Shino Express Sushi - Back Bay

The popularity of sushi in the U.S. has skyrocketed, it has become one of the most trendy foods. Granted, many people seem to be lured in by very non-confrontational types of sushi like California rolls, which do not contain any raw fish, and Unagi--a roll that has broiled eel and lacks a fishy taste.

Now it seems that sushi is so widely available it is easy to find a sushi place, but often hard to find a good one. Shino comes to a compromise in this dilemma. Sushi usually takes a lot of concentration and time to compose by sushi chefs who are highly trained--you can find some very good, small, sushi places in Chinatown that take the time to execute their sushi dishes optimally. However, many places, like Shino, have trained Hispanic chefs to expedite the sushi rolling process and go for a more instant-gratification scheme.

And they do it well. Shino is cheaper than most sushi places and fast. Their sushi isn't amazing in any regard, but it's pretty good for the price. A roll of tuna, salmon, and a inside-out roll of unagi and avocado only brought me down $15. Nothing spectacular about the sushi; the tuna and salmon weren't too fishy tasting and the eel and avocado were standard as well. Shino is a good place for people who may have never had sushi before and want to test the waters before going to a nicer restaurant and ordering something of higher quality.

They boast the use of brown rice in all of their food, which is supposedly healthier because it is processed less and means they avoid rice that has been bleached--that's good. Though, I do love white rice and prefer it over almost any other type; finding white rice that hasn't been tampered with isn't too difficult either.

144 Newbury St., Boston MA, 02116, 617 262 4530, www.shinoexpress.com