funny . . . one poster's "weird" is my selling point! by that I mean that for the last ten years I have described Sunshine Cafe thusly, "It's like eating in a Japanese Grandma's living room, the decor is kind of old and fusty but it doesn't matter because the food is so satisfying."
My 22 year-old niece was here last month and she works in a trendy Japanese place in Boulder, CO and she really wanted to go to some fusion/fancy new Japanese place in River North or off of Randolph, the name totally escapes me. It just wasn't in the cards with me being cash-strapped and with two kids under 7 in tow, so as a Plan B, I took her to Sunshine. I kept quiet (held back my own opinions which are hyper positive since this is my very favorite neighborhood restaurant in Andersonville) and we went for supper. She was making that weird pinch face of uncertainty when we walked in--until she saw the menu (including the "specials" which tend to actually be pretty much all the time) and then the food came. We had cold soba, Chicken Udon, gomae, the pan fried calamari, Gobo, some gyoza and house made pickles. She slurped, she lapped up everything like a hungry cat, she whipped out her camera to put pics on her facebook page. She was giddy and sated and inspired when we left. A few days later, as we hugged goodbye at Midway, I asked, "What was the most amazing thing you ate this time in Chicago?" (Last year, I think it was the Mo's Bacon Bar from Vosges Chocolate.) And she said without missing a beat, "Oh, Aunt Bonnie, the Gobo at Sunshine."
There you have it.
bjt
"eating is an agricultural act" wendell berry