Top Sushi & Oyster

FOOD

Nigiri deserves early attention at Top Sushi & Oyster, where the fish extends well beyond its small mound of rice. Salmon and tuna provide familiar starting points, but the selection reaches into yellowtail, albacore, mackerel, scallop and eel. With two pieces in a standard nigiri order, the table can compare several fish without beginning with a large platter of any one variety. This is a useful format for a meal built around repeated choices.

The premium A course adds uni and sweet shrimp, each limited to one order per person. Uni brings the soft, rich texture of sea urchin; sweet shrimp offers a gentler shellfish bite than the cooked shrimp found elsewhere in the selection. Ikura supplies salmon roe, while unagi introduces cooked eel. These smaller servings give the premium meal its interest without making every plate an elaborate roll.

Oysters belong to the restaurant’s seafood offering as well, although their availability and inclusion should be checked when choosing a course. Elsewhere, the sushi-bar dishes provide plenty of texture: baked green mussels, crispy rice and jalapeño bombs sit alongside tako wasabi. The latter combines octopus with a wasabi preparation, offering a distinctly different bite from the warm, sauced dishes. A meal can move between these small plates and nigiri without becoming a continuous procession of rolls.

For rolls with a comparatively direct fish-and-vegetable combination, Yellowtail Lover pairs spicy yellowtail and cucumber with yellowtail on top. Kiss of Fire starts with imitation crab and avocado, adds spicy tuna, and finishes with hot sauce. These are still dressed rolls, but their different proportions of fish, vegetables and heat give the table useful choices. Half portions make it easier to try both before deciding which deserves another order.

The baked rolls are warmer and richer. Japanese Lasagna combines imitation crab, cream cheese and avocado beneath garlic mayonnaise and eel sauce. Baked Alaskan puts salmon over an imitation-crab-and-avocado filling with cream cheese. Baked Lobster adds a lobster topping to another crab-and-avocado combination. They arrive in four-piece portions, offering a manageable amount of the creamy, sauced style before the meal returns to simpler sushi.

The kitchen gives raw-fish eaters and cooked-food eaters substantial room to share the same meal. Shrimp tempura brings a crisp fried preparation, while chicken teriyaki offers glazed poultry. Bulgogi and spicy pork widen the selection into Korean dishes; corn cheese and kimchi pancake follow in that direction. These are useful additions between sushi orders, particularly when the table wants something hot that does not come wrapped in rice and seaweed.

Even the quieter choices have a place. Edamame or seaweed salad can accompany the richer rolls, and a small bowl of udon provides noodles between plates of fish. The variety works best through contrasts that are easy to taste: warm noodles after cool nigiri, crisp tempura beside a soft baked roll, or a simpler fish selection after a heavily dressed combination.

Dessert is limited to one order, giving the final choice a little more definition. Mochi comes in green tea, mango and strawberry flavors, while fried banana pairs its warm preparation with a choice of ice cream. After several rounds of sushi and kitchen plates, either provides a compact finish. The last course stays small enough to belong to the meal rather than requiring a second appetite.