BEST 1 SUSHI
109-21 72nd Road
Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 897-0460

Just when you think a point has been reached where there are so many places selling sushi that no newbie could possibly make any money, another one pops up. This newbie is called Best 1 Sushi, which I will call B1S for short, and it's literally half a block away from another sushi bar, Sushi-Oh. Neither burden their customers with hot food options. These are sushi joints, not Japanese restaurants.

B1S definitely gives off a Japanese vibe. Having never been to Japan, I can't say if it's authentic or not, but if the movies are accurate (and when are they not?), this place is spot on. One thing of note, though, is that there's no bar, so while you can watch the guys make the sushi if you want to, it means standing up, so you're probably just better off sitting down. It's more if a sushi-restaurant than a sushi-bar. But it's always a good sign when you walk into a sushi place for the first time and you see a Japanese businessman* eating there (* businessman = guy in suit. He could have been a doctor or possibly a well-dressed hobo).

Despite it's unfortunate name, and the tacky "dot-com" after said name on the awning, Best 1 Sushi is anything but tacky inside. B1S is bright and spotlessly clean. Though they sell those cliche Japanese snacks on one wall, the snacks were neat and look like they'd been arranged by someone with OCD.



When I went in initially, I had no plans to review B1S. I just wanted dinner after work. I normally hate (HATE) eating by myself. But there was something inviting about B1S and once inside I decided that rather than take dinner home and veg out by the tube, I'd sit down and read. And I ended up ordering way more than I would have since I ended up staying there way longer than I planned to.

First up, the Miso Soup. It was good. It was miso soup. I'm not really sure what else to say. You either like it or you don't, but most people do. This one had less tofu than I'm used to, but more scallion. It wasn't salty in the least.

I also ordered a hot tea, but my ignorance meant getting a brew that I'm pretty sure was boiled seaweed. To say it was "not my cup of tea" would be polite. Honestly, it was vile. I ordered a Diet Coke too though, so problem averted.

B1S has no liquor license yet. I apologize if I dashed anyone's hope at getting sake or Sapporo.



I stuck with rolls this evening. For starters, the simple Tuna Roll. Excellent. Very good. Yum.

One of my favorite rolls is the Philadelphia Roll, and while this one was very good, it could have used about twice as much cream cheese. I know, it's not authentic Japanese. Blah blah blah. But I'm not authentic Japanese either, so calm down and gimme my Americanized sushi! I also got the Alaska Roll. It's made up of salmon and crab wrapped with asparagus and cucumber. It wasn't bad, but was a bit on the bland side. And if you're craving being able to eat more destinations, they have numerous varieties of the ubiquious California roll, plus the New York roll, the Boston roll, the Michigan roll, and the Mexican (wtf?) roll.

But far and away, the best roll I ordered, and the roll which is now my bestest mostest favoritest roll of all, is B1S's Dragon Roll. Tempura shrimp wrapped by rice with cucumber and greens and then wrapped again in eel, topped with slices of avocado and with that sweet eel sauce drizzled on top. Furthermore, it's huge, taking up half the plate. Hot damn, I don't even want to know how unhealthy that puppy is. But I'm getting it again.

B1S is seriously cheap. Standard rolls are between $3 and $6. The special rolls go up to around $10. A la carte sushi will go for betwen $2 and $5 per piece. You can get a combo that I suggest you share (or risk exploding like a Monty Python skit) consisting of 20 pieces of sushi and four rolls for $35. And though they have saner, smaller versions available, this is what they call their "regular".