Shiso
449 W. North Ave.Chicago, IL 60610-1127
Old Town
312-649-1234
shisorestaurant.com
Hours: Lunch, Dinner: seven days
Our Review
The decor at Shiso is cute and modern-looking, the service is good, and that’s probably all this Old Town sushi spot needs to succeed--indeed, it was packed with trendy young urbanites the night we were there. Never mind that the goma-ae (steamed spinach with a sesame dressing) was still frozen in the middle, the gyoza were mushy and didn’t taste homemade, and the salmon sashimi lacked flavor. Mayonnaise features prominently in most of the specialty maki and, along with the cream cheese, overwhelmed the "giant" roll, although the "crazy crump" maki wasn’t bad. A spicy tuna tempura appetizer, though uninspired, ended up being one of the best things we had. And shiso, an herb common in Japanese cooking, was remarkably absent from the extensive menu. Our waitress looked confused when we asked if anything had shiso in it and finally explained that they just use it as garnish on the plates. It didn’t appear on ours, however.
Price: $$
Payment Type: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Other
