Behind it sits an alley home to five lunch-counter-type places, including a noodle bar and a few more sushi bars. Apart from the food, the mall is home to Tokai, one of the few Japanese clothing stores in the area, a Gap, a City Sports and Lesley College. Not too shabby.
Add to that an hour and a half of parking for $1 and that it's at most a six minute drive, and you've got yourself the makings of some serious good times. As long as you don't go expecting the pinnacle of sushi achievement ($100 sushi is still $100 sushi), you'll leave happy and still (relatively) hefty in the wallet.
