Itoko
Amidst the pandemic, my family and I were desperate to move. We had lived in an apartment where my twin sister and I shared a room, and my two dogs had barely anywhere to move. Of course, I was grateful that I had my family, that I was safe, and that I could still do school. Yet, you could just imagine two developing teenage girls sharing a room while trying to Zoom fifty feet away from each other. I’ll give you a hint: it doesn't work.
The market was small, I mean, who is trying to move during a literal pandemic? What made it even more difficult was that my father had a few restrictions on the house: we weren’t living downtown, and definitely not in Southport. We spent almost a year looking for a home, and trying to sell ours. Now, in 2023, we live right off of Southport, in what my father used to call the annoying business and bad retail. Oh, how the pandemic can simply make all things change in just a few long years.
Especially this year, Southport began to bloom. So many new stores opened, but most importantly to my interests, restaurants. The first of them was Gigi’s Chicken Shop. I had been so excited, and it literally blew my mind. And right next door: Itoko. Everyday on the way to school, little by little I saw the restaurant come to life. And then I went inside the life of the restaurant. The moment I walked in I could hear the business and hustle that my father used to talk about, but it wasn’t annoying. The sushi restaurants we think of are quiet and small; that's when you know it’s good. But, as I said, the pandemic can change things. This relatively large restaurant with talkative customers made it all the better, because the food was actually incredible. Sushi has always been a difficult food to master in Chicago, as our fish selection is limited, and exports take forever to get here. Itoko gave my family a neighborhood spot to get some of the best sushi in the city, and I don’t take that title lightly.
We started with one of the signatures, “TCD” Tuna Toro. Tuna and caviar topped on a bed of rice, with nori crackers on the side to create the perfect bite. It was really fun to create our own “nori wrap”, and it tasted amazing. It was fresh, flavorful, and a staple of the night.
Next, we shared the Harumaki, a vegetable, mango, and hamachi roll wrapped in lettuce and rice paper. I’ve never been one for no-rice rolls, however, this surprised me. Again, the freshness of the dish was incredible, and the green sauce on top was delicious too. I’d definitely order this again, as it was perfect.
Lastly, we shared the Yama roll, which had shrimp, crab and cucumber. You may have heard me tell you once that I'm “shrimp intolerant”, but there are a few exceptions to that, and this is one of them. The best part was that the crab was still warm. I didn’t know sushi could be warm! Yet, it was amazing. Delicious. Outstanding.
At this point the server was like “Ok, that’s all”? And we were all like, “No. Are you kidding?” And he was like “Oh, ok.” And we were like, “I’ll have this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this”. I swear to god he couldn’t keep up with the round robin of sushi.
Anyways, we ordered a ton of sushi and it was incredible. I’ve been to some great sushi restaurants, from LA to NY, and during the meal I wondered why I should travel so far when I can walk a block. Everything was fresh and flavorful, sweet and salty.
I have to say that I mean it when I say I recommend this with all of my heart. I was truly impressed (if you want to listen to a fifteen year old’s opinion) with the quality and the ambience. If I could get a reservation here every week I would, but reservations are difficult. That’s why I recommend making it right now, so you can go ASAP. And I know my father regrets saying what he did about Southport, because now when we are out and about he’s all like “I love living in a busy neighborhood,” and “we are so lucky we live here,” and “I’m gonna go walk to Lululemon”.
