Tani's sushi in Portland: review

There's nothing so rewarding as building a rapport with a really great sushi chef. That's what my family had done with Tani, our favorite Japanese chef - a guy with an impressive resume who'd somehow landed in a re-done drivethrough on Woodstock Blvd. in southeast Portland, Ore. After we'd built it, though, his landlord decided to tear down the building and make a glossy new strip mall. We'd just begun to despair ever seeing him again when we happened to see a mention of Tani's, open again in the recently-completed redevelopment.

Our first night back, as a family, was last night. And we were rewarded with all manners of good things.

First was a special treat, thin, meltingly tender slices of salmon marinated in what must have been sake, grapefruit, onions and ginger. It was both mild and flavorful, and the bite of the onions were such a refreshing contrast to the smooth texture of the salmon. Best of all, our seven-month-old, Truman, thought it was delicious. Our waiter also brought out Japanese potato balls, in some cold, salty broth. The broth had soaked through the outer 1/2 inch of potato, and they were the perfect tenderness - and more great baby food.

Next was miso soup and calamari tempura with dipping sauce. It's tough to get calamari the perfect tenderness, but I never doubt that Tani will do it up right - the split-second balance between raw and tough. The calamari were more tender than any I'd eaten, the tempura light and crisp, the sauce not too salty.

Sushi came next, our favorite barbecued eel roll with spicy tuna ("dynamite roll") and asparagus, avocado, and cucumber with yellowtail ("Mt. Hood roll"), salmon roe for my husband. It's just great sushi - you know it when you taste it, fresh, textural, with balanced flavors. For dessert he sent out a platter of papaya, peeled and sliced.

If you're in Portland, you should get to Tani's immediately, and put the restaurant on your regular eating-out rotation. If you're not, find a chef like him and make friends, immediately. You, too, should be getting surprises when you sit down for your meal, straight out of Iron Chef, and fresh platters of fruit along with your to go box. If you're eating your sushi any other way - well, you may as well just get if off a conveyor belt. Not that there's anything wrong with that.