There's sushi at Mt. Royal fine foods, and I believe it's made there. Don't ask me how it is, because that stuff is made with raw fish.

I find Hanabi's sushi needlessly "over-accessorized." They seem to use a lot of mayo-based sauces that tend to outshine the simplicity of the fish, and which tend to make everything taste a bit similar. That said, if you stick with the basics - fish, rice, soy and wasabi - it's pretty good.

Hanabi -- can be trendy interpretations of Japanese cuisine, but I consider it world-class. Excellent quality of fish, knowledgeable servers, and friendly. Aaron the bartender is a legend. The Hamachi carpaccio is fabulous. Zen House -- I like it a lot, but the service and the ambiance stink. Good food, though, and lots of natural light. Osaka -- Unfriendly, though competent service. Food is OK. I personally don't like going there.

Cub also has sushi and sashimi freshly made. Before Sakana, Eric Roiter (not sure of spelling on last name) was serving sushi, sashimi, and various other japanase dishes in the upstairs room of Norms Beer and Brats in Superior. It was actually a nice set up and the sushi/sashimi was great as was the Mango Tango! There was great sushi to be found before the major kick off if you knew where to look. I'd agree with Claire's review above, adding only that Mt. Royal's sushi is slightly better than Cub's if you go that route, but both are no where near the quality of the restaurants.

Cub's sushi is inedible! I used to eat Mt. Royal sushi before I could get it at Hanabi and/or Zen. It's OK for what it is. Cub -- I wanted my money back.

Have you tried Cub recently? They have a new sushi person and the quality has gone way up.

I do Claire. I love Hanabi. I also enjoy Zen House. There are times when I am working however and can only take advantage of places like Mt. Royal and Cub when the craving hits. I'm not trying to push Cub hardcore, just wanted to mention that if you have to go the grocery store route, both places aren't too bad, especially since Cub's quality has risen.

I'm with Claire.

Haven't tried Osaka yet but after the less than glowing reviews I might forego such. My sushi money is better saved for trips to the Twin Cities. I'd rather go to Sakura, Saji Ya, Origami, etc. than eat sub-par sushi up here. I support many local restaurants however. I eat from the menu at Zen House on occasion. I like their offerings from the kitchen. Hanabi has interesting rolls which are typically slathered in some sort of mayo based sauce. I will hand it to them that they have unique combinations but there is just too much going on to taste the fish. They also are a bit too fond of jalepenos in their rolls which seems odd for Japanese food. I have tried their sushi twice and have been very unimpressed by the quality of the fish and the presentation. Sure wish that we could get some excellent Mexican food up here! I don't understand why that is so difficult.

Well, they say, you can't get good Mexican food east of the Mississippi.

Not to sound like shill.

Cloquet Lindo is sublime.

Biff, I have the Grand Marais Herring Tobiko in my freezer. It's nice! I was wondering , Manomin Sake' ?

+1 to the Lindo'ing in Cloquet. Duluth Lindo's is a little... forced.

Baci, not to be a snob, but I'm not sure I could do frozen tobiko, but I do have one more package of smelt in the freezer, so I guess. Do you do anything to make the manomin sticky? Wild rice sake does sound interesting.

All sushi/sashimi made with raw sea creatures is bad no matter what restaurant you eat it at. Or grocery store you buy it at. And no amount of pretty plating can make it taste any better! However, for those of us with more delicate and sensible, awesome palates, all the Japanese restaurants offer tasty alternatives to raw sea creatures. (Sea bugs, people. That is what you are eating! Sea bugs!) I can heartily recommend the tamago sashimi, miso soup, and vegetable tempura at Hanabi. At Osaka, I heartily recommend the bubble tea and the avocado roll at Osaka! Tasty! And of course, the green tea ice cream at both places is to die for!

I want to credit that the first place to serve Sushi in the Twin Ports was at Stillpoint Health, Wellness, and Teas on Tower Avenue in Superior. Stillpoint was a very progressively visioned business and everything from the teas to the service to the building restoration were nothing short of class act. Sadly, I believe it closed as the owner passed away (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Anyhow, I just wanted to give props to Stillpoint for being the first on the sushi scene in the Twin Ports.