Dept. of Unfortunate Sponsorships
This sign is in the window at Kurrent, that newish restaurant on East Pine Street.
Where to begin? With the sushi itself. Look at those big starchy rolls. They are grotesque. Then, enormous glossy signs—on par with a convenience store that is “Now Serving TERIYAKI!!!”—promoting shushi’s debut suggests to the would-be diner that raw fish is being shipped in from Kentucky and rolled up in hair curlers with instant rice by some minimum-wage hack. It does not say delicate artisan cuisine. But the real indication that this is not the real deal is the sponsor:
Stoli.
Vodka and sushi? That says we’re gonna get you so hammered you won’t even realized your sushi rolls look and taste like piroshki.