Ginza Japanese Restaurant   

1002 Beacon St
Brookline, MA 2446
617-566-9688

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Ever wondered why the city's best sushi bars are located in Brookline and Chestnut Hill? It's anyone's guess why Japanese chefs seem to be spearheading the local trend toward urban flight, but suddenly sushi is vying with school systems as an incentive to abandon Boston. Though Ginza still maintains a flourishing flagship in Chinatown, its outpost in Brookline outshines it in atmosphere and quality. Housed in a spacious Kenmore Square space that was formerly a Turkish restaurant, the new Ginza (not to be confused with Watertown's New Ginza) is distinguished by pale wood and lights so bright you can inspect your dining partner's every pore. Sake fans can choose from more than 20 brands to sip while scanning the extensive food menu, which lists over 100 items.Sushi is an obvious standout, prepared by a fleet of chefs. An immersion course in the art form is available in the form of the "Ginza Surprise," a chef's sampler of the most extravagant creations available. Less intrepid diners can opt for toro (fatty tuna), unakyu maki (eel and cucumber roll) or spider maki (soft-shell crab with cucumber, avocado and roe) before moving on to a cooked entree (tempuras and terikayi dinners are especially good). For dessert, there's fried ginger and green-tea ice cream, which arrives encased in a crisp shell of tempura. It's better than it sounds, as is just about everything else at the second Ginza.