Hilldale finally has what it needs to fully rebound - a restaurant that qualifies as real destination dining. Sushi Muramoto, which got off to a rocky start (and which I gave an earlier tepid review to) hasn't just evolved quickly; it has become one of the best Japanese restaurants in town, and better than any of its overhyped but mediocre Chicago competitors.
What makes it so good aren't the supersized entrees - though the black miso cod is a knock-out - but the quality, complexity and creativity of the sushi. It is supernal, from the spot-on anago, to a simple scallop roll (augmented with avocado and cucumber) that's a lesson in elegant, perfectly balanced maki-making, to the signature house tarantula roll filled with both succulent soft-shell crab and rock crab.
If you don't like raw fish (something The Capital Times reviewer clearly doesn't; all he sampled in his recent, addled review was a lonely California roll), there are compensations, but for anyone who loves sushi, this is the only west-side stop.
