Welcome to the neighborhood, Shinju

Another great fusion sushi joint invades the Slope! Shinju is tucked into a low-lit, red room with sloping red fabric. The service is prompt, friendly and the sushi chefs confidently integrate fruits, and house made sauces, into their signature rolls.

We started with the House Miso and Asparagus Crab soup. Light broth colored with lump crab and carved veggies, the soup strategically wet our appetites. For the second course, we chose the Wasabi Tuna. A long, thin dish with thinly sliced, toasted white tuna and tuna sashimi poised on mescalin greens with Shinju's fresh wasabi sauce. A light and appropriate spread that peaked our interest, without being too heavy. Our server carefully placed our third course before us: the Sakura, Snow White and Spicy Sea Scallop crunch specialty rolls.

As expected, the presentation was gorgeous. The sakura roll came shaped in a cherry blossom with the other rolls divided into branches. The textures magnificantly crafted, and the rolls decenlty sized. The details:

Sakura: Spicy Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Avocado and Tempura Flakes with Soy Seaweed Plum Sauce. Yes, really. All of those things. And it's a beautiful marriage.

Snow White Roll: Rock Shrimp Tempura with Spicy Lobster and Spicy Kani in a Spicy Creamy sauce. Not the all-star on the platter, but definitly held its own. I think that perhaps this roll wasn't appropriately matched to the other rolls in terms of its firmness and consistency. The flavor was fresh and exciting, but not as much of a bang as the afore mentioned Sakura.

Shinju will let you bring in your own beverage, free of corkage. I thought that perhaps they didn't have their liquor lisense yet...but they did have bottles of wine and sake on their shelves. Unsolved mystery....

Worth checking out.