I wasn’t raised on sushi.  And didn’t have my first bite till I was 20 years old.  And so, having been a deprived child, the idea of raw fish slithering down my throat made me wanna throw up just a little.  ::: SHUDDER::: And yet, it’s so damn delicious.  More gag-inducing raw fish, please!  It’s better not to think too much about what the stuff you’re eating used to look like when it had a pulse.  Do fish have pulses?  Er, did they?  Before we ate them?

Anyway, now a serious sushi convert, you wouldn’t believe the girlish squeal of delight I let loose when I found out that Sake-Tumi was finally opening downtown.  And that big glowing sign’s been up for quite a little while, hasn’t it?  Earlier this evening, wearing a baseball cap and messenger bag I stole from some legitimate Binghamton news organization, I snuck in to get a sneak peek of the restaurant (and shovel down some sushi) during their friends and family preview night.

First thing’s first, the sushi was SUPERB.  But I only had one kind: Rock ‘n Roll.  And it’s certainly not fair to “review” a restaurant BEFORE it’s even opened, but I had to tell you that.  My miso soup was great; the shrimp dumplings (that had a more impressive name that I can’t remember) were also excellent.  The service was super-fast and the owners were very open to suggestions.  (One of my “co-eaters” was being quite picky and had this one little critique which the folks at Sake-Tumi were more than happy to hear.  That, more than anything, seems to be the sign of a restaurant that will take off in Bing.)

If you work downtown, this might just be the new place you can hide from your boss during a 90-minute lunch.  If your boss doesn’t read BingPop.  If she does, you’re screwed.  Make sure to go down and grab yourself a roll this Tuesday when they unlock the doors at 1.  Oh, and check out these pics… Including the obligatory bathroom pic…