Sushi places offer comparable cuisine

Brooke Skinner Guest Writer

Sushi Village made its debut last year as the new Japanese cuisine restaurant near Vassar, giving veteran Tokyo Express some heated competition. But which is truly the better of the two restaurants?
Both restaurants feature Asian-inspired décor. Brightly lit and painted with warm tones, Sushi Village has more contemporary appeal with an open and inviting atmosphere. Tokyo Express is more intimate, with a dim interior and tables that are more closely arranged.

Located at 8 LaGrange Avenue. off of Raymond Avenue, Tokyo Express is a closer walk. You can expect to pay around $10 for a dinner entrée, but as student Patrick Morgan ’08 put it, “Lunch specials here are a really good deal.” The $7.50 lunch box special includes a choice of a lunch-sized entrée with sides of miso soup, salad with ginger dressing, three pieces of California Roll, rice and shumai. There is also a sushi lunch special offered for $6.95, which includes a choice of two sushi rolls (12 pieces) as well as miso soup and salad, or $9.50 for your choice of three rolls.

Sushi Village, at 26 Raymond Avenue, is a longer walk, but service is often quick and always polite. The lunch box special features an entrée, similar to those served by Tokyo Express, that comes with sides of white or brown rice, miso soup, shumai, three pieces of California roll, a house salad, and fruit at the same price of $7.50. Sushi Village also offers a Sashimi Lunch for $8.95 and a Vegetable Lunch for $4.95.

Some students think that Sushi Village serves better sushi than Tokyo Express (what else could you expect from a restaurant with the word “sushi” in its name?), but as far as entrees and side dishes go, the food served at both restaurants is similar. They both carry exotic dishes such as seaweed salad (green seaweed and sesame seeds marinated in sweet and sour sauce); sweet potato, yellowtail, and eel sushi; and green tea and ginger ice creams. When asked which restaurant he prefers, Morgan said, “The difference between the food is pretty much negligible...it mostly depends on whether you feel like walking or not.”

Tokyo Express serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 12:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. Saturdays. Dinner hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Sushi Village’s hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; noon to 10 p.m. Sundays.