{"id":14831,"date":"2018-04-25T19:49:10","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T23:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=14831"},"modified":"2018-04-25T19:49:10","modified_gmt":"2018-04-25T23:49:10","slug":"benkay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/benkay\/","title":{"rendered":"Benkay"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 2018 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Sushi, Chic & Sleek<\/span><\/h2>\n

Benkay<\/strong> relocates to a brand-new corner in the East End.<\/span><\/h3>\n

By Claire Z. Cramer<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MAY18-benkay-RR\"O<\/span>pening in 1997, Benkay<\/strong> led the pack that transformed Portland into city full of excellent Japanese restaurants. A move this January from Commercial Street to a gleaming storefront in the condo canyon that\u2019s risen just east of India Street has brought a bright new luster to an old favorite.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re led to a window table overlooking Middle Street. Micucci\u2019s and Lois\u2019 Natural Marketplace may be just around the corner, but we might as well be in another city, so new and unfamiliar are the surrounding buildings. And what\u2019s been lost (a harbor view) has been made up in improved interior design.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new Benkay is handsome and minimalist, with simple wooden tables, chairs, and benches. A long sushi bar adorned with colorful seafood and garnishes is presided over by four sushi-men.<\/span><\/p>\n

We begin with saki samplers. Our server brings a flight of three dry sakes in small glasses on wooden trays ($10 per flight). We sample Ozeki brand Yamadanishiki and Karatamba Honjoro, and Hakushika Chokara. The first sip of Yamadanishiki is cool and bright, and we enjoy comparing subtle differences throughout dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

The menu here is huge, our server\u2019s input welcome and excellent. She advises the pork gyoza over the shrimp shumai. The pan-fried gyoza are hot and fragrant with ground pork and cabbage, noticeably tastier than most pork dumplings ($8). Seaweed salad\u2013fine shreds of bright green kelp and thin strips of dark nori\u2013is subtly tart and well dressed ($6).<\/span><\/p>\n

From the daily-special chalkboard above the sushi bar, we choose Tai snapper. A dainty pair of nigiri\u2013pieces of\u00a0 <\/span>light, flounderlike fish set on bite-size disks of sushi rice\u2013is delicious with a dip in soy sauce ($8).<\/span><\/p>\n

Two of Benkay\u2019s enduringly popular maki roll selections are beautifully presented on a speckled pottery platter, complete with floral-like arrangements of shaved, pickled ginger and wasabi paste garnishes. Maine Rolls (8 pieces) salutes with fresh, cooked lobster, asparagus, and cucumber ($11). The signature Benkay Rolls ($10) invites with spicy raw tuna, tempura-fried before being sliced into pieces and enrobed in a cloak of creamy wasabi sauce. Rich, decadent, and completely irresistible.<\/span><\/p>\n

The menu has pages of assorted sushi and maki-rolls; cooked entrees with pork, chicken, or tofu; and tempura of both seafood and vegetables. At a nearby table, we spot a platter piled high with feather-light shrimp tempura under siege by four diners\u2019 chopsticks.<\/span><\/p>\n

We conclude the feast with simple Hamachi yellowtail rolls. The dark, strong raw fish is the perfect foil for the last of the ginger and wasabi. <\/span><\/p>\n

Benkay\u2019s 21-year run is proof that gloriously fresh seafood and excellent service will never go out of style.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benkay, serving lunch Mon. \u2013 Fri. from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. and dinner 5 p.m. – close, Sat. & Sun. 11:30 a.m. \u2013 close; 16 Middle St., Portland; 773-5555; sushiman.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 2018
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