Cube 63 (Brooklyn)

Are you one of those people who, after ordering the sushi combination, invariably sighs, "Where's the good stuff?" You are always bemoaning the lack of eel and the scarcity of yellowtail. Here's a solution for you: the Cube 63 special. At just $20, it contains only salmon, yellowtail, eel and tuna. So you won't have to order the more expensive a la carte, but neither will you have to pick through the egg and the dreaded crab stick! (I actually quite like the egg, myself.)

It seems that every day a Manhattan restaurant opens a new location in trendy Brooklyn. Cube 63 happens to be the third restaurant that I've experienced in Brooklyn before Manhattan (the other two are Blue Ribbon Sushi and Brooklyn Fish Camp). I'm so glad I did. The complimentary spicy tuna amuse-bouche won me over before I'd even ordered. (How often do you go to a sushi bar and receive 4 free pieces of sushi?)

My friend began with the vegetable gyoza. I thought they needed some ginger or white pepper, but I enjoyed my "Puerto Rico" maki (what on earth is this, you ask?): lobster salad and tempura eel in thinly sliced cucumber cups. For the more authentically-inclined, Cube 63 does have a sizable nigirizushi menu which includes delights like Spanish mackerel and sea eel.

Upon receiving her a la carte selection, my friend exclaimed, "Such tender fish!" And indeed it was, slippery and silky on the tongue. I was originally going to order the omakase, but my Puerto Rico roll had somewhat filled me up and I went with the Cube 63 special. (I'm one of those who greatly appreciates the presence of eel!) There were eight pieces of sushi and a delicious spicy tuna roll with a sweet miso coulis.

I really don't know why we ordered dessert after this, because I was about to burst, and my friend doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. But we did order some green-tea ice cream, both plain and in a chewy mochi preparation.

On a side note, I am always amazed by the constant transformation of Cobble Hill, and to a lesser extent, Park Slope. I'm starting to lose count of how many restaurants have opened on Smith Street since I moved out of the borough!

Cube 63 Brooklyn: 234 Court St., (718) 243-2208.