Long Island Restaurants

Mitsui Restaurant

Brick outside, dark wood within, Mitsui goes against the bar-code look of so many Japanese restaurants. Sometimes, the food does, too.

Mitsui brightens up the corner of West Main and Fourth in Bay Shore with an outgoing personality and attentive service. That's good, because the place is packed on the weekends and draws a crowd leading to those days.

In the past decade, Japanese eclipsed Chinese as the Asian cuisine of choice on Long Island, except perhaps for very quick takeout. There has been a boomlet in respectably priced spots.

Mitsui fits right in.

The kitchen shows some flair with the spicy tuna-and-avocado combination, two meatball-size rounds with a tingling center and a soothing, deftly sliced, cool, green coat.

Kyoage, or deep-fried bean curd; and yakko tofu, chilled bean curd with a sprinkling of bonito flakes, also are satisfying. Likewise, age-tofu soup, miso soup floating squares of fried tofu.

But gyoza, here fried beef-and-vegetable dumplings, are dry and hard. And usuzukuri, which typically is delicate, thinly sliced fluke, arrives thickly cut and overwhelmed by droplets of pungent hot sauce more suitable for a clam bar.

The meal improves with crisp tempura, whether vegetable, shrimp or chicken; katsu, the deep-fried pork cutlet; and the assorted teriyakis, especially salmon and tofu.

Skip sukiyaki, the Westernized hot pot, which is pretty bland. The beef is leathery enough to be used for Doc Martens, if not Uggs. A better choice in the hot-pot competition is chicken or shrimp ramen, with thin noodles and vegetables, in a soup bowl.

Mitsui's real appeal comes from sushi, especially the colorful special rolls. The "red caterpillar" curls artfully, with spicy tuna inside, and skin of avocado topped with caviar. The "white dragon" roll wraps spicy lobster meat with shrimp tempura; the "white tiger," spicy tuna and seaweed salad, with white tuna, eel and avocado. And try the now-familiar rainbow roll, a union of yellowtail and scallion inside with tuna, salmon, avocado and caviar surrounding it.

Mitsui offers the atlas of rolls: Alaskan, California, Boston, Philadelphia and Phoenix, which envisions the Southwest or perhaps a reborn myth with broiled, spicy yellowtail and cucumber, inside-out.

Purists can veer toward the satisfying nigirizushi, or uncooked fish on ovals of vinegared rice. The tastier selections include tuna, striped bass, mackerel and salmon.

Be warned: Mitsui fries bananas, ice cream and, yes, cheesecake for dessert -- all of which will make you doubly appreciate green tea.

Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti, 2/3/08.

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