Sushi @ Cafe Eilat, Brookline
Cafe Eilat (406 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA) began serving sushi several weeks ago, and I’ve had the opportunity to try it twice. Both times, fortunately, I’ve been pleased.
The tuna avocado roll (pictured above) tasted very fresh, with ample contents, and plenty of wasabi and pickled ginger alongside. My only minor culinary complaint is that the rice could be seasoned a bit more heavily — the roll risks tasting bland without some sweet acidity from the rice.
I will say that the price was a touch off-putting: $7.49 for the above roll. Non-kosher prices for tuna maki in the area range from $3.50 – $6; restaurants with serious ambiance command $6-$8. (Ingredients alone should not cost more than $3/roll.)
In all, it’s great to have kosher sushi in Brookline once again. I’m happy to enjoy a roll or two each week, despite the price. (For a crowd, I’d still be tempted to make it myself.)
Sushi is available on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturday nights, and Sundays.
I’m always wary of the food at cafe eilat. Cleanliness is not their strong suit and for something like sushi that could be a big sticking point for me.
Agreed with the comments about the cleanliness. They need someone to regularly clean the tables and floor and pick up the trash that piles up. The food is okay, and the people are nice but it can become really filthy at times.
The question is whether the food preparation areas are dirty. They openly ask people to clean up after themselves, and, clearly, some people (I’m guilty of this as well) will not take the time to clean up really well. Personally, I’ve never gotten the impression that the kitchen area was dirty. The fact that they got the OK from Brookline means that they passed the inspection, and that’s good enough for me. I understand that it is very difficult to get approved in Brookline.
I’m very glad that there’s finally a decent sushi place in Boston.
As to the pricing, check the price of non-kosher nori v. kosher nori. You will not believe the difference. It would be more fair to compare Cafe Eilat’s prices with other kosher sushi places in NY. I think you will find them to be competitive.
Sushi Maven nori sheets from AllInKosher.com are $14.39 for 50, or 29 cents per sheet. (Inside-out rolls only require half a sheet.) Wholesale price would doubtless be lower.
Even if kosher nori costs twice as much, that’s maybe a difference of 5 to 10 cents per roll.
There is also the expense of hiring a sushi chef.
The cost of a sushi chef is common among all sushi restaurants, shouldn’t be any higher for a kosher one.
That’s true.
i think that their spicy sauce could use a little more zest…sriracha perhaps?
also, i agree that the rice could be less bland as well.
You say, “The cost of a sushi chef is common among all sushi restaurants, shouldn’t be any higher for a kosher one.”
This is only partially correct however. The cost *should* be the same between two similarly full-time sushi restaurants that receive a similar amount of demand. But the restaurant in question is not a sushi restaurant. It’s a pizza restaurant that is now also serving sushi.
That means the sushi chef is a new expense, and if a smaller number of people are ordering sushi than at an actual sushi place (which is likely — I’ve seen very few people ordering sushi at Cafe Eilat so far), the cost of the chef is spread among substantially fewer customers.