Tomorrow is a great day for foodies everywhere. For restaurateurs ... not so much. I laughed last night when I saw a sign at the Golden Arches saying "Open on Thanksgiving." Are they offering turkey big-macs? Ick. But let's say you are slicing open the bird at 5 p.m. (too late if you ask me), you just might get hungry before then. Etsogo on Merrimack Street is open all day. Not a bad choice, considering sushi’s polar opposite appeal to the trad. holiday meal. I went here last week for paradise and wasabi rolls. Sushi master Jay Li rolled astounding designer taste treats to rival any in Gotham City. Incidentally he learned to make sushi at the Blue Ribbon in Soho. I went there about 10 years ago and the memory still lingers. How in carnation did he end up in Lowell? Dumb luck I guess. The paradise roll is the perfect pop of seafood, seaweed, sauce and spice, it's hard for me to elaborate w/o drooling. Sauce on sushi is a non-starter for many a sushi purists, but this flavorful roll will convert you. The wasabi gets a tempura treatment, leaving a crispy outside while maintaining the raw, sweet trio of yellowtail, tuna and salmon. A pre-T-Day trip to Etsogo will get your juices flowing and stretch that tummy for the mail event. etsogo.net Oh and prices here are unbelievable reasonable. I got a sushi feed to go for two for $33. I remember the days when raw fish was cost prohibitive.
I love Etsogo! The food is very fresh and cooked to order. Sushi is not their only specialty here. They have traditonal Chinese, Thai, Japanese dishes. Their menu is very diverse. A must try!
Etsogo is the hidden new gem in downtown Lowell's dining scene. You can keep your highly publicized fancy new places that have opened over the past couple of years. I'll take this place's food over theirs any day of the week. I'd say that even if the prices weren't cheaper than the other newbies.
The Paradise Roll is aptly named, by the way.
I take it the picture features the paradise roll? It looks delicious.
My husband and I hit Etsogo every couple of weeks and we are having a real problem deviating from ordering the same things every time. But they are SO GOOD! Paradise, Irish and Fantastic rolls, followed by mango fish and green curry vegetable casserole.
YUMMMMM
So much awesome food and so cheap. And Janice has never forgotten our names (or the names of any of our friends or family we bring by). She is the real gem.
Can anyone suggest anything else we should try should we ever decide to branch out?
Went to Etsogo for the first time today on GG's suggestion - really liked it! The paradise and philadelphia rolls were excellent, as were the thai iced teas. Before the Blue Talah was our go-to for DTL sushi, but now I suppose we have options.
The bf and I visit and/or order from Etsogo about once a week. I am not a huge sushi fan but LOVE their house roll. Also their chicken wings are pretty good - I think they use Chinese 5 spice powder to season them. The staff there is fantastic and the prices can't be beat for the quality!
My husband and I visit Estsogo several times a month. So good! I'm starting to feel guilty, we've abandoned all our other sushi haunts, and most of the other local restaurants. We're hard pressed to eat in downtown lowell and NOT got there.
We haven't had a piece of sushi or maki roll that we didn't enjoy yet. Their miso soup is the best and the tea is piping hot at all times. yum.
We brought some friends for the first time last weekend and they had heard good things about the Sashimi Mango Avocado Salad. I never would have ordered this on my own and it was delicious. So many textures in one dish, but like many of the rolls, the perfect balance/blend. Try this if you haven't yet!